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Viewing report
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“When the whole ‘bloke’ thing starts to crumble”. Edition No. 1
VDM Publishing House, Aug 2008, Pages: 224
Why are men under-represented as users of arthritis
self management programs? This study explores the
interaction between gender, work, age and self
management of a chronic illness from a socio-
constructive perspective. A mixed method study was
conducted including analyses of service use records,
in-depth interviews with men with arthritis and
their partners, and a trial to test the applications
of the research findings. It was found that men’s
decisions to access arthritis self management
programs were strongly influenced by dominant social
expectations of men to be strong and independent.
This meant that they tended to avoid seeking help
until their condition deteriorated to a point of
crisis, usually represented by an inability to
continue working. This pattern of behaviour was
particularly evident in men in the middle stages of
life with the greatest work and family obligations.
More work needs to be done to explore the options
for reaching men before they arrive at a critical
stage in the progress of their condition. The roles
of general practitioners and partners need to be
taken into account.
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