STUDY - English-speaking men and fathers experience greater psychological distress

MONTREAL, Jan. 26, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - A compilation of results from three surveys (2018, 2020 and 2021) and recent public data by the Pôle d'expertise et de recherche en santé et bien-être des hommes (PERBESH) shows that English-speaking men and fathers in Quebec are more likely than French-speaking men and fathers to report high levels of stress and less likely to report satisfaction with their lives. They are also more likely to report high psychological distress and to describe their adaptation to the changes brought about by the pandemic as "difficult".

The data reviewed on their relationship to health and social services showed that English-speaking men were more likely to not have access to a family doctor and less likely to report having access to services that met their health needs. They were also more likely to report having felt a need for psychosocial counselling but were unable to access it.

For sociologist Jacques Roy, who led the study, the findings of this analysis underscore the importance of considering language as a key feature of any reflection on the accessibility of services for men and fathers in the English-speaking community, but also culture, socio-economic dimensions, fatherhood and masculinities, all of which are essential components in better understanding and interpreting their relationship to services.

"This picture reflects a more difficult socio-economic evolution of the English-speaking community and a significant problem of accessibility to services, mainly because of language. These are the two main figures that emerge from the analysis. At another level, the results show that two clienteles would deserve special attention: young English-speaking fathers and English-speaking men with a high psychological distress index," concludes the researcher in his report.

Minority language status as an additional vulnerability factor

Russ Kueber, Director of Programming at the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN), an organization dedicated to promoting equitable access to health and social services in English and a partner in the study, sees these results as a demonstration that being a member of the linguistic minority, especially when combined with other vulnerability factors, is a condition that can increase the vulnerability of men and fathers and contribute to increased social inequalities in health for this population.

"These findings confront some persistent myths about Quebec's English-speaking population, which is often perceived as privileged. By presenting a more nuanced portrait that is more sensitive to the specific realities experienced by English-speaking men and fathers in their relationship with health and social services, this study provides interesting insights to better meet the needs of this clientele," he comments.

Some highlights of the study

Compared to all men in Quebec, men from the English-speaking community:

• are more likely to report high levels of stress, they are less likely to report satisfaction with their lives and to feel that their skills and abilities are recognized. In particular, English-speaking children in kindergarten are more likely to be affected in certain areas of personal and social development;
• are more likely to have a net annual income of less than $20,000, and the unemployment rate is almost twice as high for English-speaking parents, at 19.1% compared to 11.1% in 2016;
• are more likely to seek employment during the pandemic (10% vs. 4%);
• are more likely to report high psychological distress (22% vs. 12%). The group most affected is English-speaking fathers (30% vs. 13%);
• are more likely among fathers to be "very concerned" about the impact of COVID-19 transmission from children (35% vs. 12%);
• are more likely to consider it "difficult" to adapt to the changes caused by the pandemic (50% vs. 40%);
• are more likely among fathers to have felt a "very negative" impact of the pandemic on daily life (34% vs. 16%);
• are more likely among fathers to consider that the pandemic has had "quite a bit" or "a lot" of perceived impact on co-parenting (65% vs. 50%);
• are less likely to find it "difficult" to have quality in their relationship (7% vs. 14%);
• are more likely among fathers to find it "difficult" to raise children well (25% vs. 14%);
• have less access to medical, health and social services for language reasons;
• are less likely to see a doctor in a medical clinic (58% vs. 75%);
• are less likely to consider it "very helpful" to show up in person without an appointment when experiencing significant emotional difficulties (33% vs. 42%);
• are more likely among fathers to have postponed their medical consultation after the pandemic even though they felt they needed it (12% vs. 4%);
• were more likely among fathers to have postponed psychosocial counselling after the pandemic even though they felt they needed it (11% vs. 3%).

Objective
This study was conducted by the Pôle d'expertise et de recherche en santé et bien-être des hommes, in close collaboration with the Community Health and Social Services Network and the Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité. Based on the results of three recent surveys of Quebec men and public data, the research aims to establish a portrait of English-speaking men in Quebec in order to support practice settings in their reflection on the priorities and intervention methods to be implemented in the general context of the specific realities experienced by English-speaking clientele with regard to health and social services.

About the Pôle d'expertise et de recherche en santé et bien-être des hommes (PERSBEH)
The Pôle d'expertise et de recherche en santé et bien-être des hommes brings together more than 40 researchers from 12 universities across Quebec and Ontario. It plays a leading role in research and in the transfer of scientific knowledge in men's health and well-being. To learn more about the organization, to subscribe to our newsletter or to get in touch, visit the Pôle's website at
https://www.polesbeh.ca/ 

About the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN)
CHSSN's mission is to support Quebec's English-speaking communities by promoting equitable access to health and social services in English and addressing the social determinants of health through relationship building, knowledge sharing, empowerment and training. www.chssn.org

About the Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité (RVP)
The RVP is a group of 250 organizations and individuals from all regions of Quebec whose mandate is to change social norms so that fathers can fully exercise their role in order to promote better development of children, greater well-being of all family members in a perspective of co-parenting and equality between women and men.
www.rvpaternite.org
Facebook.com/rvpaternite
Twitter.com/rvpaternite
Instagram.com/rvpaternite

SOURCE CHSSN

For more information or interviews: Jacques Roy, [email protected], 581-986-1951, Russ Kueber, [email protected], 418-951-5858