Machismo, gender role conflict, and mental health in Mexican American men.

Abstract

T as T ech U n iv ersity The authors investigated the relations among machismo, gender role conflict, and mental health in 113 Mexican American en recruited from campus organizations and the local community. Regression analyses controlling fo r acculturation indicated that machismo and gender role conflict both predicted levels o f stress and depression. Higher levels o f machismo and restrictive emotion- ality were associated with higher levels o f depression and stress. The interaction o f machismo and gender role conflict was not significant predictor o f either stress o r depression. Implications o f the findings for counseling and future research are discussed. A n em erg in g field o f in terest in co u n selin g p sy ch o l- o g y in v o lv es th e p lo ratio n o f ascu lin e id eo lo g y an d th e relatio n b etw een ascu lin e id eo lo g y an d en - tal h ealth . G o o d , W allace, an d B o rst (1 9 9 4 ) stated th at m ascu lin ity id eo lo g y refers to an in d iv id u al's d eg ree o f en d o rsem en t an d in tern alizatio n o f cu ltu ral b elief sy stem s ab o u t ascu lin ity an d th e ascu lin e g en d er ro (p. 3). A cco rd in g to O 'N e il, ale ch ild ren an d ad u lts are co n tin u ally so cialized acco rd in g to fo rm o f ascu lin e id eo lo g y O 'N e il term ed th e ascu lin e y s- tiq u e an d v alu e sy stem (O 'N eil, 19 8 1 a, 19 8 1 b , 1982; O 'N e il, G o o d , & H o lm es, 1 9 95 ), w h ich is a set o f v alu es an d b eliefs [that] are learn ed d u rin g early so - cializatio n an d are b ased u p o n rig id g en d er ro le stereo - ty p es an d b eliefs ab o u t en an d ascu lin ity (O 'N eil, 1981 b , p . 2 0 5 ). M ales are so cialized to v iew th e v alu es an d b eliefs o f th is sy stem as o p tim al, an d w h en th ey ad o p t it as th eir ascu lin e v alu e sy stem , th ey d ev elo p fear o f fem in in ity . G o o d et al. (1 9 9 4 ) stated th at so e ch aracteristics o f ascu lin e id eo lo g y are th o u g h t to b e d eleterio u s to th e p sy ch o lo g ical o r p h y sical fu n ctio n in g o f en . F o r am p le, en w h o h av e stro n g d esire to co p ete an d ach iev e at th eir w o rk ay p erien ce p sy ch o lo g - ical strain fro in flex ib le an d rig id attitu d es to w ard Jo se M. Fragoso and Susan Kashubeck, Department o f Psychology, Texas Tech University. Jo se M. Fragoso is now at the Department o f Psychology, Stephen F. Austin University. This article is part o fa master's thesis conducted by Jose M. Fragoso under the direction o f Susan Kashubeck. A n earlier version o fthe article was presented at the 104th Annual Con- vention o fthe American Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Susan Kashubeck, Department o f Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-205 I. Elec- tronic mail may be sent to Susan.Kashubeck@ttu.edu. th eir p eers an d p h y sical stress fro o v erw o rk (O 'N eil, H elm s, G ab le, D av id , & W rig h tsm an , 1986 ). N eg a- tiv e co n seq u en ces asso ciated w ith en d o rsem en t o f th e ale g en d er ro le h av e b een v ario u sly term ed sex ro le strain (P leck , 1976, 19 78 ), g en d er ro le co n flict o r g en - d er ro le strain (O 'N eil, 1 9 8 1 a, 19 81 b, 1982, 199 0), an d ascu lin e g en d er ro le stress (E isler & S k id o re, 1 9 8 7 ; E isler, S k id o re, & W ard , 19 88). B ecau se th e trad itio n al ale g en d er ro le so cializatio n in th e U n ited S tates p laces u n realistic p ectatio n s o n en , th e re- su lt ay b e d ifficu lty p ressin g em o tio n s; co n flicts asso ciated w ith b alan cin g w o rk an d h o e d em an d s; issu es related to su ccess, p o w er, an d co p etitio n ; an in ab ility to p ress affectio n to w ard o th er en ; an d h o o p h o b ia (G o o d , R o b ertso n , F itzg erald , S tev en s, & B artels, 1 99 6). A ccu u latin g ev id en ce su p p o rts th e v iew th at th e w ay en are trad itio n ally so cialized to b e ascu lin e can h av e d eleterio u s en tal an d p h y sical h ealth co n - seq u en ces. S tu d ies h av e in d icated th at h ig h er lev els o f ale g en d er ro le co n flict are asso ciated w ith lo w er self-esteem an d h ig h er an x iety (D av is & W alsh , 1988; S h arp e & H ep p n er, 1 991 ), h ig h er lev els o f an g er an d su b stan ce u se (B lazin & W atk in s, 1 99 6), h ig h er lev - els o f d ep ressio n (C o u rn o y er & M ah alik , 1995; G o o d & M in tz, 1990; S h arp e & H ep p n er, 1 99 1), an d h ig h er lev s of p y ch g i ad tr (G ., 1995). H o w ev er, th e ajo rity o f th ese d ata h av e b een g ath - e rd w i th no -H sp acW ,an d th ere is little research p ertain in g to alad ap tiv e co n seq u en ces o f g en d er ro le ad h eren ce in in o rity p o p u latio n s (G o o d et ai., 1994). F o r am p le, ale M ican A erican s h av e b een trad itio n ally so cialized to b e th e au th o rity o r d o in an t fig u re in th e fam ily (B aru th & M an n in g , 1999; P an iag u a, 1998). M ican A erican en are ex p ected to b e stro n g , d o in an t, an d th ep rov if ly ( S u& , 1999, p. 2 9 3 ). H o w ev er, as resu lt o f p erien ces w ith 87

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