Confirmation bias in research survey into men's mental health which includes questions based on toxic masculinity and Duluth power and control wheel

actingverystrangely · 2016-07-24T05:41:46+00:00

I recently participated in a research study commissioned by Movember Foundation using researchers from Melbourne University in Victoria, Australia. I have included details of (what I think) was the study, below. My post concerns the apparent confirmation bias of some of the questions in the research study. The screenshot shows an example.

The research team do have some links to feminist groups, but on the other hand the Professor involved actively undertakes research into male suicide, so it would be churlish to criticise her motives. What is not churlish is to point out the underpinning logic of ‘toxic masculinity’ and the Duluth Power and Control wheel that underpins the some of the questions in the survey. I was very disappointed, as if the goals of the survey is to test resilience, why was there no mention of

divorce
separation from partner
separation from kids
redundancy
death of loved one
etc etc

I think we know the answer to that question. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote after the second cycle of taking the questions:

I despair that the questions are so one sided. Men suffer because they are separated from their kids by the family (in) justice system, not because they are afraid of hugging a mate in case they are mistaken for gay lovers. Most men born in Australia don't think men should be in control of women, they crave the opportunity to support and be with their families. They want to be valued, to protect and to support their families, and structural change, and poor educational outcomes for men in an increasingly feminised education system, disproportionately affect men's economic mobility, and hence their ability to realise their contribution to society.

Movember has done lots of good things, but it is sad to see opportunities to gather information about why six men a day (in Australia) kill themselves, and instead (ab) use the research as a means to support feminist dogma.

(What may be the aims of the research program)

This project will trial a novel intervention aimed at building resilience in men. The University of Melbourne, in collaboration with the Movember Foundation and Heiress Films, produced a TV documentary and website aimed to build resilience in men. The documentary focuses on a group of men going through key stressful transition points in their lives and watches as they are taken through a series of activities specifically designed to boost their resilience. The audience is encouraged to take part in the activities via an accompanying website. It is anticipated that the documentary will be shown on free to air television in Australia in the coming year. The impact of the documentary on the participating men, the users of the website and men in the wider Australian population is being evaluated through a four part evaluation study. This presentation provides first insights into the content of the documentary and its participants as well as an overview of the broader context of the intervention and the evaluation plan.

CrustythePrawn · 2016-07-24T06:30:51+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested to read more should you have any further experience with this study and/or receive any feedback from the researchers involved. Further info on the general issue of feminist bias in research here

iainmf · 2016-07-24T07:57:49+00:00

It really frustrates me that studies of this type seem to be about studying a caricature of masculinity.

I'm not sure why they included homophobia as a masculine trait. I mean gay men are men too.

rg57 · 2016-07-24T18:06:09+00:00

I didn't use to love it when men were in charge of women. All else being equal, who cares?

But given the way feminists are treating men, you bet I love it when men are in charge of women. It's not just increasingly rare, but it makes feminists sad. For me, it's not about men being in charge of women, per se. It's about aiming for meritocracy, and it's about pushing back against nonsense.

(Feminists will also be sad when no men are in charge of women, because they won't be able to use that line any more... they'll say people just aren't reporting it when men are in charge, in the underground economy)

Title	Confirmation bias in research survey into men's mental health which includes questions based on toxic masculinity and Duluth power and control wheel
Author	actingverystrangely
Upvotes	22
Comments	11
Date	July 24, 2016 5:39 AM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/4ubxku/confirmation_bias_in_research_survey_into_mens/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/confirmation-bias-in-research-survey-into-mens.945027 https://theredarchive.com/post/945027

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