First Advisor

Erin Winterrowd

Reader

Michael Ghedotti

College

Regis College

Degree Name

BA

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

70 pages

Abstract

There is a crisis in healthcare that is often not discussed: men’s health. Men die younger, are more burdened by illness during life, fall ill at a younger age, and have more chronic illnesses than women. Contradictory concepts of health, struggles with help-seeking, and worse healthcare outcomes and life expectancies for men can be traced back to attempts to conform to hegemonic masculine ideals or social norms. Although researchers have studied the stigma of help-seeking in men, these ideas have yet to be extended to the field of genetic counseling. This review outlines the barriers that men face when accessing genetic counseling, using a socioecological conceptual framework. Through pursuing genetic counseling, men are supported through their healthcare decisions, empowered to seek personalized care, and taught the skills to communicate their health challenges to healthcare providers and important people in their lives. Accessing genetic counseling presents an opportunity to challenge narratives of hegemonic masculinity to improve healthcare for men.

Date of Award

Spring 2022

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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