Stopping the Gender Paradox: Male-Specific Interventions for Suicide
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Introduction: The “gender paradox” describes the phenomenon in which men are more likely to die by suicide, despite women being more likely to experience suicidal ideation and attempt suicide. Men experience unique social pressures associated with masculinity which affects their ability to seek and benefit from suicide interventions. Despite this, the Canadian public health strategy does not specifically account for the male experience when developing suicide interventions. Objective: This literature review sought to determine the efficacy of male-specific interventions on male suicidality and compare the efficacy of these interventions to one another. It also aimed to identify what male-specific interventions are available in Canada and the feasibility of introducing or reinforcing these interventions nationally. Methods: The literature review used PubMed and Semantic Scholar to find articles relating to male-tailored suicide interventions. A search using three national suicide prevention websites produced a list of male-specific interventions available in Canada. Results: The literature search produced five articles, three of which discussed informational, internet-based interventions and two of which discussed community-based interventions. There were no studies which compared male-specific interventions to each other. Of the five male-specific interventions available in Canada, three were internet-based and two were community-based. Conclusion: Male-specific interventions, regardless of modality, appealed to men and increased help-seeking behaviour. These interventions were generally accessible and cost-effective to the user. No conclusions can be drawn regarding which male-specific intervention is most effective in decreasing male suicide.