Men's Formal Help-Seeking for Eating and/or Body Image Pathology: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators

Background and aim.The number of men seeking and/or accessing care for eating and/or body image pathology (EBP; e.g., body dysmorphic disorder, disordered eating, etc.) is low. This mixed method review aims to identify and synthesise the barriers and facilitators to/of men’s formal EBP-related help-seeking. Method. A systematic literature search yielded 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria (written in English, peer-reviewed, reporting barriers and/or facilitators to/of men’s formal EBP-related help-seeking). A set of “synthesised findings” (SF) were generated through a convergent integrated approach and meta-aggregation of the quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the studies included in the analysis. Findings. The SFs are presented as barriers (n=6) and facilitators (n=2) to/of formal EBP-related help-seeking. The barriers encompass: Social assumptions about who can experience EBP; men’s view of the functional ‘benefits’ of EBP-related behaviours; healthcare organisations’ lack of male-inclusive resources; healthcare staff’s inadequate knowledge about male EBP experiences; and the misunderstanding of men’s EBP symptoms. Facilitators included men’s raised awareness and recognition of the impact of EBP following critical life events, and the active encouragement of help-seeking from family and/or peers. Discussion. This synthesis shows that barriers and facilitators to/of men’s formal EBP-related help-seeking are located at individual (e.g. self-stigma), organisational (e.g. lack of male-inclusive resources), and cultural (e.g. social assumptions) levels. Alongside the review’s SFs, this work also considers the limitations of the small number of studies in this field. To conclude, directions for future development in academia and applied practice will be highlighted.