Bias Against Men and Boys in Mental Health Research

We all know about male bashing on television. Sadly, there is a similar bias in mental health research. This video give a quick glimpse into three studies which show this anti-male bias.

We have all grown to trust "research" and when we hear that a study shows that "X is correct" we tend to automatically believe that "X" is correct. Research has taken on an almost divine ethos that carries the seal of approval of correctness. If science says it, it must be so. The problem of course is that science, especially social science, is less than concrete and is much more slippery than measuring a distance or the tensile strength of a bar of steel. Mental health research is much more vulnerable to values and ideologies of the researchers. If a scientist believes a certain thing it usually has little impact on his measurements of the tensile strength of the bar of steel. No matter what he believes the measurement will likely be the same. But what about issues in social sciences where researchers come to the table with a large amount of preconceived ideas, allegiances to ideologies that espouse strong opinions about those being studied or have traumatic life histories that bias them against certain groups? Can those sorts of things influence the "findings" of a social science study? You bet they can. Gone is the impartial judge weighing the evidence and sifting through the data to find the truth. In today's world of social science research the opposite is happening: researchers are starting at their pre-conceived bias's and then designing research to prove that bias. As bizarre as that sounds it is demonstrably true in some social science research. You will see some of that within this video.

Teen Violence, NSPCC -- full report
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/partner_exploitation_and_vio...

exec summary
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Findings/partner_exploitation_and_vio...

CMNI --
https://umdrive.memphis.edu/slease/public/ResearchTeam/ResearchReadings/Mahal...

Reproductive Coercion I don't think this one is online for free. You can buy a copy here --Contraception Journal

http://www.contraceptionjournal.org/

I wrote an article that goes into more detail then you find on the youtube. You can find it here:

http://menaregood.com/bias.pdf

Category:

Education

Tags:

• men
• boys
• men's issues
• research
• feminism
• coerced reproduction
• teen partner violence
• cmni

[IndifferentSky]

Also from the study "Worryingly, one in nine girls (11 percent) claimed some form of severe physical violence from a partner. In comparison, only 4 per cent of boys stated they had experienced severe physical partner violence. In addition, girls were three times as likely as boys to have experienced repeated severe violence from their partners. " WHEN are people going to stop blindly accepting videos like this one without looking at the source? Say BOO HOO BOYS and there's a stampede of support.

[1menaregood1]

@IndifferentSky I would suggest you go back and watch the video again. Somehow you missed the point completely. To give you a little help, the point is that boys were indeed victims even if in the minority, and that their needs were totally ignored. The media and the resulting programs were all about girls and rather than trying to help the boys they ended up blaming them and focusing on how to change boys to help girls! It's called bigotry. If you want to be a party to that be my guest. lol

[Mectrixctic]

Er, don't you mean at the end "Hear no Good"

[1menaregood1]

@Mectrixctic yes! you are correct....but it would't have fit very well would it? LOL!

[knowthingman]

excellent vid. we need more critical expository HONEST investigation like this. do you think i should present this in my womens studies class? i wonder how it would be received?

[1menaregood1]

@knowthingman Thanks for the feedback. Please do offer it to your class and let us know how it goes. Send me a message if I can help out somehow. You might also want to have a look at the article linked at the bottom of the information box of this vid. It goes into much greater detail.

[1menaregood1]

@theatheistguy Maybe you didn't see the video? The video is about what the researchers DID and leaves it up to the viewer to decide about intentions.  It seems that your ideology is being threatened. Perhaps you need to develop some more compassion for boys and men.

[Quintonir]

The weirdest thing about this sort of stance is that it's offensive to both genders. Saying that all men are big, strong, hateful thugs and that all women are delicate flowers unable to fend for themselves insults everyone. Any feminist who is fine with these sorts of results is necessarily no feminist at all.

[Manoffriendship]

@IndifferentSky Google Germaine Greer feminist.

[Buntzums]

yeah right. and I have a Brooklyn bridge I'd love to sell you.

[sewbuttns]

Boys have other problems, maybe being bullied or things like that, but being pressured for sex is not one of the main problems boys face, so why should society put the same resources into it?

[knowthingman]

@IndifferentSky

i also noticed you made your argument on the grounds essentially that "the boys dont need help because they report that they were unaffected by their experiences as victims. i suppose that means you also are ready to neglect women that self report that they were "unaffected" by being raped? your bias is evident to anyone that reads what you post here. YOU are the reason this vid was made, you sexist pig.

how many DV shelters are there for men and boys in the US?

[IndifferentSky]

For example, the stats presented, he does in percentages, and does not use the study screen shots or breakdowns, and does not talk about degree. The study does not just make blanket statements of "emotional violence" There is a severity and repeated offenses and effects on the teens. If he covers that LATER in the video that is misleading. Also he focuses on "research" in the title in the description and in the opening statements. I feel bad for making too many comments, I should make a video.

[IndifferentSky]

@knowthingman "to the degree in which they are represented" that is where this video is misleading. I suggest you look over the study. Nobody is against help for anyone that needs it. This video should present what the study presented, showing that the boys reported in several sections that they were not effected. Also nice try pitting me against helping people because this video is misleading. He should cover the studies accurately. 13 boys cannot get help because everyone focuses on 30 girls?

[knowthingman]

@IndifferentSky

by "my reading of it" it should be clear to you that i mean "my interpretation" of it. the only thing i gather from looking over your comments is that you miss the point of this vid, which asks why, even though males are significant recipients of abuse, the media and the victim abuse industry doesnt want to give them recognition and aid to the degree in which they are represented in the population as victims.

why are you opposed to raising this awareness?

[IndifferentSky]

@knowthingman 2. btw your comment makes no sense, you say that I am in opposition to you reading it. No, I said you should actually read it because it seems from your comment, you did not read the actual study that he linked. I have already left several comments here pointing out what is in the study that conflicts with this video. You can look over the comment section and the study that says over and over that largely boys said they were not affected by their experiences compared to girls.

[IndifferentSky]

@Manoffriendship Please provide a source that shows feminists saying that men are sole perpetrators of violence, thanks.