Development and psychometric validation of a survey assessing barriers to mental health help- seeking among men: A cross-sectional study

Development and Psychometric Validation of a Survey Assessing Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Men: A Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Development and Psychometric Validation of a Survey Assessing Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Men: A Cross-Sectional Study Dr. Josh Vandergriff This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Aims: Men’s mental health and barriers to help-seeking remain under-explored, despite known links between high male suicide rates and low mental health service use. This study aimed to develop and validate a survey instrument assessing such barriers, with a focus on social determinants of health. Methods: A survey was created using literature review and expert input, including multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and select-all-that-apply items. Participants were English-speaking adults aged 18+ assigned male at birth. After pilot testing with 30 participants, the final version was distributed online via Qualtrics using social media (N = 107). Data was analyzed in SPSS and R. Psychometric validation included content review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega). Results: The final instrument showed strong psychometric properties. EFA and CFA supported a five-factor structure: perception, awareness, comfort, experience, and barriers. Internal consistency was acceptable. Correlations were observed between social determinants—such as income, education, and social support—and reluctance to seek help. Conclusions: The validated instrument offers a reliable tool for measuring barriers to mental health help-seeking in men. It may inform public health efforts aimed at reducing stigma and expanding access to services. Further research should assess its applicability in broader populations. Trial registration: Not applicable. Men’s mental health psychometric validation social determinants of health help-seeking behavior Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files DoctoralProjectSurveyVandergriff.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7053007","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":492146261,"identity":"088c6b7a-b903-4681-9f39-0b7a5041d8b6","order_by":0,"name":"Dr. Josh Vandergriff","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABC0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxgYGNigNBAk2cnIMDDwkaUkzNiaoBQiQtDCkGSc2ENLC3N7+7DFPzR3Zfunj1z48SDBI33D87MEHHxjs5HQbcDis54y5Mc+xZ8Yz+3KKZyQkGORuOJOXbDiDIdnY7AAOLTNy2CRnsB1O3HCGJ5kh8cef3A0HcsykeRgOJG7DqSX9meSMf4cT94O0AG1JNzj/hpCWBDOJj21AW3jYD4O0JBjcIGRLzxmglr7DxjPO8DCDtBjOvPHG2HCGAW6/GAJDTCLh22HZ/h72x4w/Egzk+c7nGD74UGEnh1NLA5zJYwCmFMAqDbArBwF5BJP9AUSkAYuyUTAKRsEoGNEAAAPRYtPlPwPSAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Purdue University Global","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"Dr.","firstName":"Josh","middleName":"","lastName":"Vandergriff","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-05 12:23:07","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":89106714,"identity":"6594710e-afe0-468b-a560-f9e3fcc5361d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-14 17:40:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":398447,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DoctoralmanuscriptVandergriffJoshEPS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7053007/v2_covered_a9dc8601-fd41-48c0-ae32-e1efba451254.pdf"},{"id":89105855,"identity":"9d7bb484-c7a6-4cfa-965b-e4759b924cae","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-14 17:24:32","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":32214,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DoctoralProjectSurveyVandergriff.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7053007/v2/a7761c00e48122922749bf79.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eDevelopment and Psychometric Validation of a Survey Assessing Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Men: A Cross-Sectional Study\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Men’s mental health, psychometric validation, social determinants of health, help-seeking behavior","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAims: \u003c/strong\u003eMen’s mental health and barriers to help-seeking remain under-explored, despite known links between high male suicide rates and low mental health service use. This study aimed to develop and validate a survey instrument assessing such barriers, with a focus on social determinants of health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eA survey was created using literature review and expert input, including multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and select-all-that-apply items. Participants were English-speaking adults aged 18+ assigned male at birth. After pilot testing with 30 participants, the final version was distributed online via Qualtrics using social media (N = 107). Data was analyzed in SPSS and R. Psychometric validation included content review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eThe final instrument showed strong psychometric properties. EFA and CFA supported a five-factor structure: perception, awareness, comfort, experience, and barriers. Internal consistency was acceptable. Correlations were observed between social determinants—such as income, education, and social support—and reluctance to seek help.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions: \u003c/strong\u003eThe validated instrument offers a reliable tool for measuring barriers to mental health help-seeking in men. It may inform public health efforts aimed at reducing stigma and expanding access to services. Further research should assess its applicability in broader populations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrial registration: \u003c/strong\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Development and Psychometric Validation of a Survey Assessing Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Men: A Cross-Sectional Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2025-08-14 17:16:27","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-28 17:17:04","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7053007/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"db4c6701-d171-4cd0-9266-4e60ac26583f","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 14th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-12T12:38:15+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-14 17:16:27","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-7053007","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7053007","identity":"rs-7053007","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}