Pathways from Men's Shed engagement to wellbeing, health-related quality of life, and lower loneliness

Leading by Example: Identity Leadership and Mental Health in Men's Sheds Members

The impact of leadership on members' mental health outcomes in community-based mutual-aid organizations such as Men's Shed is unknown. We analyzed (a) whether identity leadership is associated with Shed members' mental health, and (b) whether these links are mediated by psychological safety, social network quality, and social identity. Path analysis on data collected from 162 Australian Men's Shed members revealed statistically significant associations between identity leadership and each mechanism, and our model accounted for significant variance in mental health outcomes (14%-24%, ps < .001). Only social network quality and psychological safety were associated with unique variance in mental health outcomes. All indirect effects via social network quality and psychological safety were significant. These findings suggest the proposed mechanisms explain the relationship between identity leadership mental health outcomes in mutual-aid organizations such as Men's Sheds.

Men's Preferences for Language and Communication in Mental Health Promotion: A Qualitative Study

Tailored language and communication strategies underpin men's engagement with public health initiatives. The aim of this study was to explore men's preferences for language and communication in mental health promotion and provide recommendations for current and future programs. A sequential mixed-methods design was used including five focus groups and 21 individual interviews with 64 men. Interpretive description was used to inductively derive three themes: (1) Using coded language to confer mental health, which highlighted the tacit meaning and implications of language as well as men's covert strategies to communicate their challenges and emotions; (2) Summoning masculine capital with association and metaphors, wherein men's strategies for conveying mental health in acceptable and relatable ways are chronicled; and (3) Dynamism language to signal action and growth, illustrating participants' preference for strength-based approaches and gain-framed messaging that positions men as drivers of self-management and personal development. Important implications for men's mental health promotion are discussed.

The Impacts of Engagement in Men's Sheds on Incidental Physical Activity and Wellbeing Outcomes

BACKGROUND

As a large proportion of older adults are insufficiently active, it is imperative to identify ways to increase incidental physical activity. Men's Sheds, a mutual-aid, community-based organisation appear to be a promising approach for optimising wellbeing outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether Men's Sheds attendance is associated with higher levels of physical activity, and the relationships between physical activity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and wellbeing in Men's Shed members.

METHODS

Participants (N = 45) wore a hip accelerometer (Actigraph GTX-9) for 11 days. The majority (n = 30, Mage = 72.3 ± 9.4) also consented to complete an online questionnaire investigating HRQOL and wellbeing.

RESULTS

Linear mixed models revealed members, on average, spent an additional 34 min in light physical activity, had an extra six breaks in sedentary behaviour, and took an extra 1193 steps on days they attended Men's Sheds, though, these effects were small. Physical activity was not significantly associated with HRQOL and wellbeing.

CONCLUSION

Men's Sheds appear to be a valuable approach for increasing light intensity physical activity, breaks in sedentary behaviours, and step count in older adults. However, additional Men's Shed activities specifically targeting increased movement may be required to realise greater impacts on health-related quality of life and wellbeing. SO WHAT?: Men's Sheds may provide a valuable opportunity to increase some indices of physical activity, which may contribute to better overall health. While these effects may be small for active Men's Shed members, these effects may be more appreciable for more sedentary individuals.

Supporting mental health in farming communities where and when it is needed most: A longitudinal analysis of risk and protective factors

The cyclical nature of agriculture exposes farmers to challenges that vary over time, influenced by a myriad of external factors beyond their control. This longitudinal study aimed to examine mental health trajectories for Western Australian farmers over a 12 month period, and determine associations with key risk and protective factors. Farmers and farm residents (N = 125) completed an online survey at three timepoints (baseline, 6 months and 12 months) that assessed anxiety, depression, stress, farming stressors, coping strategies, sense of belonging and social supports. Survey timing coincided with periods of harvest and seeding. Risk factors associated with poorer mental health among farmers included a range of dysfunctional and emotion coping strategies, family/relationship stressors, financial/external stressors and daily stressors. Protective factors included sense of belonging and social support. Stress was found to change over time and family/relationship stressors and financial/external stressors at baseline were found to moderate anxiety and stress at 6 months and 12 months. Addressing factors associated with poor mental health trajectories and bolstering factors that are protective for mental health over time will aid clinical and community services in tailoring their services to meet the needs of farmers.

Social anxiety, behavioural activation and depression risk in older men: protection through Men's Shed membership

Reducing rates of depressive symptoms in older adults is a public health priority. Men's Sheds are a community organisation that may protect against depressive symptoms in older men. It is currently unclear how social anxiety and behavioural activation may relate to depressive symptoms for Men's Shed members. We employed a cross-sectional design to explore whether the relationships between social anxiety, behavioural activation and depressive symptoms were contingent upon Shed social network quality in a sample of 164 Men's Shed members. Conditional effects analysis found social anxiety (B = -0.08, p < 0.01) and behavioural activation's (B = 0.02, p < 0.001) relationships with depression to be contingent on Shed social network quality. Additionally, we found evidence for a conditional effect of social anxiety on the relationship between behavioural activation and depression (B = -0.03, p < 0.01) such that this relationship was stronger for those with higher levels of social anxiety. Our findings suggest that a strong social network within a Men's Shed weakens the association between social anxiety and depression, that the relationship between behavioural activation and depression is stronger in those with poorer Shed social networks, and that the relationship between behavioural activation and depression may be stronger for those with higher levels of social anxiety. We suggest that our findings contribute to increasing quantitative support for the mental health benefits of Men's Shed membership, highlight the potential importance of Shed social network quality and explore how social anxiety may affect the mental health outcomes for members.