African American Masculinities and Chronic Illness

Principal Investigator:  Derek Griffith, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator:  Jonanthan Metzl, MD, PhD
Contact Information:  Julie Allen
Project Dates:  2/2010 - 9/2011
Funding:  University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG)

Description:
Inquires into the socially constructed dimensions of physical well-being are not just useful in describing what certain disease processes may “mean” to different groups of people, but these perspectives are critical to understanding individual and population health behavior and health outcomes.   Culturally constructed notions of the body, social identity and of one’s own physical health help us understand how people engage in their own health advocacy, in health-care seeking behaviors, responsiveness to clinical advice, preventive care, in addition to clarifying the contexts surrounding disease stigma and ultimately, health outcomes.

The African American Masculinities and Chronic Illness project is conducting a series of four exploratory focus groups with African American men between 30 and 59 years old from Detroit, Michigan, who have been diagnosed with diabetes, cancer and/or heart disease.  This project explores how these illnesses influence the men's conceptions of masculinity and the management of chronic illnesses. 

The specific aims of the African American Masculinities and Chronic Illness research are:
(1) To examine the impact that African American men’s notions of masculinity have on the social significance and medical management of chronic illnesses.
(2) To compare the impacts, including stigma, that living with different chronic illnesses have for notions of masculinity among African American men.