Men in Ireland

Speaking directly with less well off middle aged men, we found out what they need from support services when they're struggling. Moving beyond what we know about the risk factors for this group, our report Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Why less well-off, middle-aged men don’t get the support they need focused on the lived experience of men across Ireland and the UK.

Our approach

Through in-depth ethnographic interviews with 16 less well-off middle aged men across the Ireland and the UK, we spoke about the challenges they faced and the events which lead them to crisis point.

Crucially, we also explored what these men told us worked for them when they came into contact with with support services.

We asked the men what they wanted and needed from support services - their answers were clear.

Among other things, the following were all key:

• The opportunity to make a contribution
• A feeling of inclusivity
• The chance to work towards common goals
• Peer support and feeling like they had shared experience with other people

Our handbook, Engaging men in Ireland earlier: a guide to service design, provides a set of principles upon which wellbeing initiatives for men should be based, drawn from what men have told us is important to them.

Our approach

Rooted in the learnings from our reserach Out of Sight, Out of Mind we spoke to 27 less well-off men across Ireland and the UK through a series of co-design workshops. With them, we explored which activities and initiatives might support men’s wellbeing before they reached a crisis. This helped us to develop five key principles of what a good initiative should be aiming for.

What did we find?

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach when it comes to appealing to and supporting men. In fact, many of the men we spoke to were not drawn to stereotypically ‘male’ activities, and their interests were informed by their own life experiences. However, they did gravitate towards hobby-based activities focused on meeting general wellbeing needs, rather than formal mental health or crisis services.

Inequality is a key reason why men group are at increased risk of suicide. It is likely that the long term economic effects of the pandemic will most affect those already socially and economically disadvantaged. There is also a strong socioeconomic link to suicide risk. Researchers have found that depression and anxiety are up to three times as likely for people with low incomes. We also know that middle-aged men are more susceptible to the adverse effects of lower socioeconomic status and economic recession, including suicide risk, than women.

This policy brief addresses some risk factors that contribute to suicide risk, in the context of the ongoing impact of COVID-19.