Community support groups for men living with depression: barriers and facilitators in access and engagement with services

Figures & data

Table 1. Presentation of participants background and socio-demographic characteristics

	Mean	Stand. Dev.	Min		Max
Age (years)	48.44	18.521	29		76
Duration of employment (months)	65.67	53.516	14		168
		Frequency		Percentage (%)
Male		5		55.56
Female		4		44.44
Received Group Support training		2		22.22
Received Mental Health training		2		22.22
Received Group Support and GP Mental Health training		1		11.11
Received Mental Health and CBT training		1		11.11
Received CBT training		1		11.11
Received no specialist training		2		22.22
Facilitated ‘men-only’ support group		3		33.33
Facilitated mixed-gender support group		6		66.66
Employed at a drop-in group support service		7		77.77
Employed at a group support service requiring attendance		2		22.22

Table 2. Presentation of the themes and sub-themes identified during analysis of the interview data

Major Themes	Sub-themes
Mental Health as a Weakness	Masculine ideal conflicts and changes in familial roles Social challenges and stigma Cultural Influences
Trust and Security	Developing a sense of connectedness Offering Safe Spaces
Empowering Practice	Enabling understanding Support tailored to individual needs
Group support as a gateway to treatment	Addressing long waiting lists Lack of funding Challenges of remote delivery

Figure 1. Thematic map of the study findings, presenting the identified themes, sub-themes and their relationships.(a) The sub-themes within the theme ‘Mental Health as a Weakness’ were all inter-related due to stigma surrounding mental health difficulties arising in all aspects of men’s’ personal and social lives (e.g. their roles within their families, communities and cultures).(b) ‘Offering safe spaces,’ a sub-theme within the ‘Trust and Security’ theme, was related with ‘Social challenges and stigma,’ as accepting judgment-free community support forums enabled addressing the social challenges experienced by men.(c) The sub-theme ‘Lack of funding’ was associated with ‘Addressing long waiting lists’ (theme ‘Group Support as a Gateway to Treatment’) and ‘Support tailored to individuals needs’ (theme ‘Empowering Practice’). Participants stressed the diversity of activities and approaches needed for needs-based support and underlined the need for financial support to render these sustainable and capable of bridging the gap with formal statutory services.

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, the data cannot be shared publicly to prevent compromising participants’ anonymity and confidentiality.