The Moderating Effect of Gender on Expectations and Threats Related to Relationship Help-Seeking

Abstract

Couples often wait until they are on the brink of divorce before seeking professional help for their relationship. Why do couples wait so long? Current research cannot provide an adequate answer to explain formal or even informal relationship help-seeking. In this study, we adapted the Health Belief Model (HBM), a model used for understanding and predicting engagement in a variety of health behaviors, to explore a wide-ranging set of factors associated with formal and informal relationship help-seeking. We collected data from 347 individuals in emotionally committed relationships and analyzed the data using a multiple group path analysis. The results were consistent with the HBM. A key takeaway was that masculine behavior was predictive of all types of help-seeking for both men and women. Positive attitudes toward help-seeking were also associated with greater formal help-seeking for both men and women. Plus, greater endorsement self-stigma and certain masculine behaviors had a negative indirect relationship with formal help-seeking for both men and women. Also, of significance is that gender moderated several paths in our model. These results add to the literature by expanding our understanding of how gender influences couple help-seeking.

Keywords:

• Advanced quantitative methodology
• gender issues in couple therapy
• decision making in couples
• help-seeking

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Project was funded via Poresky Fellowship from Kansas State University as part of the first authors master’s thesis.