Positive Manhood Development: A Look at Approaches and Concerns from the Frontline

This mixed methods study, using the perspectives of administrators and frontline workers, identified the key developmental needs of African American boys involved in manhood development programs. Five conceptual themes emerged: values and behavior; men needed for guidance; successful organizations; economics and systems; and stable quality parenting. Themes from the conceptual clusters are compared to themes in the positive youth development literature, specifically the 40 developmental assets framework proposed by the Search Institute. The resulting distinctive ecological focus is rarely discussed in the youth development literature and may have implications for youth development interventions that target positive African American manhood development.     

Coercive controlling behaviors in intimate partner violence in male same-sex relationships:A mixed-methods study

Using mixed methods, we explored the role of coercive controlling behaviors in a high-risk sample of 126 men in violent same-sex relationships. Contrary to a prediction that separate factors of physical violence and coercive control might emerge, a simple principle components analysis supported that male same-sex relationship intimate partner violence (IPV) is essentially unidimensional. Qualitative narratives supported a single latent factor solution of violence, and that coercive controlling behaviors better detect IPV dynamics within the same violent encounters (i.e., weapon use), even when compared to profiles defined by physical violence. Narratives also highlighted gender-different tactics of coercion used, underscoring importance of context-based assessments.     

The “Aging Males’ Symptoms” Scale (AMS): predictive value for lowered circulating androgens

Background: Symptoms of the “male climacteric” are often at least in part referred to an age-dependent decline of serum androgen levels. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship of climacteric symptoms as assessed by the “Aging Males’ Symptoms” (AMS) Questionnaire with circulating androgen levels. Methods: 146 ambulatory men (age, 27–85 years) were surveyed with the AMS Questionnaire and sampled for serum values of total testosterone (tT) and sexual hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Free testosterone (fT) was calculated from tT and SHBG. A total AMS score ≥37 was considered pathological; the lower limits for tT and fT were set to 8 nmol/l and 180 pmol/l, respectively. Results: A significant deficit in tT and fT was shown in 25 (17.1%) and 34 (24.5%) men, respectively; the AMS Questionnaire showed pathological results for 66 (45.2%) men. In predicting a tT deficit, the AMS Questionnaire rendered a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 61.6%, only. However, multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation of lowered tT with a pathological somatovegetative and psychological AMS subscore (p = 0.042 and p = 0.01) and a correlation of lowered fT with a pathological sexual subscore (p = 0.039). Conclusion: In predicting hypogonadism the AMS Questionnaire in total did not render a sufficient diagnostic efficiency.     

Strategies of Stigma Resistance Among Canadian Gay-Identified Sex Workers

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore how sex workers (specifically, gay-identified Canadian men working primarily, though not exclusively, as independent escorts) combat the pervasive negativity that surrounds their profession. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 men, a majority of whom were targeted through escort review boards. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed for themes of “stigma resistance.” Four themes were identified: (1) escorting is volitional (i.e., one isn't forced to work as an escort, rather it is a choice one makes); (2) escorting is a profession (i.e., the client is a customer and the escort a service provider); (3) the escort is in control during client/escort interchanges; and (4) escorting is distinct from, and better than, street prostitution. Directions for future research and limitations of the current study are outlined.     

The Influence of Intimate Violence on Transitions out of Cohabitation

Does the experience of violence in a cohabiting union lead participants away from marriage and toward separation, or does violence have only minimal impact once other characteristics of unions and their participants are controlled? This issue is examined using a sample of 411 cohabiting couples followed in both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. Marriage and separation are treated as competing risks. Results show that violence does have an effect, although dissimilar effects emerge for transitions to separation, as opposed to marriage. Net of other factors, intense male violence—male violence that is more severe than the female partner's—raises the hazard of separation. In contrast, female violence, but not male violence, lowers the rate of marriage. The findings appear robust to a variety of operationalizations of partner violence.     

Black men teaching: toward a theory of social isolation in organizations

ABSTRACT

While there continues to be increasing research about Black male teachers’ school-based experiences, there is less empirical evidence on the variation in these experiences for this subgroup. Drawing on Kanter’s Theory of Numbers and Group Composition, the researcher used the qualitative method to compare the perceptions of Black male teachers in schools that employ just one Black male teacher versus schools with larger numbers of Black male teachers. A theory of social isolation in organizations is proposed to explain differences in the variation of school-based experiences for Black male teachers. When compared to Black men in schools with larger percentages of Black male teachers on the faculty, those Black men who were the only Black male teachers on their faculty were more likely to describe feeling socially isolated and disconnected from their colleagues.     

The Black male teacher: a 10-year content analysis of empirical research

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to characterize the last decade of Black male teacher empirical research. The present study aimed to elucidate the most salient themes, commonalities, and departures in the literature on Black male educators. A quantitative content analysis was performed to systematically characterize the research trends present in this line of inquiry. The data were collected using an inductively generated coding scheme. A sample of n = 31 studies were identified and examined from articles published between 2006 and 2016. Then frequency data were computed to characterize the data under investigation. The study results indicate that Black male teacher research is nuanced and burgeoning, despite several lapses in article production. The results of this study contribute to the literature on Black male teacher recruitment, retention, and experiences by providing a survey of current research trends that suggest areas of strength, as well as challenges warranting further consideration.     

Meeting myself: race-gender oppression and a genre study of Black men teachers’ interactions with Black boys

ABSTRACT

Increasing the number of Black men teachers and single-sex schooling options have been heralded as necessary to reverse trends in the failure of US education institutions to adequately educate Black boys. Too little research interrogates Black men teachers’ interactions with Black boys for how they might reinforce anti-oppressive conceptions of race, gender and sexuality. A genre study – the multidimensional, intersectional examination of social identity to explain one’s persistent dehumanization – was utilized to investigate how Black men teachers’ interactions with Black boys shape the boys’ understanding of Black manhood and masculinities. Regardless of schooling arrangement, findings suggest Black men teachers must recognize and disavow hegemonic gender logics in interaction efforts aimed at improving Black boys’ lives. Additionally, I argue the potential of Black men teachers’ interactions with Black boys to function as sites for reimagining Black boys’ humanity in ways that counter persistent messages of their inferiority and disposability (i.e. aniblackness).