Fun Finding: Help-Seeking Attitudes of Heterosexual Male Twins vs. Their Gay Twin Brothers

The Relationship Between Help-Seeking Attitudes and Masculine Norms Among Monozygotic Male Twins Discordant For Sexual Orientation.

• In general, heterosexual men are less favorable to asking for help compared to women and gay men. 
• This can be problematic if a man avoids professional help when he is experiencing significant psychological distress. 
• Yet, it is unclear to what degree such attitudes among men are due to innate differences or social environments. Studying twins provides one avenue for teasing apart these relationships. 
• We recruited 38 pairs of monozygotic male twins (M age = 35.87 years, SD = 9.52) raised together and who were discordant for sexual orientation (i.e., one was not heterosexual). 
• As predicted, heterosexual men were less favorable to seeking help (r = .25) and expressed greater emphasis on masculine norms (r = .26) than their cotwins. 
• Within each group of men, unique aspects of masculine norms were significantly related to attitudes toward psychological help-seeking behavior. 
• Conclusion: The findings lend credence to the hypothesis that social environments influence attitudes and behaviors that are stereotypically masculine and potentially detrimental to men's health.

(Sánchez, Bocklandt, & Vilain, 2013). Health Psychology.

Small sample, but VERY cool approach and findings.