Leveraging the Black barbershop as a community haven exploring perceptions of mental health in Black men Open Access

Abstract

Compared to the general U.S. population, Black men tend to experience relatively poor health outcomes, many of which are the downstream effects of social determinants of health. In addition, Black men are subject to a high incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) that result from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors (tobacco use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet). Of the NCDs commonly explored through research, such as hypertension, Type II diabetes, various cancers, hyperlipidemia, and asthma, mental illness is a NCD that characteristically goes unaddressed and is therefore under-researched. In addition, there exists stigmas within health-related spaces that have historically ostracized Black men from feeling a sense of inclusion and identity, therefore acting as inflammatory to a community that is desperately in need of culturally sensitive and patient-centered care. The purpose of this study is therefore to explore how utilizing the barbershop setting as a community-identifiable haven might assist Black men in navigating their attitudes and perceptions of mental health, its associated norms, and stigmas (including those involving masculine identity), and barriers such norms pose to successful facilitation or implementation of mental health services and interventions. In achieving this aim, the study will take an exploratory qualitative approach that uses elements of phenomenology to A) understand the experience of the barbershop-setting vis-à-vis the participants and B) construct a working theory on how utilizing spaces such as the barbershop can serve as a catalyst for change in addressing mental health and elements of well-being among Black men.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Rationale 1

Purpose Statement 2

Significance Statement 3

Chapter 2: Review of Literature 4

Introduction 4

Mental Health & Black Men 4

Shortage of Resources 5

The Atlanta Context: Health Inequities and Income Inequality 6

Attitudes & Beliefs: Social Constructs 9

Efficacy of Community Safe-Spaces 10

Barbers, Black Men & The Barbershop 10

Wellbeing & the Barbershop 12

Existing Efforts to Use Barbershops in Support of Mental Health 12

Summary 14

Chapter 3: Manuscript 16

ABSTRACT 16

INTRODUCTION 17

METHODS 19

Study Sample and Recruiting 20

Focus Group Discussions 21

Reflexivity 23

RESULTS 24

Theme 1: Defining the barbershop as a “safe-space” and “brave-space” 24

Theme 2: Personal influencers of the barbershop culture 30

Theme 3: Mental Health and the barbershop 35

Theme 4: Repurposing the barbershop for Black men’s mental health 41

DISCUSSION 43

Chapter 4: Public Health Implications 48

Strengths and Limitations 49

Future Implications 50

Conclusion 50

References 52

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Sociology, Social Structure and Development Black Studies Health Sciences, Mental Health
Keyword	Mental Health Alternative Identities Safe space Brave space Wellbeing Barbershop talk Black men Community Masculinity Ritual Barbershop Spirituality Black male identity
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Sydney Spangler, PhD, MSN, CNM, FACNM, Emory University

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