Male gender role stress, attitudes toward feminism, and coping

Background. This study explores individual attributes that are commonly targets of batterer intervention programs, including male gender role stress, attitudes toward women, and coping styles. Higher levels of male gender role stress were predicted to correlate with conservative attitudes toward women, as well as problem-focused and maladaptive coping strategies. In addition, it was hypothesized that different patterns of male gender role stress, attitudes toward women, and coping styles would be displayed between men of different race/ethnicities.;Method. Anonymous questionnaires were provided to a convenience sample of 118 heterosexual men. Ordinary least squares regression was conducted to determine the relationships between male gender role stress, attitudes toward women, and coping. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha were conducted to determine psychometric properties of the measures in this sample.;Results. Although Cronbach's alphas for all measures were within the acceptable range, factor analysis showed factor loadings suggestive of issues with construct validity when administered in more diverse samples.;Higher levels of male gender role stress were correlated with anti-feminist attitudes. Specific domains of male gender role stress stemming from emotional expressiveness, subordination to women and situations of intellectual inferiority correlated with conservative attitudes towards women. African-American men demonstrated higher scores on the subordination to women subscale of MGRS, and lower support for feminist attitudes than Caucasian men. Latino men showed no significant differences from other men on either levels of male gender role stress or attitudes toward feminism. However, education appeared to have differential effects for Latino men.;MGRS subscales Subordination to Women, Intellectual Inferiority, and Emotional Expressiveness positively correlated with maladaptive coping strategies. Contrary to predictions, more liberal gender role attitudes and lower male gender role stress correlated with more use of planning and instrumental support-seeking strategies, while higher levels of male gender role stress predicted emotional support-seeking.;Implications. Further exploration of male gender role stress in diverse populations is needed. Batterer intervention programs may benefit from focusing more specifically on taboos against emotional expressiveness, fears around subordination to women, and the need to appear intellectually superior, as these domains correlated with attitudes toward women and maladaptive coping strategies.