The Effects of Onlooker Gender and Restrictive Emotionality on Help-Seeking Behavior

Authors

Kassidy M. Patarino, University of Denver
Mia McLaughlin, University of Denver
Amelia Trembath, University of Denver
Chris Gunderson, University of Denver - Advisor
E. Paige Lloyd, University of Denver - Advisor

Abstract

Endorsing traits associated with masculinity, such as restrictive emotionality (RE), may have negative implications for the health and well-being of both male and female individuals, specifically in terms of help-seeking. The current work examines whether gender of an onlooker (i.e., a coworker) impacts participants’ self-reported likelihood to seek help for a physical ailment or injury in the workplace. We also investigate if RE moderated the relationship between onlooker gender and intent to seek help. We hypothesize that participants would be more likely to seek help from a female (vs. male) coworker and this anticipated effect would be exacerbated for those relatively high in endorsement of RE. Participants (n = 129) were recruited online to engage in a study where they self-reported likelihood to seek help from a male or female coworker when experiencing various injury symptoms at work and their RE. Our results provided support for only one of our primary hypotheses: as RE increased, intent to seek help decreased. Auxiliary analyses revealed female participants were significantly more likely to seek help from a female onlooker than a male onlooker, whereas male participants were equally likely to seek help from females and males. These results suggest RE may be associated with maladaptive help-seeking behavior and participant gender and onlooker gender may interact to inform help-seeking with practical implications for developing interventions to encourage help-seeking.

Publication Statement

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Recommended Citation

Patarino, Kassidy M.; McLaughlin, Mia; Trembath, Amelia; Gunderson, Chris; and Lloyd, E. Paige (2022) "The Effects of Onlooker Gender and Restrictive Emotionality on Help-Seeking Behavior," DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/duurj/vol3/iss1/5