Brotherhood : A describable social phenomenon impacting the wellness behaviors of African American men

Abstract: Why do African American men appear by all measures to have significantly disproportionate poor health experiences and outcomes than any other male ethnic or racial group? While the literature seems to pathologize the African -American male, researchers and practitioners should seek to understand their attitudes and behaviors within a socio-cultural context. Attitudes and behaviors that are often misdiagnosed as abnormal, if properly diagnosed within its cultural context is really a healthy adaptation to an abnormal situation. Understanding begins with meaningful dialogues about help seeking attitudes, experiences with the health care system, and relationship dynamics central to health and well being. The investigation explored sociocultural and behavioral characteristics related to wellness within an understudied social phenomenon called brotherhood. Franklin (2004) asserts that brotherhood has a measurable and describable impact upon the health of black men. Method: Ethnographic research utilizing 20 semi-structured interviews with African-American men, 18-35 years old, from two HBCUs in southeastern Texas. Key findings: Brotherhood may moderate multiple dimensions of wellness ; Brotherhood appears to be both contemporaneously and historically influential on dimensions of wellness such as support systems, relationships, help seeking attitudes and behaviors, and use of health services. Brotherhood may function as a “barometer” to evaluate the socio-cultural and psychological climate in which African-American men must exist to work, play and grow 24/7. Acknowledgments: This work made possible with the generosity of the men interviewed for this project and the generous support of The Center for the Study of Health Disparities at Texas A&M University.