Social stigma

• Although these disorders can make communication more challenging, they do not reflect a person's intelligence.
• ASHA chose to poll adults because information about the stigmatization that they experience is not as available as it is for children.
• "It is most fitting that we spotlight stigmas associated with communication disorders for National Speech-Language-Hearing Month," said ASHA President Tena L. McNamara, AuD, CCC-A/SLP.
• The figures have been weighted and are representative of U.S. adults ages 18+ years with hearing, speech, and/or language difficulties.

• Men, for instance, have higher mortality rates, lower life expectancy, and are more likely to die by suicide.
• While there has been progress to reduce stigmatization when it comes to seeking help with mental health, the intersectionality of mental health is complex.
• In our own studies evaluating mindfulness training in workplace settings, we noticed we were attracting disproportionate samples of women.

Men’s groups

• Even when men are conscious of the psychological dysfunctionality of traditional masculinity, straying from these roles is difficult due to fear of social condemnation.
• Men’s groups, where men can be genuinely transparent and gather to discuss the challenges they face, provide a social learning context to be authentic and develop their emotional processing skills in a safe container free from the risk of ostracization.
• To understand how these kinds of groups can change attitudes, we partnered with Owen Marcus, who has created programming designed to help men develop their emotional awareness, and EVRYMAN, a contemporary men’s group based in the United States.

Reshaping attitudes

• The men were able to reshape their attitudes towards masculinity through three main stages.
• First, they began to identify their discontent with how social norms prevented them from being able to express weakness and the notable toll this took.
• Many participants, for instance, recounted how experiences with their fathers or with other men led them to keep their hardships to themselves.
• The next time someone courageously discloses that they’re struggling, instead of changing the subject, ask them to tell you more.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• NEW YORK, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunbird Messaging today announced the relaunch of its beta app.
• Founded in 2022, Sunbird Messaging rapidly distinguished itself in the tech industry by offering a unique solution to the fragmentation of messaging platforms.
• Apple's decision in December to shut down a different unified messaging app brought to light security and privacy concerns stemming from their unauthorized access to iMessage.
• By enabling Android users to seamlessly participate in iMessage conversations, the Sunbird app helps reduce the social stigma associated with messaging platform disparities.

• Axena Health, Inc. (Axena Health), a medical device company focused on female pelvic health, unveiled the findings from a landmark study to understand the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on women in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Through conversations, focus groups and quantitative surveys, women and clinicians expressed a strong desire for education and treatment.
• Axena Health will conduct a second study in Nigeria to test the feasibility of implementing clinic-based treatment that leverages Leva’s technology.
• “We believe this is the first large-scale qualitative study to document the significant burden of incontinence among women in Kenya and Nigeria,” said Oliver Muchiri, co-author of the report and Practice Lead, Service and Systems Design Unit at ThinkPlace Kenya.