Introduction: There is a substantial empirical evidence base endorsing psychotherapy interventions as effective evidence-based treatments for a range of mental, physical and behavioural health conditions. However, rates of help-seeking, engagement, and retention in therapy are significantly lower among men compared to women globally. Despite growing interest in men's mental health, trials specifically targeting men remain rare, with psychotherapy research often overlooking men's unique needs.
Purpose: This scoping review examined randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that delivered psychotherapy interventions to men. To map the field, we aimed to identify the populations studied, intervention types, outcomes assessed, and male-specific recommendations to inform future research and the adaptation of services to better align with men's needs.
Method: Five databases were searched in August 2024 for relevant RCTs published from 2015 onwards. We included trials investigating a psychotherapy intervention delivered by licensed mental health professionals to men. Data extraction focused on information about male population groups, psychotherapy interventions, primary outcomes and male-specific recommendations for future research.
Results: Database searching yielded 5,734 titles of which 50 were considered eligible for inclusion. Most studies targeted specific subgroups (e.g., convicted offenders, sexual minority men, veterans). Few focused on men from the general population, while none targeted disabled men, indigenous men or men from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was the most delivered psychotherapy intervention (n=22, 44%) across studies, while maladaptive behaviour reduction was the most frequently examined primary outcome (n=19, 38%). Only one study (2%) focused on suicide prevention. Reporting of male-specific outcomes was limited, with only n=13 (26%) studies reporting gender-informed adaptations of psychotherapy interventions, while just n=10 (20%) reported male-specific recommendations for future research.
Conclusions: Our scoping review highlights promising developments in research targeting men. We recommend broader examination of gender-informed psychotherapy interventions and reporting of male-specific recommendations for future research to advance the field.