Barriers to medical help-seeking among older men with prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE Men's disinclination to seek medical help has been linked to higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to women. However, previous studies were conducted predominantly with healthy, young, and middle-aged men. We explored the perceived medical barriers to help-seeking in older men with prostate cancer. METHOD 20 men with prostate cancer took part in semistructured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Three themes were identified related to negative attitudes toward help-seeking: male gender role; fear of the health condition, medical and treatment procedures; and embarrassment as a consequence of medical examinations, communication with health (and nonhealth) professionals, and the disclosure of sexual-related symptoms. CONCLUSION The barriers identified in our study strengthen the evidence for the impact of traditional masculinity on help-seeking in men.