ArticleBMC public health2025
Boys Do Cry: what do Australian men think of a music video encouraging them to talk about their mental health struggles?
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The role of music therapy and music-based interventions in male mental health: a narrative review of mechanisms, barriers, and clinical implications.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSuicides by men account for three-quarters of all Australian suicides. This increased risk may relate to the traditional masculine norm of ‘self-reliance’, which can hinder men from seeking help when experiencing mental health difficulties. We created and tested the effects of a four-minute, purpose-designed music video, ‘Boys Do Cry’, to encourage Australian men to show emotion and reach out to others when facing mental health difficulties.
methodsA total of 221 men (aged 18+) watched the Boys Do Cry video and completed two surveys about their opinions of the video and its impact. Data were collected as part of a broader randomised controlled trial. We conducted descriptive analyses of numerical data and performed a content analysis of text responses.
resultsMost participants enjoyed watching the video. The core messaging, encouraging men to express their emotions and seek help when struggling, was seen as valuable and needed. The most prominent theme in our qualitative findings highlighted the importance of seeing the diversity of men in the video in terms of characteristics like age, culture, and appearance. Participants saw this diversity as representative of the society they live in.
conclusionsThis study demonstrates the acceptability of using a music video to promote help-seeking for mental health difficulties among men. It also highlights the importance of creating persuasive narratives to which specific audiences can relate, in order to foster meaningful behaviour change.
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Registered trials
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