Future directions concerning the impact of childhood and adolescent adversities in the field of men's mental health: The new york declaration

Boys, male adolescents, and young men are more often the victims of physical abuse than their female counterparts. Boys may be particularly vulnerable to the psychological effects of physical abuse owing to androgen effects upon the developing central nervous system. Boys and male youth, unlike their female counterparts, tend to bear the stigma of abuse through externalizing behaviors. These disruptive behaviors often engender involvement with the legal system and negative longitudinal outcomes. To address these deficits in men's mental health, this chapter proposes further study and emphasis upon lay and professional education and trauma-focused treatments. Psychotherapeutic approaches which target brain-based vulnerabilities may be of increasing value as our knowledge of the neurobiology of Men's Mental Health increases and expands.