Men interviewing men: The benefits and challenges of using constructed mateship as a tool to build rapport when interviewing Anglo-Australian men about their health

The perceived reluctance of men to seek help and use health services has limited opportunities for men to speak openly about their health. Differing theories have emerged to explain this phenomenon, yet few authors have offered practical guidance as to how improvements can be made when engaging men in discussion about their health. This has significant implications for both research and practice contexts. In this article we draw on accounts from 36 in-depth individual interviews with men about their help seeking practices and health service use. We show how gendered social relations in the form of constructed mateship can be a useful concept to facilitate rapport building. Constructed mateship can assist in promoting a more equal relationship between the interviewer and interviewee, which results in men discussing aspects of their health openly. We conclude that, given the right environment, men will speak openly about their health.