One in five Australian men experiences mental illness each year, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44, claiming seven lives every day. With the impacts felt most acutely by vulnerable and marginalised boys and men, researchers are calling for urgent action to better understand, prevent and respond to men’s mental health challenges.
Now, a new Flinders University-led Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) has secured $3 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to help drive a national response.
Led by Professor James Smith, the WellMen Centre of Research Excellence for the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Boys and Men will bring together researchers, health professionals, policymakers, community organisations and people with lived experience to strengthen the evidence base for improving the mental health and wellbeing of boys and men across Australia.
“Far too many Australian boys and men are struggling in silence, and the impacts can be felt across families, communities and workplaces,” says Professor Smith, a Matthew Flinders Professor (Health and Social Equity) and Co-Director of the FHMRI Health Equity Impact Program at Flinders University.
“We must improve outcomes for boys and men while ensuring their voices and lived experiences are at the heart of the research.
“WellMen Centre of Research Excellence brings together researchers, health professionals, policymakers, industry partners and consumers to co-design research priorities that are critical to advancing boys’ and men’s mental health and wellbeing in Australia.
“Our Centre represents a significant step forward for men’s mental health research, with the potential to shape more effective prevention, promotion and support initiatives that are tailored to the needs of boys and men, particularly those from marginalised communities.”
Fifteen-year-old Daya(nandan) Manivannan, from Victoria who sits on Professor Smith’s Young Men’s Advisory Committee, says too many young men in Australia still feel like they must struggle in silence.
“This investment is important because it proves our wellbeing is a priority, and it paves the way for a mental health system where no young guy gets left behind,” says Daya(nandan).
Hosted by Flinders University, the Centre will be supported by a consortium of leading organisations, including ALIVE, Movember, Deadly Male, Ten to Men, Healthy Male, and the UK Academic Men’s Health Network, alongside a national network of research, industry and community partners.
The Centre will examine how mental health can be supported across key stages of life, including adolescence, fatherhood, relationship changes, retirement and other major transitions when risks to wellbeing can increase.
“Our work will focus on understanding the experiences of boys and men throughout their lives, strengthening support in the places where they live, work, learn and connect, and identifying opportunities for lasting improvements across mental health systems and services,” says Professor Smith.
A key focus will be ensuring research findings are translated into practical benefits for communities, services and policymakers.
Ben Vasiliou, CEO of The Man Cave and an industry partner in the WellMen Centre of Research Excellence, says the initiative provides a unique opportunity to create meaningful change.
“Boys and men in Australia deserve a mental health system that works for them,” says Mr Vasiliou.
“Boys and men’s mental health needs sustained, evidence-based and coordinated action. That’s what makes the WellMen Centre of Research Excellence so important.
“It brings together leading expertise in men’s health, mental health, suicide prevention, fatherhood, Indigenous health, health promotion, lived experience and digital engagement into one coordinated national program.”
The Centre of Research Excellence’s research agenda will focus on three priority areas: supporting boys and men through critical life stages and transitions, promoting mental health and wellbeing in the settings where they spend their daily lives, and driving reforms that strengthen the broader men’s mental health ecosystem.
Researchers say the initiative will help address longstanding gaps in knowledge, build workforce capability and inform policies and services that better meet the needs of boys and men.
By creating a nationally coordinated and evidence-driven approach, the Centre aims to improve mental health outcomes for current and future generations of Australian boys and men, contributing to healthier families, stronger communities and a more resilient society.
The National Health and Medical Research Council
