Evaluating the Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the Intensions Health-Related Masculine Values Scale: Is It Really a Measure of Health-Related Masculine Values?

The Intensions Health-Related Masculine Values Scale (IHRMVS) was recently developed to address the growing interest in examining the associations between strengths-based masculinity and men’s health. However, while the original development and validation work was promising, replication and extension of several aspects of the scale’s validity should be undertaken before the scale can be adopted for widespread use. Using a large sample of British men, aged 18-80 years, exploratory factor analyses revealed a single factor for both the original age grouping (18-29 years, n = 166) and an older group of men (≥ 30 years, n = 404), failing to replicate the two-factor structure proposed in the parent study. Additionally, correlations between scores on the IHRMVS and scores on a measure of traditional male role norms were mostly non-significant or very small. Similar findings emerged in our analyses of the associations between scores on the IHRMVS and indices of depression, anxiety, help-seeking attitudes, sleep disturbance, and smoking. These findings draw into question the utility of the IHRMVS as a measure of positive, health-related masculine values.