Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS)

Abstract

The Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS) is a highly utilized 40-item self-report instrument developed by Eisler and Skidmore (1987) designed to quantify the degree of psychological stress experienced by men when faced with situations that challenge or violate traditional masculine norms. This psychological scale systematically measures stress across five empirically derived factors associated with restrictive gender roles, including the pressure for physical dominance, emotional control, and occupational achievement. Research consistently demonstrates that elevated scores on the MGRS are correlated with detrimental psychological outcomes, such as heightened anger, anxiety, and engagement in various health-risk behaviors, establishing the scale as a critical tool in men’s health research.

Keywords

Masculine Gender Role Stress, MGRS, Traditional Masculinity, Stress Measurement, Men’s Health, Psychological Assessment, Gender Role Conflict, Five-Factor Model.

Authors

Richard M. Eisler, J. R. Skidmore, J. A. Blalock, C. H. Ward.

Purpose

The primary objective of the MGRS is to provide a standardized, quantitative measure of the perceived stress men experience when their adherence to socially prescribed gender roles is threatened. It moves beyond generic stress measures by specifically targeting the stress rooted in masculine identity conflict, allowing researchers and clinicians to pinpoint the specific domains of role violation that elicit distress.

By effectively quantifying these specific stressors, the MGRS functions as an invaluable clinical and research instrument for exploring how rigid adherence to traditional masculine ideology contributes to emotional repression, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and general poor psychological adjustment in the male population. Its utility lies in aiding researchers to rigorously investigate the complex relationship between conformity to male norms and various physical and mental health outcomes.

Construct

The MGRS operationalizes the construct of Masculine Gender Role Stress, which is defined as the anxiety, distress, or psychological tension that occurs when a male perceives that he is failing to meet either societal or self-imposed standards of masculinity. This construct is predicated on the idea that certain situations—such as displaying emotional vulnerability, expressing fear, or being subordinated to a woman—are inherently threatening to a man’s self-concept and consequently generate significant stress.

This form of stress is deeply embedded within the belief system surrounding masculinity. When a man deviates from expected roles (e.g., maintaining emotional stoicism, achieving financial success, exhibiting physical toughness), this deviation is often internalized as a fundamental failure of identity. The scale systematically measures this stress across five empirically derived factors, offering a detailed, nuanced perspective on the specific areas where role conflict manifests.

Validity

The validity of the MGRS has been robustly supported through numerous initial studies. Construct validity was established by demonstrating the scale’s strong, theoretically expected correlations with other established measures of psychological distress, anxiety, and anger. This confirms that the MGRS measures the intended psychological concept.

Furthermore, discriminant validity was successfully demonstrated, indicating that the MGRS captures a distinct stress construct that is separate and distinguishable from measures of general life stress. Criterion-related validity was also evidenced, confirming the scale’s practical utility by showing its ability to significantly predict negative outcomes, including specific health-risk behaviors and various psychological symptoms, thus affirming that the measurement captures meaningful variance in men’s overall adjustment.

Reliability

The MGRS consistently exhibits high levels of internal consistency across diverse research samples. Total scale scores frequently yield high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, often ranging in the high .80s or low .90s, which signifies excellent reliability and item homogeneity. While the total score is highly reliable, the individual factor scores also typically demonstrate acceptable to good reliability.

Additionally, test-retest reliability has been established over appropriate time intervals, confirming the stability of the stress appraisal captured by the instrument. This stability confirms its utility as a reliable measure of dispositional role stress, suggesting that the scale measures enduring psychological tendencies related to masculine role pressure.

Factor Analysis

The original development of the MGRS utilized Factor Analysis to empirically identify the underlying dimensions of masculine role stress, resulting in the establishment of a robust and widely accepted five-factor structure. These five factors represent distinct and critical areas where men experience significant pressure to conform to traditional masculine norms:

• Physical Inadequacy: Stress related to the perception of lacking physical strength, athletic competence, or facing poor health.
• Emotional Inexpressiveness: Stress resulting from the imperative to suppress feelings, particularly those associated with sadness or fear, and the avoidance of any visible displays of vulnerability.
• Subordination to Women: Stress arising from situations where a man perceives himself as being outperformed by, controlled by, or financially dependent upon a woman.
• Intellectual Inferiority: Stress related to a perceived deficiency in occupational skills, intellectual capacity, or ambition when compared to male peers.
• Performance Failures: Stress associated with generalized failures in achievement, which can include job loss, the experience of sexual impotence, or the inability to maintain control (e.g., struggles with substance tolerance).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale (Attitudinal/Appraisal).

Format: 40 items rated on a 6-point Likert Scale.

Language Available: Primarily English; usage in international research suggests the existence of various translations.

Population Group: Men.

Age Group: Adults (validated initially with college students and adult males).

Population Details: The scale is effectively utilized across diverse demographics of adult males in both clinical and non-clinical settings, proving particularly valuable in counseling psychology and specialized men’s health research contexts.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to rate how stressful they would find each specific situation described in the 40 items using the following graded scale: 1= Not Stressful; 2=Minimally Stressful; 3=Somewhat Stressful; 4=Moderately Stressful; 5=Very Stressful; 6=Extremely Stressful.

Keywords

MGRS, Psychological Measurement, Stressors, Masculinity Norms, Clinical Assessment, Factor Analysis, Role Conflict, Psychological Distress.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Email associated with related dissertation author).

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material; correspondence should typically be directed to Richard M. Eisler, the primary author.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale was first formally published in 1987 in the journal Behavior Modification. While the scale is extensively used in academic research, specific information regarding current licensing fees and formal permissions required for clinical or large-scale commercial application must be obtained directly from the primary author or the journal publisher.

Test Year: 1987

Reference’s

The instrument was utilized in a dissertation titled “Anger Management in College Students: A Latent Class Analysis” by Matthew Macleod Orbll (2013). The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-02012007-160430/unrestricted/FinalThesis.pdf

• Eisler, R. M., & Skidmore, J. R. (1987). Masculine gender role stress: Scale development and component factors in the appraisal of stressful situations. Behavior Modification, 11(2), 123-136.
• Eisler, R. M., Skidmore, J. R., & Ward, C. H. (1988) Masculine gender-role stress: Predictor of anger, anxiety, and health-risk behaviors. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 133-141.
• Eisler, R. M., & Blalock, J. A. (1991). Masculine gender role stress: Implications for the assessment of men. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 45-60.
• Orbll, Matthew. Macleod, (2013). Anger Management in College Students: A Latent Class Analysis. University of Georgia. Ph.D. Dissertation.

Items of the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Feeling that you are not in good physical condition.
2. Telling your spouse that you love her/him.
3. Being outperformed at work by a woman.
4. ha‎ving to ask for directions when you are lost.
5. Being unemployed.
6. Not being able to find a sexual partner.
7. ha‎ving a female boss.
8. ha‎ving your lover say that she/he is not satisfied.
9. Letting a woman take control of the situation.
10. Not making enough money.
11. Being perceived by someone as “gay” or “lesbian”.
12. Telling someone that you feel hurt by what they said.
13. Being married to someone who makes more money than you.
14. Working with people who seem more ambitious than you.
15. Finding you lack the occupational skills to succeed.
16. Losing in a sports competition.
17. Admitting that you are afraid of something.
18. Being with a woman who is more successful than you.
19. Talking with a “feminist”.
20. Being unable to perform sexually.
21. Being perceived as ha‎ving feminine traits.
22. ha‎ving your children see you cry.
23. Being outperformed in a game by a woman.
24. ha‎ving people say that you are indecisive.
25. Being too tired for sex when your lover initiates it.
26. Appearing less athletic than a friend.
27. Talking with a woman who is crying.
28. Needing your spouse to work to help support the family.
29. ha‎ving others say that you are too emotional.
30. Being unable to become sexually aroused when you want.
31. Being compared unfavorably to men.
32. Comforting a male friend who is upset.
33. Admitting to your friends that you do housework.
34. Working with people who are brighter than yourself.
35. Getting passed over for a promotion.
36. Knowing you cannot hold your liquor as well as others.
37. ha‎ving a man put his arm around your shoulder.
38. Being with a woman who is much taller than you.
39. Staying home during the day with a sick child.
40. Getting fired from your job.