New research reveals men are more likely than women to call employee assistance programs for help with substance abuse, job and relationship problems, according to Bensigner, DuPont and Associates, a national EAP provider.
For instance, men were 4.1% more likely than women to contact EAPs for advice on couple issues and 6.7% more likely to call about substance abuse. With work-related problems, 3.1% more men called the EAP than women, who typically call about mental health issues.
While men make more calls to EAPs regarding certain issues, women still constitute the majority of calls. BDA found 63% of callers were female, and 37% were male. Interestingly enough, women comprise 46% of the total U.S. labor force, according to the US Department of Labor. However, BDA reports they use EAP services more than males at almost a 3:1 ratio.
"While we cannot pinpoint exactly why this happens, one explanation is that, overall, research has shown women are more likely than men to seek help for concerns related to mental health and wellbeing, which are the traditional issues handled by EAPs," explains Gus Stieber, national director of sales at Bensigner, DuPont and Associates.
Regardless of gender, the top four reasons individuals called the BDA helpline in 2007 were:
- mental health issues (36% of callers)
- legal issues (19%)
- relationship/couple issues (10%)
- family issues (8%)
