The impact of a gender transformative school-based suicide prevention workshop in Australia: adolescent boys’ perspectives

Elevated suicide rates among adolescent boys in Australia reflect a critical need to address restrictive masculine norms that hinder help-seeking. Tomorrow Man's 'Breaking the Man Code' workshop-a school-based gender transformative programme-aims to increase authentic self-expression and meaningful dialogue among adolescent boys. Evidence of the impacts of gender transformative programmes is limited. Within a cluster randomized trial, 183 boys (Years 10 upwards) from 11 Australian schools completed open-ended survey questions about their experiences of the 'Breaking the Man Code' workshop and its perceived impact on help-seeking with friends and family. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were developed: (i) the workshop normalized struggle and strengthened connection, creating a safe space for self-expression and peer connection; (ii) defining the 'man code' postworkshop: many participants expressed desires for increased self-expression and to support others; and (iii) talking openly with friends and family postworkshop. Greater relational impacts were described with friends, including increased compassion, trust, connection, and use of active listening skills. Perspectives within themes varied: while many discussed positive attitudinal and behavioural change, others reported no changes. The lack of reported change was largely attributed to pre-existing open communication practices; others gave no explanation; some noted difficulties implementing changes. Future research should further explore varied impacts among diverse boys. Analysis suggests that many adolescent boys in this sample desired and perceived that they could shift towards a positive masculinity characterized by deeper social connections, providing examples of this change within their relationships with friends and family postworkshop.