A critical literature review of masculinity and mental health among cisgender Black gay and bisexual men using an intersectional framework

Objective This critical literature review applied intersectionality to examine how health-related qualitative literature understands masculinity and its relation to mental health among cisgender Black gay and bisexual men.Methods The literature review used a thematic analysis informed by phenomenological principles, with data organized using concept matrices that focused on Collins’ and Bilge’s core concepts of intersectionality: intersecting power relations, social context, complexity, and relationality.Results The study resulted in nine studies meeting inclusion criteria. Intersecting racism, heterosexism, and normative masculinity shaped BGBM’s mental health, contributing to stress, concealment, and constrained gender expression. Masculinity often emerged as a coping mechanism and a source of risk, particularly within family, churches, and incarceration.Conclusion Majority of studies included addressing social identity categories, although few explicitly analyzed structural level forces such as sexism. Of the intersectional concepts included, relationality and complexity were underrepresented. Masculinity is a critical but underexplored social determinant of health among BGBM. This revealed how gender is infrequently engaged with when discussing masculinity and other social forces that influence the mental health of BGBM. Future research should give attention to the role masculinity and gender have in shaping BGBM’s mental health and future interventions.