Table 2.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Structure and Sample Questions
| Activity 1: Defining Masculinity |
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| • Thinking about what you have seen or heard from the media, which of these words [list of words provided in a handout] describe what you think of as an “ideal man” based on what you see in the media? |
| • What does the media tell us about characteristics that an “ideal man” should not be? |
| • When we think of an ideal man—as portrayed in the media, what celebrity or famous person comes to mind? |
| • Now I would like you all to think about your sons and what you want for your sons as they grow up to become men [using the same list]. Can you share one or two of the characteristics/words that you chose? |
| • Were there any words that stood out to you as characteristics that would not be important to you in what you want for your son? Or that you would not want your sons to be like? |
| • Raising boys today can be tough. There are a lot of influences on them, some of which can be hard to protect them from. What aspects of raising boys today make you most concerned? |
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| Activity 2: Gillette commercial 1 |
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| • What are your initial reactions to this commercial? |
| • What do you think the message is? |
| • The commercial ends with this statement “The actions we take today will be seen by the men of tomorrow”? Do you agree with the message? |
| • This commercial was originally aired during the Super Bowl and it led to a lot of different reactions. Some people really liked it and other people did not. Why do you think some people did NOT like this commercial? Do you think this commercial reflects real issues in the U.S.? |
| • Thinking about what is acceptable for men to do or say, what do you think has changed since we were children? |
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| Activity 3: The Mask You Live In trailer 2 |
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| • What are your reactions to this trailer? |
| • The trailer begins and ends with a list of words and phrases that boys might hear. Which of those words or phrases stood out to you the most? [Fathers only: Have you had any of those things said to you? Who said it to you? What were the circumstances?] |
| • Why do you think people communicate these ideas, or messages, to boys? |
| • Based on the trailer, what do you think the point of the movie is? |
| • How do you think these ideas about “being a man” affect boys? |
| • What do you think young boys need from their parents, families, or communities in order to be resilient, or protected, against messages that might be harmful? |
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| Activity 4: Communication Messaging for Parents |
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| • What kinds of information or support do parents need to help protect their sons from potentially harmful messages about what it means to “be a man”? |
| • Like we talked about, some people really did not like [the Gillette] commercial. They said it only showed negative stereotypes about men and most men do not behave that way. What are better ways of talking about this topic? What other ideas do you have about messages and materials that can help start a conversation about this topic? |
Note. Complete discussion guide available from the corresponding author upon request.