Information, Gender, and Masculinities in Addressing Prostate Cancer

An Intervention Proposal from the Blue Seed Project

Abstract

This article investigates the intersections between information, health, and masculinities in the context of prostate cancer, based on the experience of the Semente Azul Operative Group, conducted in a philanthropic hospital in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil). Starting from the premise that masculinity is a social, historical, and cultural construct shaped by patriarchal norms and power discourses, the research discusses how information related to the body, sexuality, and illness is sought, filtered, or silenced by men diagnosed with this malignant neoplasm. By articulating the fields of Information Science and Psychology, the study adopts an interdisciplinary and critical approach to information, understood as a cultural and relational practice. Methodologically, it is a descriptive case study using techniques such as systematic observation, focus groups, and operative groups, based on the approach developed by Enrique Pichon Rivière. Preliminary data reveal significant symbolic barriers to coping with the disease, such as embarrassment in undergoing digital rectal examination and resistance to medications for erectile dysfunction, both perceived as threats to hegemonic masculine identity. The Operative Group emerged as a privileged space for listening, sharing, and reframing, where informational mediation contributed to strengthening bonds, valuing horizontal listening, and deconstructing stigmas. Results indicate that coping with prostate cancer involves subjective and cultural dimensions that directly impact care practices and the appropriation of information. It is concluded that information, when critically mediated, can operate as a tool for emancipation and comprehensive care, especially when it acknowledges the specificities of men from marginalized social contexts and affected by markers such as age, race, and education. The research reinforces the importance of informational practices that are sensitive to the plurality of masculinities and to the complexity of illness experiences.

Keywords: prostate cancer; masculinities; information mediation; subjectivity; men’s health.