This study examined psycho-biological and psychosocial factors predicting healthcare utilization among fifty four university men and provided construct validation of the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS). The sample was comprised of faculty and students, the mean age was 38.2 years (SD = 17.42, range 18 to 65), was predominately Caucasian (90.7%) and 49% of the sample held a doctoral degree. Nearly all participants (94.4%) reported having health insurance and 87% reported having a primary care provider. Approximately half of participants (51.9%) reported getting a yearly physical exam. Twelve participants reported the presence of a serious medical condition, including: cancer, diabetes, heart attack, rheumatic diseases, chronic pain, head injury, joint replacement, and surgical procedures.

A forward, step-wise logistic regression correctly classified 61.1% of university men. Health Locus of Control (HLOC) significantly contributed to the predictive power of the model (Roa's = 4.40, p = .036) and increased the classification rate to 63.0%. The model classified university men as healthcare under-utilizers with an 84.8% classification rate and classified university men as healthcare utilizers with a 28.6% classification rate. University men with an internal HLOC were more likely to be classified as under-utilizing healthcare services while university men with a chance HLOC were more likely to be classified as utilizing healthcare services.

The construct validity of the Masculine Gender Role Stress scale was examined; the correlation between MGRS and masculinity was non-significant. This finding replicates past research and provides further support to the construct validity of MGRS (Eisler & Skidmore, 1987; Eisler, Skidmore, & Ward, 1988; Skidmore, 1988). A non-significant correlation indicates that masculinity and MGRS are empirically unrelated constructs.

A significant relationship was found between MGRS and the number of physical bodily symptoms; (r =.367, p = .003), suggesting that men who perceive challenges to masculine gender roles as stressful report a greater number of physical bodily symptoms. Predicting men's use of healthcare services—as accurately as possible, is vital given the numerous health concerns in today's society and with men being at increased risk for all leading causes of death, substance abuse, and engaging in risky behaviors.