Technical comment on Horton, E K.J., Schermerhorn, N., & Hanel, P H P. (2025). The impact of toxic masculinity on restrictive emotionality and mental health seeking support

Horton, Schermerhorn, and Hanel (2025) purport to demonstrate the impact of “toxic masculinity” on men’s mental health help-seeking. While we applaud efforts to understand mens health, this comment argues that conceptual flaws, psychometric redundancy, and statistical errors fundamentally compromise the two studies presented in this paper. We highlight the reliance on outdated “hydraulic models”, the circularity of predictor-criterion relationships (i.e., tautology), and the misapplication of mediation analyses where no primary association exists. Furthermore, we critique the unjustified causal language in a cross-sectional design and the potential for Type I errors given the analysis's exploratory nature. We conclude that the paper relies on sensationalist terminology rather than rigorous theory-testing.