Cohesion, leadership, mental health stigmatisation and perceived barriers to care in UK military personnel.
BACKGROUND
Military research suggests a significant association between leadership, cohesion, mental health stigmatisation and perceived barriers to care (stigma/BTC).


OBJECTIVE
Most studies are cross sectional, therefore longitudinal data were used to examine the association of leadership and cohesion with stigma/BTC.


METHODS
Military personnel provided measures of leadership, cohesion, stigma/BTC, mental health awareness and willingness to discuss mental health following deployment (n = 2510) and 4-6 months later (n = 1636).


RESULTS
At follow-up, baseline leadership and cohesion were significantly associated with stigma/BTC; baseline cohesion alone was significantly associated with awareness of and willingness to discuss mental health at follow-up. Over time, changes in perceived leadership and cohesion were significantly associated with corresponding changes in stigma/BTC levels. Stigma/BTC content was similar in both surveys; fear of being viewed as weak and being treated differently by leaders was most frequently endorsed while thinking less of a help-seeking team member and unawareness of potential help sources were least common.


CONCLUSIONS
Effective leadership and cohesion building may help to reduce stigma/BTC in military personnel. Mental health awareness and promoting the discussion of mental health matters may represent core elements of supportive leader behaviour. Perceptions of weakness and fears of being treated differently represent a focus for stigma/BTC reduction.
a Academic Department of Military Mental Health , and.|b Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre , London , UK , and.
Norman
N
Jones
a Academic Department of Military Mental Health , and.|b Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre , London , UK , and.
Ben
B
Campion
c Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR), School of Social Work, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
Mary
M
Keeling
a Academic Department of Military Mental Health , and.|b Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre , London , UK , and.
Neil
N
Greenberg
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D057545:Social Stigma; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
Mental Health; barriers to care; cohesion; leadership; military; stigmatisation