170 7 CHAPTER 7 treatment-seeking and disclosure are facilitated in a safe environment, where military personnel do not have to fear negative career consequences, social rejection, and discrimination. The findings of the current thesis, together with findings from recent international research on destigmatizing interventions, provide valuable insights on how to facilitate treatment-seeking and disclosure in a safe environment. Changes can be implemented at the level of the individual experiencing MHI, the supervisor, and the military organization. First, at the level of the individual, future intervention research must evaluate whether disclosure decision aids help protect military personnel with MHI from adverse consequences of disclosure and decrease self-stigma. Additionally, interventions should align with the high preference for self-management. Second, the findings of this thesis strongly highlighted the importance of positive reactions to disclosure from supervisors for sustainable employment and well-being. Therefore, at the level of the supervisor, there is a high need for supervisor training on mental health literacy and on how to recognize, support, and effectively communicate with, personnel with MHI. Furthermore, at the level of the military organization, the structural and public mental health stigma could be targeted. Structural stigma should be targeted through policy changes. The organization should have more awareness about the fear military personnel have that treatment-seeking and disclosure will have negative career consequences and take away this fear. Additionally, public stigma should be targeted through stigma awareness campaigns and mental health awareness training. Decreasing the public stigma could decrease the fear military personnel have that treatmentseeking and disclosure will lead to social rejection. Finally, early treatment-seeking could be promoted at the level of the military organization by increasing awareness among military personnel about the available treatment. Together this can facilitate early treatment-seeking and disclosure in a safe environment, which optimizes the opportunities for recovery and the provision of workplace support, and accommodations, and create positive disclosure experiences, which in turn can increase sustainable employment and well-being at work.
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