Table 3

Barriers to and facilitators for disclosure of MHC/SA

Categories	Subcategories	Soldiers with MHC/SA	Soldiers without MHC/SA	MHC/SA prof.
Barriers
Fear of career consequences	Losing employment (and subsequent financial concerns).	✓	✓	✓
	Not being allowed to do what you like most about your job (eg, no deployment, no training, no flying).	✓	✓	✓
	Lack of career advancement.	✓	x	✓
Fear of social rejection	Fear of being seen as weak.	✓	✓	✓
	Fear of being rejected by the group.	✓	✓	✓
	Gossip culture of the military.	✓	✓	x
Lack of Leadership Support	Supervisor’s negative attitude towards MHC/SA	✓	✓	✓
	Supervisor’s lack of understanding (and taking it seriously)	✓	✓	✓
	Supervisor’s lack of time for a conversation.	✓	x	✓
	Supervisor’s lack of knowledge and experience.	✓	✓	✓
	No personal (trusting) relationship with supervisor.	✓	✓	✓
Lack of communication skills surrounding MHC/SA	Soldier’s lack of skills to talk about own MHC/SA.	✓	✓	✓
	Coworker’s lack of skills to start conversation about MHC/SA.	✓	✓	x
	Supervisor’s lack of skills to start conversation about MHC/SA.	✓	✓	✓
Masculine Workplace culture	Denial of symptoms of MHC/SA.	✓	✓	x
	‘We can do it’ mind set.	✓	✓	✓
	Feeling shame for having MHC/SA.	✓	✓	✓
Facilitators
Anticipated positive results	Disclosing to set an example and help others.	✓	x	✓
Anticipated positive results	Disclosing in order to heal/recover.	✓	x	x
Leadership support	Supervisor who makes time for a conversation.	✓	✓	x
	Trusting relationship with supervisor.	✓	✓	✓
	Supervisor’s positive attitude towards MHC/SA.	✓	✓	✓
Work-related MHC/SA	Easier to disclose MHC/SA if they are a result of work/deployment due to perception that this is respected (especially posttraumatic stress disorder).	✓	x	✓

✓Indicates that subcategory was brought up and discussed by participants within a specific group of participants.
XIndicates that subcategory was not mentioned within specific group of participants.
MHC/SA, mental health condition and/or substance abuse.