35 2 TREATMENT SEEKING IN THE MILITARY - A QUALITATIVE STUDY were non-work related. First, there was fear of being rejected, literally being removed from the group, and of being seen as weak by peers. Soldier without MHC/SA (male): ‘You want someone who is capable of doing their job, and not some crazy person. On our deployment we removed someone from our group. Because he, well he was just a weird guy.’ Second, there was fear of social rejection by a supervisor. Participants indicated that a supervisor’s negative attitude concerning treatment seeking and MHC/SA in general, was of influence on a soldier’s treatment seeking. MH professional (male): ‘During military training you notice that it is a no-go. The officers laugh about any form of mental health treatment. (….) There is a trend, it (MHC/ SA) doesn’t exists or isn’t cool, and you will be rejected and removed from the group (if you have MHC/SA).’ 3. Confidentiality concerns All groups discussed confidentiality concerns associated with mental health care facilities, forming a barrier for treatment seeking. The fear of a breach of confidentiality was related to previous barriers, as this might lead to negative career consequences and/ or social rejection. Because health care is organized within the military and is located at a military location, soldiers indicated that anonymity is lacking for soldiers who seek health care, and that soldiers are afraid to get recognized in waiting rooms. Soldier with MHC/SA (male): ‘I ran into one of my subordinates in the waiting room for the psychologist – that was uncomfortable.’ Participants also indicated a lack of a trusting relationship with the (mental) health care providers. Soldiers tended not to trust that what they say to their (mental) health care provider was really confidential. Participants mentioned there was a high turnover of health care professionals within the military which stands in the way of having the time to build a trusting relationship with them. 4. Workplace culture All groups spoke about the influence of the military workplace culture on the decision to seek treatment. They described this as a place where soldiers are expected to be strong and confront challenges of any kind, rather than showing weakness or uncertainty, i.e.,
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