86 4 CHAPTER 4 an opportunity for a promotion comes up, they won’t be able to get it.’ 2. Fear of social rejection All groups indicated fear of social rejection as a barrier for disclosure. Participants indicated a fear of being seen as weak and of being rejected by the group. MMH-professional (female): ‘They are afraid to be seen as weak, to get a label’. Participants also indicated that social rejection was an especially important barrier, because of high social cohesion within the military. Soldier with MHC/SA (male): ‘It is hard. The culture within the military is that if you can keep up, it is really fun, a very tight group. But once you can’t keep up anymore, you are the outsider.’ Furthermore, participants indicated a fear of gossip. Soldier with MHC/SA (male): ‘People gossip a lot within the military, and people quickly know what is going on with someone. So that made me reluctant to talk about my MHC/ SA.’ 3. Lack of leadership support All participants indicated lack of leadership support formed a barrier for disclosure. This showed in several ways. First, participants indicated that supervisors often hold negative attitudes towards MHC/SA and that many have little understanding and knowledge of, and experience with MHC/SA. Soldier with MHC/SA (male): ‘Officers who just started their job, just finished training, no life experience, they won’t see it when a soldier has MHC/SA.’ Additionally, supervisors often do not make time for a conversation. There was also a lack of a trusting personal relationship with supervisors. Participants indicated that this often happens because of high turnover within the military (obligated job rotation every 3 years).
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