| Summary: | This thesis focused on psychological help-seeking and the barriers and facilitators to mental health care in a military population. It is presented in three parts. Part one is a literature review examining the role of stigma in relation to military personnel seeking help for psychological problems. The review highlighted that, despite concerns about perceived stigma from others being highly endorsed as a barrier to care in military personnel, public stigma concerns do not appear to predict actual help-seeking and care utilisation. The review suggested considerations for future research including refining the conceptualisation and measurement of stigma within this population as well as encouraging consideration of other potentially important factors, such as attitudes and beliefs about mental health and mental health treatment. Part two is an empirical paper. This qualitative study aimed to understand the perspectives of UK ex-servicemen, and the barriers and facilitators, in relation to their pathway to care for mental health problems. The results indicated that there are specific barriers and facilitators that are more relevant at different stages in the veterans’ pathway. A number of recommendations for future research as well as a set of clinical implications are proposed and discussed. Part three is a critical appraisal of the research. It reflected on the practical, methodological, and conceptual issues encountered during the process of setting up and conducting research with an ex-military population. It covered areas relating to the literature in the field, factors influencing recruitment, and the process of conducting and analysing the interviews. Potential considerations for future research are highlighted.
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