Researcher's name
Faye Radford
University
University of Plymouth
Supervisor's name
Dr Sonja Heintz
Project title
An Exploration into Veterans’ Use of Humour to Cope with Military and Civilian Life
Outline of project
This study aims to explore how UK Armed Forces veterans use humour as a coping strategy and whether this differs between their military service and veteran experiences. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design will be used, starting with quantitative data collection, followed by qualitative data to help explain the quantitative results and underlying processes. Participation is limited to veterans, who will be involved in both the survey and interview components.
The quantitative questionnaires will assess humour styles, experiences of gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at), levels of distress, thriving, and coping strategies. Qualitative data will be collected through online semi-structured interviews and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. At least 105 participants are required for the questionnaires to ensure sufficient statistical power for correlational analyses. Approximately 10 participants are expected for the interview phase, consistent with recommendations for small-scale projects using Thematic Analysis, which suggest interview sample sizes of 6–10 participants (Braun & Clarke, 2013).
Contact email
Deadline for participants to apply
28/02/2026 00:00:00
Proof of ethical approval
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