The project is part of exciting and innovative research involving an international team from leading universities including QUB, the University of Exeter and Emory University. They will use an interdisciplinary mixed methods approach to their research.
Principal Investigator Professor John Brewer will oversee the project while Co-Investigator Dr Herron, will be carrying out research, engaging with stakeholders and completing of a paper for publication in a leading journal.
Stephen is a former Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Mitchell Institute.
Stephen’s research interests include online extremism, misinformation and information manoeuvre as well as armed forces veteran transition and well-being.
In his previous role at the Institute, Stephen was Co-Investigator alongside Professor John Brewer (Principal Investigator) on a 3 ½ year project funded by the Forces in Mind Trust on Understanding ‘Negative Transitioning’ in British Ex-Service Personnel.
The project was one of the largest UK qualitative studies to examine the experiences of veterans who make a negative transition to civilian life. The researchers explored three measures of negative transitioning homelessness, imprisonment, or mental ill-health. With a sample of 323 people from across the UK, the research included 2 extended case studies of veteran prisoners and ex-prisoners in Scotland and homeless veterans in Birmingham.
The study found that overall, these individuals face the same challenges as other ex-Service personnel, but lack psychological resilience and the economic means to deal with them.
Read the End of Award Report, including a series of recommendations for statutory and voluntary organisations here.
