I am a Researcher at the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans, University of Chester, where I work on a number of different veterans’ health related projects. I am also completing my PhD at Chester which uses mixed methods to explore mental health and help-seeking in military families. I am particularly interested in the impact that service-related mental health has upon military spouses, how military spouses manage their veterans’ needs and indeed, how this impacts upon their own needs. Through my research, I aim to develop a theoretical model which will inform education, clinical practice and policy development regarding the impact of operational military mental health issues and military families.
Previous to my role at the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans, I taught Research Methods and Core Topics in Psychology on the Psychology Undergraduate Degree Programme at the University of Chester. Prior to my PhD, I completed an MRes in Psychology and a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, My MRes involved qualitatively exploring the perspectives of military spouses in relation to how their veteran seeks help. This was a novel approach to understanding help-seeking and rather unexpectedly, highlighted the needs of military spouses living with a veteran with service-related mental health, thus providing the motivation to undertake my PhD.
I am also the wife of an Army veteran and have previously worked for the MoD as a pay clerk. I am acutely aware that these experiences offer me valuable insight into the culture of the Armed Forces and naturally, my PhD research compels me to reflect upon my own experiences. This encourages me to consider the assumption of homogeneity in the military spouse population, enabling me to think with a greater level of criticality, aware that research must look past the singular military spouse identity.
Email: k.salem@chester.ac.uk
Twitter: @_Kate_Salem
Research Website: https://www1.chester.ac.uk/departments/westminster-centre-research-veterans/staff/kate-salem