Photo of Dr Laura Soulsby

Dr Laura Soulsby Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer in Psychology Psychology

    Research

    Research Overview

    My PhD thesis (2011) examined the the influence of age in the psychosocial experience of marital status change, including cohabitation, marriage, separation and divorce, and widowhood. The research was mixed methods, involving secondary data analysis of longitudinal BHPS data, a cross sectional quantitative survey, and qualitative interviewing using grounded theory.

    My current research interests focus on how people experience and adjust to significant and potentially stressful life events, with a special interest in bereavement and serious illness. Broadly, I am interested in how stressful life events, or transitions, can impact on our personal relationships, our identity or sense of self, and our health and wellbeing. My research uses qualitative and quantitative methods to examine how people navigate such life experiences and, in particular, the role of social support in the process of adjustment, coping and development of resilience following adversity. I am also very interested in the association between personal relationships and health, and the impact of social isolation and loneliness across the lifecourse.

    I have expertise in qualitative research and particularly qualitative interviewing, grounded theory and thematic analysis.

    Transitions and personal relationships

    My primary research interests focus on the psychosocial impact and processes of adaptation associated with stressful transitions across the lifecourse, particularly bereavement and serious illness.

    Questions I continue to explore in my research include:

    • How do our relationships change in the face of a challenging transition, such as bereavement, chronic illness, care work, parenthood, retirement, marriage, or starting university?
    • How do these transitions shape everyday life, personal relationships, sense of self and wellbeing?
    • How do people cope with and adapt to the challenges associated with particular transitions?
    • How does the transition experience vary across contexts, including personal factors (e.g. age/timing, gender, SES) and environmental factors (e.g. historical time, socio-cultural setting)
    • How do people talk about their transition experience to construct meaning?