Shannon Allen

Research Fellow

School: Psychology

Shannon is a Research Fellow in Psychology at Northumbria University, primarily working on a mixed-methods project evaluating the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) programme in Bolton.

Shannon has recently submitted her PhD in Criminology at Northumbria University and is currently awaiting examination. This is a mixed-methodological project exploring the impact of exposure to potentially morally injurious events between UK Service Police and Non-Service Police veterans.

Shannon previously worked at Northumbria University as a Senior Research Assistant and was involved in several research projects investigating the impact of suicide within the UK armed forces on bereaved military families, the impact of the historic 'gay ban' on LGBT+ veterans, and the long-term impact of widowhood during Covid-19 experienced by older adults.

Before working at Northumbria University, Shannon completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology with a Year Abroad at King’s College London and an MSc in Forensic Psychology at Newcastle University.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Developing a formal model of peer support for bereaved military families: a co-production and evidence-based approach, McGill, G., Allen, S., Osborne, A., Gates, J. Oct 2025, In: Family Court Review
‘It Was a Complete Violation of Everything’: LGBT + Veterans’ Experiences of Discrimination and Oppression Through the Exemptive UK Military ‘Gay Ban’ Policy, McGill, G., Allen, S., Osborne, A. 1 Sep 2025, In: Sexuality Research and Social Policy
LGBT Veterans and Moral Injury: Addressing the Legacy of the UK’s Military ‘Gay Ban’ Policy, Allen, S., McGill, G., Powers, B. 3 Oct 2025, In: Sexuality Research and Social Policy
“You kind of want the world to stop, and it did”: shared experiences of widowhood during and following Covid-19, Collins, T., Allen, S., Scarbrough-Jelfs, C., Klidzia, S., Lai, F., Wilson-Menzfeld, G. 18 Dec 2025, In: Death Studies
One is too Many: A Conceptual Framework for Safety Planning within Service Delivery for Veterans and their Families, Kiernan, M., McGill, G., Watson, P., Farrell, D., Oxburgh, G., Arnfield, J., Rebair, A., Knibbs, L., Allen, S., Gettings, R., Senior, E. 20 Mar 2024
Family and occupational functioning following military trauma exposure and moral injury, Williamson, V., Murphy, D., Stevelink, S., Jones, E., Allen, S., Greenberg, N. 1 Jun 2023, In: BMJ Military Health
Investigating the Moral Challenges Experienced by UK Service Police Veterans, Allen, S., Oxburgh, G., Kiernan, M. 24 Jan 2023, In: Journal of Veteran Studies
Progress Report Phase One: An exploratory study of the experiences of LGBT+ veterans affected by 'the ban', McGill, G., Osborne, A., Giles-Haigh, R., Allen, S., Small, D., McGlone, S. Jul 2022
The Relationship between of Moral Injury and Radicalisation: A Systematic Review, Williamson, V., Murphy, D., Stevelink, S., Jones, E., Allen, S., Greenberg, N. 2 Nov 2022, In: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
Delivering treatment to morally injured UK military personnel and Veterans: The clinician experience, Williamson, V., Murphy, D., Stevelink, S., Allen, S., Jones, E., Greenberg, N. 4 Mar 2021, In: Military Psychology

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Oral presentation: Webinar: Potentially morally injurious event exposure among Service Police and Non Service Police veterans 2025