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Humanitarian field workers operating in protracted crisis settings face chronic exposure to traumatic events, resource scarcity, and emotional exhaustion - from heavy workloads to prolonged separation from family and friends, to safety risks - conditions that erode individual well-being and organizational capacity. Such sustained strain elevates risk for a range of mental health conditions; yet evidence-based psychosocial interventions remain scant, particularly arts-based approaches.

This ongoing study evaluates healthcare clowning as a novel strategy for supporting socio-emotional well-being among humanitarian workers engaged in refugee care in Lesvos, Greece - a primary entry point for migrants via the Eastern Mediterranean route. Rooted in positive psychology frameworks, the research examines how intrapersonal strategies (dispositional happiness, hope, gratitude, emotion regulation, humor styles, resilience) and interpersonal functioning (social support, connectedness, belonging) serve as protective factors for mental health outcomes (anxiety, quality of life, life satisfaction).

Field workers (health professionals, psychologists, educators, social workers) are recruited through local NGO partnerships and community networks. We employ a 2×4 quasi-experimental, sequential explanatory mixed-methods design integrating standardized questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, wearable stress indicators, and focus groups. The intervention (versus control) group participates in 2-hour clown-led Humor Relief Workshops, assessed across four timepoints (two pre- and two post-tests).

This presentation will detail the methodological design, multi-wave data collection procedure, recruitment challenges, retention rates, and preliminary qualitative findings from Wave-1 participants (N=76; September-December 2025), offering critical insights into conducting arts-based intervention research within active humanitarian contexts where humor-based strategies may mitigate anxiety and sustain mental health during protracted displacement crises.