Content moderation generally refers to the practice of monitoring user generated content and applying a set of rules defining what is acceptable. As a result, Content Moderators (CMs) are responsible for reviewing and removing harmful online material, which has the potential to cause psychological harm. However, little is known about the perceived impacts of the job. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 commercial CMs who were exposed to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as part of their job. Interviews were analysed using framework analysis to investigate any psychological impacts. Results demonstrated that CMs manifested with a range of symptoms consistent with experiencing repeated trauma. This included experiencing intrusive thoughts of CSAM, triggered by situations with similar contexts to those encountered at work, avoidance of children and negative cognitive and emotional effects such as cynicism, anxiety and detachment. These symptoms fit into a framework of post traumatic and secondary traumatic stress and suggest CMs wellbeing and exposure to stressful stimuli may be comparable to professionals working in the emergency services or caring professions, such as social workers. These personnel are at heightened risk of various problems including compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and burnout. Companies which employ moderators should learn from these comparable professions and provide psychoeducation and trauma-informed care to CMs which have been demonstrated to help mitigate these challenges.

Older adults tend to have more avoidant attachment styles, which may make them more vulnerable to becoming isolated and lonely and increase the risk for developing mental health problems. This study used intensive interviews and logistic regression to explore how insecure attachment styles were associated with poor social support, isolation, loneliness and depression. Avoidantly, attached adults were at an increased risk for social isolation. Specifically, older adults with an Angry-Dismissive style were more likely to be lonely and experience mental health problems. Attachment style should be taken into consideration when promoting healthy aging.

Students often simultaneously deal with shifting support networks, stressful life changes and psychological distress which may affect academic achievement. Methods: 285 students completed the Gener...

There is a significant link between insecure attachment and the development of psychopathology in adolescence. We investigated the relationship between adolescent attachment styles and the development of emotional and behavioral problems among adolescents in Kenya. We also examined the modifying influence of socio-economic-status (SES). One hundred and thirty-seven adolescents who were attending two schools participated in the study. One school (low SES school) catered for children from predominantly low-income households, while the second school (middle SES school) catered for children from predominantly middle-income households. The data were collected using three instruments: researcher designed questionnaire to obtain socio-demographic information, the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) that is designed to assess symptoms of disorder, and the Vulnerable Attachment Scale Questionnaire (VASQ) that is designed to measure attachment style. Adolescents from the low SES school had higher vulnerable attachment scores than those from the middle SES school (t(135) = − 2.5, P = 0.02). Male students had higher vulnerable attachment scores than females (P = 0.03). Adolescents who had experienced adversity in childhood had higher vulnerable attachment scores than those who had not (P < 0.00). Results from Pearson’s correlation showed moderate to strong positive correlations between attachment insecurity and emotional and behavioral problems with participants who had higher emotional symptoms (r = 0.47, P < 0.01), conduct problem score (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), hyperactivity (r = 0.26, P < 0.01) and total difficulty scores (r = 0.47, P < 0.01), experiencing significantly higher levels of attachment insecurity than those with lower scores. This study supports the notion that attachment insecurity increases the adolescents’ susceptibility to develop psychological problems.