Work-Related Condition, Work-Related Stress Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
Professional content moderators play a critical role in preventing Internet users from being exposed to more sensitive content. However, recent literature has shown that this work places content moderators at increased risk for several psychological outcomes, including intrusive thoughts and vicarious stress trauma. This pilot study will assess the acceptability and feasibility of a brief (4-session) cognitive-behavioral workshop to reduce these risks.
Detailed description
The growing amount of user-generated content is forcing companies to hire more and more content moderators (CMs). There is ample empirical evidence that exposure to the trauma of others at work affects well-being and mental health , and research focused on CMs suggests that they experience similar effects as other professionals. This includes an increased risk of developing syndromes such as secondary posttraumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout. Recent literature, although limited, indicates that CMs are already using coping strategies such as creating boundaries between work and personal life, although they expressed a preference for individual therapy with specialized professionals. However, this initial work points to the need for technology companies to develop prevention programs based on preventing exposure to traumatic content (. Therefore, a CBT workshop consisting of four 90-minute group sessions was designed specifically to prevent work-related consequences in a small sample of content moderators. The workshop will have a cognitive-behavioral orientation, which has been shown to be more effective for posttraumatic symptoms. Psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, job satisfaction, and coping strategies will be measured before and after the intervention to assess the feasibility of the workshop.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCognitive-Behavioral Therapy Workshop for Content Moderators
This 4-session group workshop is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It consists of four sessions: 1. Presentation. Scientific evidence of psychological consequences on content moderatos. Psicoeducation on the effects of vicarious trauma exposure. 2. Presentation of the cognitive model. Identification/operationalization of thoughts. Discussion of possible irrational thoughts. 3. Psychoeducation of emotions and their adaptive function. Behavioral strategies of emotions: exposure therapies and behavioral activation. 4. The role of social support. Strategies for appropriate work and sleep hygiene. Strategies for maintaining gains. Farewell.
Sponsors
Universidad Europea de Valencia
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Actively work as a professional content moderator, for at least 6 months.
Exclusion criteria
* Presence of a psychotic or personality disorder as defined by DSM-5 criteria. * Receive another psychological treatment during the time of the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) | Week 0, week 4, and week 12 | It is a simple measure of psychological distress. The K10 scale involves 10 questions about emotional states each with a five-level response scale. The measure can be used as a brief screen to identify levels of distress. The tool can be given to patients to complete, or alternatively the questions can be read to the patient by the practitioner. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Work Satisfaction Scale, JobStat'73 | Week 0, week 4, and week 12 | It is made up of 5 questions related to their satisfaction with the job, possible continuity in it and whether they would recommend it to others. |
| Coping Mechanisms Scale | Week 0, week 4, and week 12 | It measures how the participant cope with stress, collecting data from 16 strategies. |
| PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) | Week 0, week 4, and week 12 | The PCL-C includes 17 items assessing a variety of symp- tomatic responses to stress, and respondents self-reported the extent to which they were bothered by these symptoms, within the past month, on a scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Extremely). |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed