I’m a first year Clinical PhD student in the Forensic and Clinical Cognition Lab. I began volunteering in the lab at the beginning of 2024 after completing Honours at Flinders University in 2023. I found the experience of working in the lab extremely enjoyable. I appreciated getting to know other lab members and valued assisting in different projects, such as investigating shared trauma experiences and content moderation.

My current research aims to investigate how decision-making processes involved in content moderation and related forensic settings (e.g., child protection, parole recommendations, police investigations) influence trauma symptoms. Content moderators are often required to view and make high-stakes decisions about content such as hate speech, child sexual abuse, and violence. Consistent exposure to disturbing content and the decision-making processes involved have led moderators to report negative psychological and physiological symptoms, similar to those experienced by people diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). By completing research in this area, I aim to better understand the impact of decision-making processes on mental health outcomes in forensic settings. Understanding mechanisms occurring in workplaces where high-stakes decisions are made may then help to inform interventions offered.