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Soldiers, first responders, humanitarian aid workers, nurses, surgeons, lawyers and therapists for victims of domestic abuse, and journalists on the front lines of war and disaster are among the workers exposed to stress and images that can’t be easily forgotten. They spend their days in constant close proximity to suffering. The inherent value of their roles as witnesses and healers provides a sense of purpose that keeps them going. But while some appear to get through the experiences unscathed, many struggle to find an escape, even once they’re back in the comfort of home.
The toll of some new-economy jobs has only recently begun to be examined by researchers like Sarah T. Roberts, a professor of information studies at UCLA. Roles like Chamberlain’s, she says, can offer validation because they involve protecting others, especially children. “These workers are on the front lines in a real way,” she says. And yet because the job takes place out of sight of most internet users, the workers’ sense of isolation may be particularly acute. Content moderators also often work under nondisclosure agreements that bar them from telling others what they are seeing, a potential roadblock if they want to open up and seek support.
Even in professions known for acute emotional stress, workers aren’t always taught the skills needed to cope, says Cynda Rushton, a professor of clinical ethics and nursing and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. Health-care workers, for example, face each patient’s pain and suffering—the outcome of which they may not be able to change, despite their best efforts—and then have to move on immediately to the next person in need. This routine can foster an intense sense of helplessness, leading workers to become “angry or hypervigilant or to shut down or numb out so they aren’t able to engage,” both on the job and in their personal life. To prevent that, Rushton asserts, organizations need to put practices into place that help individuals develop resilience“before they need it.”
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