"It can feel uncomfortable to say something, but it's for the best of the group": Examining Moderator Practices in Online Pregnancy Loss Communities CSCW027

Online pregnancy loss communities can allow users to locate valuable support and information after experiencing a loss. However, platform users also face challenges in learning how to safely engage with the emotive content and diverse experiences present in these communities. This raises questions about how these online communities are currently moderated. However, the practices and experiences of online pregnancy loss community moderators have not yet been examined in past research. This study sought to examine how moderators currently work to protect and maintain online pregnancy loss communities, and to determine how community moderation could potentially be improved in these online spaces. To address these research aims, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with moderators of online pregnancy loss communities located across different online forums and social media platforms. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to analyse this interview data. Our findings show that moderators worked to foster supportive and inclusive communities by carefully removing inappropriate or insensitive posts, providing direct informational and emotional support to members, and creating separate online spaces to bring together members with specific experiences. While platform features and the support of charity organisations helped moderators to engage in these practices, we also identified factors which limited moderator performance. Reflecting on these findings, we discuss how many of the moderator practices specifically align with a trauma-informed approach, which could usefully inform the work of moderators in other online support contexts. We also outline research directions and sociotechnical implications for improving online pregnancy loss community moderation in the future.