Is Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) a comparable recruitment source for trauma studies?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Trauma Research
• Online Data Collection

Background:

• Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is increasingly used by trauma researchers for efficient data collection.
• The validity and generalizability of MTurk for recruiting trauma-exposed samples require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility, generalizability, and validity of MTurk for recruiting trauma-exposed participants.
• To compare clinical and psychological constructs in an MTurk sample with existing literature.

Main Methods:

• Collected data from 266 trauma-exposed MTurk participants on clinical and psychological variables.
• Compared MTurk sample's mean scores, prevalence rates, and correlations to published undergraduate, community, and treatment-seeking samples.

Main Results:

• MTurk sample showed similar PTSD and depression prevalence but higher generalized anxiety than community samples.
• MTurk participants had lower mean scores for PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms compared to all groups.
• Correlations between PTSD severity, cognitions, and coping self-efficacy were consistent with other samples.

Conclusions:

• MTurk can be a valuable recruitment tool for trauma research, but findings require careful interpretation.
• Researchers should consider MTurk sample characteristics when generalizing results to community, clinical, or undergraduate populations.