Psychological distress, exhaustion, and work-related correlates among interpreters working in refugee care: results of a nationwide online survey in Germany
Angelika Geiling, Christine Knaevelsrud, Maria Böttche, Nadine Stammel
Abstract
Background: Due to language barriers, interpreters are crucial for refugee care in the countries of resettlement. However, interpreters are often faced with distressing working conditions, such as precarious work circumstances, lack of supervision, or exposure to their clients' traumatic experiences. Recent studies examining interpreters' mental health focussed primarily on secondary traumatic stress. The present study aimed to gain a better understanding of psychological distress and exhaustion among interpreters in refugee care by examining these factors in the work context as well as their possible work-related correlates. Method: An online survey was carried out in Germany, which included several standardized questionnaires regarding distress, work- and client-related exhaustion, job satisfaction, and trauma exposure (BSI-18, CBI, JSS, HTQ, PCL-5). Interpreters were recruited primarily through psychosocial treatment centres and interpreter pools in Germany. Results: = .001). Conclusion: The results point to increased stress levels among interpreters for refugees. Moreover, they indicate that interpreters' distress is primarily correlated with work-related circumstances, thus suggesting the need for a greater work-related support structure for interpreters.