Interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees: An interdisciplinary scoping review.

Abstract

The consequences of language barriers are some of the most fundamental challenges refugees and asylum seekers face, undermining both the accessibility of mental health services and the quality of the services received. This scoping review provides the first synthesis of research on interpreters working in mental health settings with refugees, one of the most prominent yet understudied strategies to improving language access and the cultural appropriateness of services for this unique population. Comprehensive searches were conducted in PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, Social Services Abstracts CAIRN, and Erudit for relevant journal articles and book chapters published up to April 2019. A total of 84 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. Publications represented a range of disciplines including social work, linguistics, psychology, anthropology, public health, medicine, psychiatry, and nursing. Six thematic areas were identified: (1) Lack of adequate interpretation as barrier to care; (2) Emotional impact of interpreting on the interpreter; (3) Training and supervision; (4) Impact of the interpreter on the process of psychotherapy/mental health intervention; (5) The impact of the interpreter on the intervention outcome; and (6) The role of the interpreter. The results indicate that despite undeniable challenges, including concerns around confidentiality and bias, when clinicians and refugee clients do not share proficiency in a common language, interpreters have a positive impact on refugee clients’ quality of care and clinical outcomes. The implications of these findings for host countries providing mental health services for refugees globally are considered and recommendations offered.

Psychological distress, exhaustion, and work-related correlates among interpreters working in refugee care: results of a nationwide online survey in Germany

“…Overall, this finding would support interpreters’ suggestions for more supervision, as reported in quantitative (Kindermann et al, 2017 ; Wichmann et al, 2018 ) and qualitative studies (Crezee et al, 2013 ; Doherty et al, 2010 ; Holmgren et al, 2003 ). It is also in accordance with a recent scoping review, which recommended a systemic change regarding supervision for interpreters, for instance by only permitting institutions to hire interpreters if supervision is also embedded (Fennig & Denov, 2021 ).…”

“…Interpreters play a crucial role for the adequate treatment and healthcare of refugees in non-native-speaking countries of resettlement (Böttche, Stammel, & Knaevelsrud, 2016 ), as the use of interpreters reduces communication errors and improves clinical outcomes (Fennig & Denov, 2021 ; Karliner, Jacobs, Chen, & Mutha, 2007 ). However, interpreters working in refugee care contexts frequently face difficult and precarious working conditions such as low payment or lack of training (Green, Sperlinger, & Carswell, 2012 ; Holmgren, Søndergaard, & Elklit, 2003 ; Splevins, Cohen, Joseph, Murray, & Bowley, 2010 ).…”

Mental Health and Work Experiences of Interpreters in the Mental Health Care of Refugees: A Systematic Review

“…As stated in a guideline article ( 9 ), practitioners rarely receive training in working with interpreters, even though this is recommended. A recent scoping review moreover strongly emphasised that interpreter and practitioner should form a cooperative relationship and can even be trained and supervised together ( 26 ). Thus, working with trained practitioners could be a protective factor.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only one meta-synthesis has investigated interpreters' experiences in health and mental health care settings, and this was based exclusively on qualitative studies ( 10 ). A scoping review also synthesised research on challenges and opportunities in interpreter-assisted mental health setting with refugee clients ( 26 ). Therefore, the aim of this review is to systematically summarise and report the mental health and work experiences of spoken language interpreters in both qualitative and quantitative studies in order to gain a better and more comprehensive understanding of stress reactions and potentially associated risk and protective factors due to interpreting for refugee clients.…”

A Scoping Review of Interventions Delivered by Peers to Support the Resettlement Process of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

“…In a similar study, Villarroel et al (2019) used a scoping review to explore health factors with refuges in Ireland. Further studies used the approach to establish the extent of trust in resettlement settings (Essex et al, 2021); to examine cultural competency in refugee service delivery (Lau & Rodger, 2021); to explore community-based healthcare best practices with refugees (Riza et al, 2021); use of interpreters in mental health setting with refugees (Fennig & Denov, 2021); and to establish the extent of resettlement social supports (Watchter et al, 2021). However, this is the first time a scoping review has been used to study peer support interventions within the resettlement process with this population of people.…”