Barriers to use of interpreters in outpatient mental health care
Exploring the attitudes of psychotherapists
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2395587 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kim Gartner (University of Osnabrück, Department of Psychology, Osnabrück, Germany), Kim Angeles Gärtner (0000-0002-7537-3501, Osnabrück University), Mark Mosko (0000-0002-6408-2629, Universität Hamburg), Mike Mösko (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf), Julia Christina Becker (0000-0002-2456-1174, Osnabrück University), Saskia Hanft-Robert (0000-0001-5766-1609, Universität Hamburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 285-297 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Transcultural Psychiatric Research Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0041-1108 • E-ISSN: 0315-4386 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13634615241227337 |
| PMID | 38298011 |
| OpenAlex | W4391442854 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 50 |
The support of professional interpreters is an essential component of adequate mental health care for migrants with limited language proficiency. Nevertheless, for varied reasons, only a small proportion of outpatient psychotherapists provide interpreter-mediated psychotherapy for migrants. This study explored the perspectives of psychotherapists who have not worked with professional interpreters in outpatient mental health care to identify factors that may prevent the use of interpreters in outpatient care and explore possible incentives to provide interpreter-mediated psychotherapy for migrants with limited language proficiency. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 outpatient psychotherapists in Northern Germany who had not yet worked with professional interpreters in outpatient care. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using a structured content analysis approach. The psychotherapists named structural as well as subjective barriers and concerns. Findings suggest that improving structural factors, such as secure funding, minimal additional work, better preparation and training could facilitate the integration of professional interpreters into everyday treatment. Psychotherapists also mentioned concerns about their own confidence (e.g., insecurities regarding the triadic situation), the patient (e.g., reduced openness), the interpreter (e.g., doubts about suitability, motivation and empathy), as well as the therapeutic process (e.g., unclear allocation of roles). However, positive aspects and opportunities of interpreter-mediated psychotherapy were also described. These could be enhanced by the presence of conducive factors, such as existing trust between all parties and professional cooperation between interpreter and psychotherapist
Ambulatory care · Empathy · Health care · Interpreter · Language barrier · Linguistics · Medical education · Mental health · Mental health care · Openness to experience · Psychotherapist · Therapeutic relationship · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology
Consensus on Culturally Competent Mental Health Services Recommendations
Multilingualism in Psychotherapists in Training in Germany
Reimagining language access in mental healthcare through cultural integration in KwaZulu-Natal
Building trust and relationship across language barriers
Exploring the use of translation technologies to overcome language barriers in mental healthcare
Psychotherapy use among migrants
Die Qualität qualitativer Daten
Community Interpreting
The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting
Working with interpreters in health care
Refugees’ experiences of healthcare in the host country
The Impact of Medical Interpreter Services on the Quality of Health Care
Mental health care utilisation and access among refugees and asylum seekers in Europe
Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency? A Systematic Review of the Literature
Sampling for qualitative research
Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (Coreq)
Interpreter-mediated psychotherapy – a qualitative analysis of the interprofessional collaboration between psychologists and interpreters
The Invisibility of Informal Interpreting in Mental Health Care in South Africa
Correlates of expected eMental Health intervention uptake among Filipino domestic workers in China
Organisational systems’ approaches to improving cultural competence in healthcare
Good practice in health care for migrants
Health care for immigrants in Europe
Intermediated communication by interpreters in psychotherapy with traumatized refugees
Making sense of three-way conversations
When roles within interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations speak louder than words
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |