The emotional impact of working on a specialist mental health inpatient ward for individuals who are deaf: the experience of a British Sign Language interpreter

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Calder-Hanley, Lauren (2019). The emotional impact of working on a specialist mental health inpatient ward for individuals who are deaf: the experience of a British Sign Language interpreter. University of Birmingham. Clin.Psy.D.

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Abstract

Introduction
The present study explores the emotional experience of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters working on a specialist mental health inpatient unit for individuals who are d/Deaf. The term ‘d/Deaf’ is used to incorporate individuals who experience the medical condition of deafness and individuals who experience deafness who also subscribe to the Deaf community. The emotional impact of interpreting may manifest in several different ways, including vicarious trauma and burnout (Daly, 2016; McCartney, 2006; Bower, 2015). However, there is limited published research focused on the emotional impact of sign language interpreting.

Method
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the chosen qualitative methodology for this study. Six BSL interpreters were interviewed to explore how they made sense of any emotional impact of interpreting. Following the interviews, the audio was transcribed and the data was analysed by using the analytical process described by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009).

Findings
Three superordinate themes were identified following analysis; “people forget that we’re human as well”, “I still wish I knew where to stand”, and “as interpreters we’re not necessarily looked after”. The overarching themes were underpinned by eight themes.

Discussion
The present findings highlight the need for emotional support for BSL interpreters who work in mental health settings, in particular for those interpreters based on an inpatient ward. The emotionally challenging nature of BSL interpreting in inpatient settings is discussed in the context of Demand-control theory (Karasek, 1979; Dean and Pollard, 2001). Clinical recommendations, such as individual clinical supervision, and implications for future research are discussed.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.

Supervisor(s):