Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being Concerns and Solutions for Management Reported by Sign Language Interpreters: A Qualitative Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Demian C ; Love T ; Roman G ; Yousefi-Nooraie R
• Description:
  While the occupational health of sign language interpreters has traditionally focused on physical health, evidence demonstrating mental health concerns is growing and supporting a shift to a more integrated approach. We embarked on a qualitative study to guide the adaptation of a previously developed Total Worker Health® program to the context of sign language interpreting. Eight unstructured 90-min focus groups were conducted. Interpreters reported occupational safety, health, and well-being concerns and shared their solutions for management. Twenty-seven interpreters participated (aged 53.7 years; 81% female; 85% white). Predominant concerns centered on topics like workplace violence, secondary traumatic stress or vicarious trauma, lack of work-life integration or boundaries, and loss of agency or loss of self. The organizational culture of the field fostered deprioritization of self, oppression, elitism, sexism, and unhealthy relationships with interpreter peers and community members. Physical health remained a contributor, specifically the physical effects of non-physical work, aging, and differences in exposures across interpreting settings but paled in comparison to mental health and organizational culture. Solutions for management included but were not limited to prioritization of jobs, creating safe spaces/communities of supported practice, and exercise. This study supports the evolution of future research, practice, policy, and capacity building aspiring to a more integrated approach. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Mental Health Mental Health Occupational Safety And Health Organizational Culture Physical Health Qualitative Analysis Sign Language Interpreters Total Worker Health Total Worker Health® Traumatic Incident Stress TWH Well-being Workplace Violence

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070334
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024 Nov; 21(11):1400
• Contact Point Address:
  Gretchen Roman, Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester, 1381 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
• Email:
  gretchen_roman@urmc.rochester.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Rochester
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20230901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:12bc1f711c6d8d754d6bc539d5e674ed161a3f3f9e01d6636f1dcb8b4e725b64f14ba6227dfeec7fd74580793310b4a73b7d63ebcccdf6bbead7a13ae1c2b824
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208567/cdc_208567_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1004.05 KB ]