Background: Interpreters are an important support in psychotherapy with patients who do not speak the national language. In the primarily qualitative literature, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in interpreters are frequently mentioned, especially when translating traumatic content in trauma-focused psychotherapy. Possible risk and protective factors identified in research are the measurement occasion an attitude supporting psychotherapy, knowledge about post-traumatic stress and trauma-focused therapy, the working experience of the interpreters in years, Involvement of Interpreters in Trauma-Therapy, own refugee experience and any kind of qualificationbefore the training.
Method: A total of 134 interpreters registered for a workshop on translation in the context of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Questionnaires were completed via Qualtrics before and after the workshop, and at 6 and 12 months. The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was used to assess the interpreters’ PTSS. Hierarchical linear models were calculated with the R package lme4 to examine the development of PTSS symptoms over time and possible influencing factors.
Results: The interpreters’ PTSS did not change significantly over the one-year period. Attitude and knowledge had a positive influence on PTSS, while participation in trauma therapy had a negative influence on PTSS.
Discussion: Results show that the interpreters’ PTSS remained stable over the course of one year. However, translating in psychotherapy during this period represents a risk factor for interpreters´ PTSS. Further research on possible risk and protective factors for interpreters’ PTSS is necessary. One of the limitations of the present study is that it is a convenient and uncontrolled sample.