{"paper_id":"4de0c243-5b4d-4a14-b671-4eb553ffeef7","body_text":"Post-traumatic stress symptoms in interpreters assisting in psychotherapy- one-year follow-up | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Post-traumatic stress symptoms in interpreters assisting in psychotherapy- one-year follow-up Monja Lucia Herold, Lauritz Rudolf Floribert Müller, Johanna Unterhitzenberger, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract 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 qualification before 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. Post traumatic stress symptoms interpreters in psychotherapy mental healthcare Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-4465589\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":308592714,\"identity\":\"2dd409a9-c60f-4521-a2e2-0a8084aa2609\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Monja Lucia Herold\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2ElEQVRIie2RMQuCQBTHXwi1HM2KYp8gOBGssA+jU4tDY1uKkIvtfhzlIJej+aAgp6YGR4eGvMDVuzHofst/eT/+7/EAFIofBQOUfWix3vIs5ZVJbBSyCgyKiWSUZXYu9x3c7VWWJLctJTCv43HFo9fAyeHpWrRK/YgRMKigxmMRxghIWOjhyYxaApgFYsV5Azl+lTVXHo1YcfuWQOcKMN4ybvS3UOxamDgFqtJNTnfIoKLF6txzXgey0GdpxbqLb8/rUlADMMX8mQNION+jNTJTCoVC8cd8AJ48S5qd0YsAAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Monja\",\"middleName\":\"Lucia\",\"lastName\":\"Herold\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308592715,\"identity\":\"7413bf32-0cc0-4b6d-b877-b5eb3f214bd6\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Lauritz Rudolf Floribert Müller\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Lauritz\",\"middleName\":\"Rudolf Floribert\",\"lastName\":\"Müller\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308592716,\"identity\":\"508d53db-587f-4407-8510-60df4f2fc2f0\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Johanna Unterhitzenberger\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Johanna\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Unterhitzenberger\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308592717,\"identity\":\"97e340f8-9d40-44b9-8119-f6c69a4085e9\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Rita Rosner\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Rita\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Rosner\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2024-05-23 08:59:02\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":96805426,\"identity\":\"0bc5c353-d10f-402d-815f-67c6689aa797\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-11-26 09:09:52\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":405061,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"FollowUpPTSSinterpreters.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4465589/v1_covered_38659062-6039-44b6-9187-f03844a2d083.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"No competing interests reported.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Post-traumatic stress symptoms in interpreters assisting in psychotherapy- one-year follow-up \",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":true,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"researchsquare\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"/submission\",\"title\":\"Research Square\",\"twitterHandle\":\"researchsquare\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":false,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true},\"keywords\":\"Post traumatic stress symptoms, interpreters in psychotherapy, mental healthcare\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eBackground:\\u003c/strong\\u003e 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 \\u003cem\\u003eattitude\\u003c/em\\u003e supporting psychotherapy, \\u003cem\\u003eknowledge\\u003c/em\\u003e about post-traumatic stress and trauma-focused therapy, the working \\u003cem\\u003eexperience\\u003c/em\\u003e of the interpreters in years, \\u003cem\\u003eInvolvement\\u003c/em\\u003e of Interpreters in Trauma-Therapy, own \\u003cem\\u003erefugee experience\\u003c/em\\u003e and any kind of \\u003cem\\u003equalification\\u003c/em\\u003ebefore the training.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eMethod:\\u003c/strong\\u003e 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.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eResults: \\u003c/strong\\u003eThe 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.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eDiscussion:\\u003c/strong\\u003e 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.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Post-traumatic stress symptoms in interpreters assisting in psychotherapy- one-year follow-up \",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2024-06-10 05:39:11\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4465589/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"researchsquare\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"/submission\",\"title\":\"Research Square\",\"twitterHandle\":\"researchsquare\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":false,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"db29fd52-5e56-4873-8ec5-cd1eb94867cf\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"June 10th, 2024\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"posted\",\"subjectAreas\":[],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2025-11-26T09:09:05+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2024-06-10 05:39:11\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-4465589\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-4465589\",\"identity\":\"rs-4465589\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}