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Wilbert Thesis August 20251.31 MB
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Dissertation
A phenomenological study of sign language interpreters in video relay services: experiences with occupational stress, personal mental health counseling, and wellness
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.008153
Abstract
Sign language interpreters who work in video relay services (VRS) routinely face threats to their mental health and well-being. This research study was designed to illuminate the wellness strategies interpreters use to mitigate the psychological and emotional demands of VRS work. The study builds on existing literature documenting the occupational stressors VRS interpreters have experienced. Key findings included the constant emotional content interpreters encounter in the VRS environment and the need to reform VRS through a change in policies, procedures, and engagement with multiple stakeholders. This phenomenological qualitative study involved in-depth virtual interviews with 14 interpreters who had experience working in VRS settings and had engaged in personal mental health counseling. Participants took part in 90-min individual virtual semi structured interviews and one follow-up 30-min meeting to provide member checks with their interview transcripts and written responses to two questions. Participant responses informed recommendations for both interpreting and counseling practices. Participants also offered recommendations for workforce reform to safeguard interpreter wellness and subsequently improve the VRS experience for deaf consumers. Input from a field expert and qualitative auditor provided additional trustworthiness to the research design, data collection, and analysis process. Four central themes emerged from the participants’ experiences interpreting in VRS: (a) the VRS milieu, (b) psychological and emotional impact, (c) coping strategies, and (d) creating a healthier VRS ecosystem. Participants described not only the stressors and coping strategies they use to mitigate the impact of interpreting in VRS but also the barriers and facilitators to their engagement with mental health counseling. These themes support and expand upon findings from existing literature and introduce wellness as an important addition to interpreter training and practice. VRS interpreters reported policies and procedures that contribute to occupational stress and feelings of dehumanization. Participants provided recommendations for workplace reform not only to protect interpreter mental health, but also to enhance the interpreting experience for deaf consumers. The study’s implications span practice, policy, and research in both interpreting and mental health counseling professions.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A phenomenological study of sign language interpreters in video relay services: experiences with occupational stress, personal mental health counseling, and wellness
- Creators
- Carrie L Wilbert
- Contributors
- Susannah Wood (Advisor)Ebonee T Johnson (Advisor)Amy Hebert Knopf (Committee Member)John S. Wadsworth (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Counselor Education (Counselor Education & Supervision)
- Date degree season
- Summer 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.008153
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xiii, 234 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Carrie L Wilbert
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 05/21/2025
- Description illustrations
- tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-208).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
This phenomenological, qualitative research study addresses the experiences of sign language interpreters who work in video relay services (VRS). Previous literature indicated interpreting in VRS is stressful because interpreters must rapidly interpret telephone and conference calls without having adequate access, information, and time to ensure the accuracy of their interpretations. The potential negative impact on VRS interpreters mental health comes from high-stakes conversations (e.g., 911 emergency phone calls), technological issues (e.g., calls that are dropped unexpectedly, freezing video images), and customer expectations (e.g., frustration with clarification) that accompany working in the fast-paced VRS environment. This study focused on the occupational stress that impacts VRS interpreters, how the participants engaged with personal mental health counseling, and wellness practices. Fourteen sign language interpreters who met the inclusion criteria of having work experience in VRS and experience receiving mental health counseling services participated in two interviews. The first interview was an in-depth 90-min virtual interview with individual participants who responded to questions about their work-related stress and counseling experiences. In the second 30-min interview, participants responded to two follow-up written questions to increase the credibility and dependability of the interview data. Findings from this study reflect the following four core themes: (a) the VRS milieu, (b) emotional and psychological impact, (c) coping strategies, and (d) creating a healthier VRS ecosystem. Implications from this study include practice, policy, and research recommendations for the interpreting and counseling fields to prioritize VRS interpreters mental health and improve the VRS experience for deaf consumers.
- Academic Unit
- Counselor Education
- Record Identifier
- 9984948642902771
Metrics
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