Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41625891›Full record

ArticleCureus2025

Psychological Experiences and Support Needs of Volunteer Psychiatric Interpreters in Japan: A Qualitative Study.

Ying Zhou, Atsuro Tsutsumi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Ying ZhouPsychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JPN.
Atsuro TsutsumiPsychiatry, Institute of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JPN.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPsychiatric interpreters in Japan-many of whom work on a voluntary basis-play a vital role in bridging critical language barriers for the country's immigrants while facing unique psychological challenges within a non-certified system.

aimThis qualitative study aimed to explore the psychological experiences and support needs of volunteer psychiatric interpreters in Japan.

methodsSemistructured interviews were conducted with 15 medical interpreters recruited via a national dispatch organization (10/15, 66.7%), local networks (3/15, 20%), and hospital referrals (2/15, 13.3%). Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.

resultsFour major themes emerged: inhibiting factors (e.g., emotional exhaustion, lack of support), facilitating factors (e.g., agency assurance, patient approval), interpreters' personal qualities (e.g., resilience, altruism), and the pursuit of a professional foundation (e.g., desire for formal training). Participants perceived an emotional toll greater than in general medical interpreting, intensified by Japan's volunteer-based, under-supported system. None of the participants were full-time psychiatric interpreters, limiting the applicability to highly specialized settings.

conclusionsStructured psychological training and support networks are recommended to enhance interpreter well-being and improve access to mental health services for immigrants, thereby contributing to psychiatric care, public health outcomes, and cross-cultural communication.

Indexed as

cross-cultural communicationjapanese healthcaremedical interpretationmental health servicespsychiatric interpretersvolunteer interpreters

Identifiers

PMID41625891
PMCPMC12853132

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.