Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 6/2014

01-12-2014 | Original Paper

Language Barriers in Mental Health Care: A Survey of Primary Care Practitioners

Authors: Camille Brisset, Yvan Leanza, Ellen Rosenberg, Bilkis Vissandjée, Laurence J. Kirmayer, Gina Muckle, Spyridoula Xenocostas, Hugues Laforce

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 6/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Many migrants do not speak the official language of their host country. This linguistic gap has been found to be an important contributor to disparities in access to services and health outcomes. This study examined primary care mental health practitioners’ experiences with linguistic diversity. 113 practitioners in Montreal completed a self-report survey assessing their experiences working with allophones. About 40 % of practitioners frequently encountered difficulties working in mental health with allophone clients. Few resources were available, and calling on an interpreter was the most common practice. Interpreters were expected to play many roles, which went beyond basic language translation. There is a clear need for training of practitioners on how to work with different types of interpreters. Training should highlight the benefits and limitations of the different roles that interpreters can play in health care delivery and the differences in communication dynamics with each role.
Footnotes
1
The term “client” was chosen over “service user” or “patient” in this paper, as mental health practitioners in Montreal appear to favor its use [3].
 
2
The Lifeworld refers to contextually grounded experiences oriented toward understanding and consensus through negotiation, as opposed to the System, which relates to decontextualized rules oriented toward efficiency and success [8].
 
3
In Quebec, health services and social services are integrated into administrative units, called Health and Social Services Centres (HSSCs). These institutions ensure accessibility, case management, follow up and coordination of services for the population of a geographically defined region. There are 94 HSSCs throughout the province and 12 in Montreal.
 
Literature
1.
Oxford English dictionary online. Allophone, n.2. In: Oxford University Press; 2013.
2.
Statistics Canada. Linguistic characteristics of Canadians: language, 2011 census of population. Ottawa: Minister of Industry; 2012.
3.
4.
Divi C, Koss RG, Schmaltz SP, Loeb JM. Language proficiency and adverse events in US hospitals: a pilot study. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19:60–7.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Morrison TB, Wieland ML, Cha SS, Rahman AS, Chaudhry R. Disparities in preventive health services among Somali immigrants and refugees. J Immigr Minor Health. 2012;14:968–74.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Jacobs E, Chen AH, Karliner LS, Agger-Gupta N, Mutha S. The need for more research on language barriers in health care: a proposed research agenda. Milbank Q. 2006;84:111–33.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
7.
Ministry of Health and Social Services. Quebec’s mental health action plan 2005–2010. Quebec City: Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux; 2005.
8.
Habermas J. The theory of communicative action. Oxford: Polity Press; 1991.
9.
Leanza Y, Miklavcic A, Boivin I, Rosenberg E. Working with interpreters. In: Kirmayer L, Rousseau C, Guzder J, editors. Cultural consultation: encountering the other in mental health care. New York: Springer; 2014. p. 89–114.CrossRef
10.
Kirmayer LJ, Weinfeld M, Burgos G, du Fort GG, Lasry JC, Young A. Use of health care services for psychological distress by immigrants in an urban multicultural milieu. Can J Psychiatry. 2007;52:295–304.PubMed
11.
Snowden LR, Yamada AM. Cultural differences in access to care. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2005;1:143–66.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Chen AW, Kazanjian A, Wong H. Why do Chinese Canadians not consult mental health services: health status, language or culture? Transcult Psychiatry. 2009;46:623–41.PubMedCrossRef
13.
Sadavoy J, Meier R, Ong AY. Barriers to access to mental health services for ethnic seniors: the Toronto study. Can J Psychiatry. 2004;49:192–9.PubMed
14.
Vissandjee B, Hemilin I, Gravel S, Roy S, Dupéré S. La diversité culturelle montréalaise : Une diversité de défis pour la santé publique [Montreal’s cultural diversity: a variety of challenges to public health]. Santé Publique. 2004;17:417–28.CrossRef
15.
Karliner LS, Jacobs EA, Chen AH, Mutha S. Do professional interpreters improve clinical care for patients with limited English proficiency? A systematic review of the literature. Health Serv Res. 2007;42:727–54.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
16.
Flores G. The impact of medical interpreter services on the quality of health care: a systematic review. Med Care Res Rev. 2005;62:255–99.PubMedCrossRef
17.
Bauer AM, Alegria M. Impact of patient language proficiency and interpreter service use on the quality of psychiatric care: a systematic review. Psychiatr Serv. 2010;61:765–73.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
18.
Bischoff A, Tonnerre C, Eytan A, Bernstein M, Loutan L. Addressing language barriers to health care, a survey of medical services in Switzerland. Soc Prev Med. 1999;44:248–56.CrossRef
19.
Kuo DZ, O’Connor KG, Flores G, Minkovitz CS. Pediatricians’ use of language services for families with limited English proficiency. Pediatrics. 2007;119:920–7.CrossRef
20.
Hsieh E. Interpreters as co-diagnosticians: overlapping roles and services between providers and interpreters. Soc Sci Med. 2007;64:924–37.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Leanza Y. Roles of community interpreters in pediatrics as seen by interpreters, physicians and researchers. Interpreting. 2005;7:167–92.CrossRef
22.
Brisset C, Leanza Y, Laforest K. Working with interpreters in health care, a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative literature. Patient Educ Couns. 2013;91:131–40.PubMedCrossRef
23.
24.
Eytan A, Bischoff A, Rrustemi I, et al. Screening of mental disorders in asylum-seekers from Kosovo. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2002;36:499–503.PubMedCrossRef
25.
Bischoff A, Tonnerre C, Loutan L, Stalder H. Language difficulties in an outpatient clinic in Switzerland. Soc Prev Med. 1999;44:283–7.CrossRef
26.
Flores G, Torres S, Holmes LJ, Salas-Lopez D, Youdelman MK, Tomany-Korman SC. Access to hospital interpreter services for limited english proficient patients in New Jersey: a statewide evaluation. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2008;19:391–415.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Torres ME, Parra-Medina D, Bellinger JD, Johnson AO, Probst JC. Rural hospitals and Spanish speaking patients limited english proficiency. J Healthc Manag. 2008;53:107–20.PubMed
28.
Bradshaw M, Tomany-Korman S, Flores G. Language barriers to prescriptions for patients with limited english proficiency: a survey of pharmacies. Pediatrics. 2007;120:225–35.CrossRef
29.
Campbell D, Brislinm R, Stewart V, Werner O. Back-translation and other translation techniques in cross-cultural research. Int J Psychol. 1970;30:681–92.
30.
Miller KE, Martell ZL, Pazdirek L, Caruth M, Lopez D. The role of interpreters in psychotherapy with refugees: an exploratory study. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2005;75:27–39.PubMedCrossRef
31.
Raval H, Smith JA. Therapists’ experiences of working with language interpreters. Int J Ment Health. 2003;32:6–31.
32.
Rosenberg E, Leanza Y, Seller R. Doctor-patient communication in primary care with an interpreter: physician perceptions of professional and family interpreters. Patient Educ Couns. 2007;67:286–92.PubMedCrossRef
33.
34.
Papic O, Malak Z, Rosenberg E. Survey of family physicians’ perspectives on management of immigrant patients: attitudes, barriers, strategies, and training needs. Patient Educ Couns. 2011;86:205–9.PubMedCrossRef
35.
Bischoff A, Hudelson P. Access to healthcare interpreter services: where are we and where do we need to go? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010;7:2838–44.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
36.
Hudelson P, Vilpert S. Overcoming language barriers with foreign-language speaking patients: a survey to investigate intra-hospital variation in attitudes and practices. BMC Health Serv Res. 2009;9:187.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
37.
Edwards R, Temple B, Alexander C. Users’ experiences of interpreters: the critical role of trust. Interpreting. 2005;7:77–95.CrossRef
38.
Leanza Y, Boivin I, Rosenberg E. Interruptions and resistance: a comparison of medical consultations with family and trained interpreters. Soc Sci Med. 2010;70:1888–95.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Diamond LC, Schenker Y, Curry L, Bradley EH, Fernandez A. Getting by: underuse of interpreters by resident physicians. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;24:256–62.PubMedCrossRefPubMedCentral
40.
41.
Hampers LC, McNulty JE. Professional interpreters and bilingual physicians in a pediatric emergency department: effect on resource utilization. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:1108–13.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Hadziabdic E, Heikkila K, Albin B, Hjelm K. Migrants’ perceptions of using interpreters in health care. Int Nurs Rev. 2009;56:461–9.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Nailon RE. Nurses’ concerns and practices with using interpreters in the care of Latino patients in the emergency department. J Transcult Nurs. 2006;17:119–28.PubMedCrossRef
44.
Gerrish K, Chau R, Sobowale A, Birks E. Bridging the language barrier: the use of interpreters in primary care nursing. Health Soc Care Community. 2004;12:407–13.PubMedCrossRef
45.
Centre de recherche et de formation. Formations en interculturel [Cross-cultural trainings]. CSSS de la Montagne, Montreal.
46.
Alliance des Communautés Culturelles pour l’égalité dans la Santé et les Services Sociaux. Formations destinées au réseau de la santé [Training for the health care system]. ACCÉSSS, Montreal.
47.
Carnevale FA, Vissandjee B, Nyland A, Vinet-Bonin A. Ethical considerations in cross-linguistic nursing. Nurs Ethics. 2009;16:813–26.PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Language Barriers in Mental Health Care: A Survey of Primary Care Practitioners
Authors
Camille Brisset
Yvan Leanza
Ellen Rosenberg
Bilkis Vissandjée
Laurence J. Kirmayer
Gina Muckle
Spyridoula Xenocostas
Hugues Laforce
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 6/2014
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9971-9

Other articles of this Issue 6/2014

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 6/2014 Go to the issue

Brief Communication

Acculturation and Religious Coping as Moderators of the Association Between Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among Mexican-American Vocational Students

Original Paper

Depression and Help Seeking Among Mexican–Americans: The Mediating Role of Familism

Original Paper

Detecting Depression in Pregnancy: Validation of EPDS in British Pakistani Mothers

Original Paper

Occupational Mobility and Depression Among the Foreign-Born in the United States

Original Paper

Psychological Homelessness and Enculturative Stress among US-Deported Salvadorans: A Preliminary Study with a Novel Approach

Original Paper

Stress and Sociocultural Factors Related to Health Status Among US–Mexico Border Farmworkers