More Than Chocolate Cake and Bubble Baths: The Effects of Self-Care on Perceived Levels of Stress for Interpreters

Item

Title
More Than Chocolate Cake and Bubble Baths: The Effects of Self-Care on Perceived Levels of Stress for Interpreters
Creator
Jenny Litvinchuk
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies
Project Type
action_research
Date
12/10/2021
Abstract
In this action research project, the relationship between practicing self-care regularly and perceived levels of stress for one interpreter is examined. Interpreters have reported physical and psychological stressors related to their work. Data was collected over twenty-two weeks for this project. The Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1994), personal journal entries, and the Junto Emotion Wheel (Chadha, n.d.) were used to collect and analyze data for this project. This action research project contributes valuable insight on how practicing regular self-care as an interpreting professional can affect stress levels and potentially decrease burnout in our field. It also identifies specific self-care practices I found helpful in reducing my own perceived levels of stress in hopes that other interpreters will also find benefit in those activities. The results of this action research show that an increase in the average number of self-care activities performed weekly results in lower levels of perceived stress for one interpreter. Based on the results of this action research, there may be evidence that engaging in self-care more regularly can reduce stress for interpreters. Because burnout is prevalent in the field of interpreting, it is important that interpreters practice self-care to mitigate stress experienced at work and in their personal lives.
Committee Member
Elisa Maroney, Amanda Smith
Rights
Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 6/10/2022, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author at the email address listed above.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Language
eng
Date Available
6/10/2022
Type
Text
Identifier
theses/146