Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 3 of 3
The application of the theory of planned behaviour to diet in carers of people with an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- JENKINS Catherine M., MCKENZIE Karen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 24(3), May 2011, pp.237-246.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Poor diet and weight control are particular issues for people with an intellectual disability. This study investigated the utility of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in predicting the intentions of care staff to encourage healthy eating behaviour in the people with an intellectual disability that they support. A quantitative, within-participant, questionnaire based design was used with 112 care staff from voluntary and charitable organisations to assess the performance of 2 TPB models. The first contained the variables: attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. The second had additional variables of self-efficacy and self-identity. The results found that the first model accounted for 31% of the variance with all 3 variables being significant predictors. Adding variables increased the overall predictive power of the model by 4%, but resulted in a reduction in the predictive power of the individual variables. The results suggests the TPB is a useful model for predicting carer intentions in relation to the diet of those they support, with their perceptions of the attitudes of others towards healthy eating being a key influential factor. Ways in which this may inform interventions to improve the overall health of people with intellectual disabilities are discussed.
The informal culture of a direct care staff team supporting people with intellectual disabilities who present with behaviours that challenge
- Authors:
- BANKS Faye, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 26(3), 2021, pp.160-168.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Research into culture within intellectual disability services, has predominantly focussed on small group homes in Australia. The current investigation aimed to explore the transferability of the dimensions of culture identified in the literature, to a residential Intellectual Disability service in the UK. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of informal culture upon the behaviour of direct care staff, particularly around managing behaviour that challenges. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with direct care staff. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically using template analysis. Findings: Themes regarding leadership, perceptions of managers, team functioning, and relationships between direct care staff and service users, were identified, corroborating the existing literature. Additional themes relating to being aware of the risks posed by service users, and the emotional impact of behaviour that challenges, also emerged. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative study to explore informal culture within a community residential Intellectual Disability service in the UK. (Edited publisher abstract)
Choices for people with intellectual disabilities: official discourse and everyday practice
- Authors:
- ANTAKI Charles, FINLAY W. M. L., WALTON Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6(4), December 2009, pp.260-266.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Official policies on "choice" for people with intellectual impairments tend toward fundamental life choices (e.g., who to marry, what job to work at) at the expense of the minor but more frequent concerns of daily living (when to wash, what to eat, where to go in the evening). The authors undertook an examination of how choice policies are actualised in day-to-day activities in two group homes. Data were drawn from a broader ethnographic study of residential services for people with intellectual disabilities serviced by National Health Service Trust in the United Kingdom. Conversation analysis, used to explicate the interactions, showed how staff, although undoubtedly well-meaning, use the discourse of choice to promote institutional managerial objectives, thus demonstrating a gap between practice and overarching policy theory and recommendations.