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Factorial validity and consistency of the Maslach Burnout Inventory among staff working with persons with intellectual disability and dementia
- Authors:
- CHAO S.F., MCCALLION P., NICKLE T.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(5), May 2011, pp.529-536.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite the fact that direct care staff working in the intellectual disabilities (ID) field are thought to be particularly vulnerable to burnout, there has been comparatively little research on their specific situation. This study examined the psychometric properties and applicability to staff in ID services of one of the most widely used burnout measurements - the Human Services Survey version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS). A mailed survey was used to gather data from 435 staff delivering direct care and working in out-of-home community placements for persons with ID in New York State. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the MBI-HSS as an acceptable measure for evaluating burnout in ID services staff. However, the reliability statistics obtained for the Depersonalization (DP) sub-scale was much lower than that reported in studies with other staff populations. An exploratory factor analysis suggested that a four-factor solution, dividing the DP sub-scale into two factors, provided a better fit for the sample. The authors conclude that the use of the MBI-HHS as an instrument for measuring burnout among ID workers has attraction but also some limitations. In particular, the DP sub-scale should be used with caution because there appear to be wording issues for staff in ID settings that may lead to inconsistent responses.
The Nominal Group Technique as an evaluation tool for solution-focused coaching
- Authors:
- ROEDEN John M., MAASKANT Marian A., CURFS Leopold M. G.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(6), November 2012, pp.588-593.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Solution-focused coaching (SFC) is a competence-based approach aimed at assisting individuals or groups to make desired changes in their personal or work life. The approach has been found to be useful for coaching teams who support people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) provides a structured method for collecting and organising the thoughts of a group of people with regard to a particular question. The aim of this study was to examine the perceived strengths of, and recommendations for, SFC for teams coaching people with ID via NGT, as well as the extent to which the NGT results reflect the results of an SFC questionnaire. The participants were 54 staff members at a Dutch service provider for children and adults with ID. The participants were coached in line with the principles of SFC. Eighteen participated in NGT, while 36 completed the SFC questionnaire. The strengths of and recommendations for SFC were obtained via NGT. The strengths of SFC include ‘exploring hidden successes’ and ‘focusing on solutions’. It was recommended that ‘the results be consolidated in follow-up meetings’. The SFC questionnaire participants largely agreed with the NGT statements on the content of the strengths and recommendations, but differed in terms of priorities. The article concludes that NGT is a valuable tool in exploring people's opinions and priorities, but further research is needed to elucidate the perceived priorities of SFC for teams coaching persons with ID.
Inter-rater reliability of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults in community accommodation settings
- Authors:
- MOHR C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(7), July 2011, pp.710-713.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults (DBC-A) is a carer-completed 107-item questionnaire that assesses a comprehensive range of emotional, behavioural and mental health problems in adults with mild, moderate and more severe levels of intellectual disability (ID). Earlier studies have reported acceptable results of test-retest reliability studies with family members and paid carers in community settings. The aim of this study was to report on another aspect of DBC-A reliability, namely inter-rater reliability with paid carers in community-based accommodation settings. The participants were 38 pairs of paid carers employed by 2 non-government agencies providing residential services in small group homes to 38 adults with ID in the community. The carers completed the DBC-A describing residents they knew well. Each pair of raters knew the adults with ID in the same context, and completed the DBC-A independently within the same week. The findings demonstrated an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.69 between the pairs of raters. This compares favourably with the results of an earlier inter-rater study completed with the family members of people with ID living in the community. Inter-rater reliability on the 6 DBC-A sub-scales was also computed and the results were satisfactory.
Checklists for general practitioner diagnosis of depression in adults with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- TORR J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(11), November 2008, pp.930-941.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In Australia, diagnosis and management of depression in adults with intellectual disability (ID) often occurs within the primary care setting. Few tools are available to assist general practitioners (GPs) in the diagnostic process. The study aim was to assess properties of carer and GP checklists developed to address this problem. Participants were 49 adults with ID and their paid carers (support workers), and GPs for 27 adults. Data from carer and GP checklists were gathered, in addition to carer completed Developmental Behaviour Checklist – Adults (DBC-A). Adults with ID also received a comprehensive psychiatric assessment. Both checklists demonstrated good internal consistency (KRS-20 = 0.90). A factor analysis of the carer checklist indicated a single factor on which three section totals had loadings of greater than 0.722 (depressed mood, loss of interest, and social interaction and communication). This factor was interpreted to be depression. The GP checklist data were insufficient for factor analysis, but section totals were moderately correlated with most corresponding carer checklist section totals. Carer section totals related to depression also correlated highly with the DBC-A Depression sub-scale, demonstrating good concurrent validity. Contrasting results were obtained for the GP checklist. Most (n = 42) of the participants were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, precluding the testing of checklist specificity and sensitivity. The carer checklist shows promise as a means of gathering information needed by a GP in the diagnosis of depression in adults with ID. Further research into its underlying properties and clinical uses of a combined depression checklist is warranted.
The development of a questionnaire to assess the perceptions of care staff towards people with intellectual disabilities who display challenging behaviour
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Ruth J., ROSE John L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 11(2), June 2007, pp.197-211.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
The perceptions of staff about challenging behaviour may be a key factor in designing successful behavioural interventions. There is a lack of robust psychometric instruments designed to assess staff attributions towards incidents of challenging behaviour. The aim of this research was to develop a scale based upon the self-regulation theory of illness behaviour. Two staff focus groups identified and clarified relevant constructs to be included in the Challenging Behaviour Perception Questionnaire (CBPQ), which was then completed by 51 staff. Some correlations between the CBPQ and the Attributional Style Questionnaire were found. A significant amount of the variance in the perception of challenging behaviour was explained by the subscales of the new questionnaire. In particular, episodic timeline would seem to be a promising area for further investigation.
A Q‐methodology study among caregivers of people with moderate intellectual disabilities on their clients’ health care: an example in oral health
- Authors:
- EIJSINK A. M., SCHIPPER G., VERMAIRE J. H.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 31(5), 2018, pp.915-926.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: People with intellectual disabilities have less favourable outcomes in - among others - oral health variables, compared to their peers without intellectual disabilities. Before being able to develop target interventions for caregivers, all their prevailing viewpoints regarding oral hygiene need to be identified. Methods: This Q‐methodology study - conducted among 40 caregivers of care‐dependent institutionalised living persons with moderate intellectual disability - used by‐person factor analysis to reveal clusters of caregivers based on the way their statements were sorted. Results: A 4‐factor solution was chosen based on both the Q‐sorting and the interviews. The four factors identified were responsible and perseverant, motivated but aware of obstacles, social minded and knowledgeable and concerned and insecure. Conclusion: Q‐methodology can be used to determine the different attitudes that caregivers have regarding oral health care. Developing a tool to determine into which factor caregivers should be categorised may be the next step in tailoring oral health instruction. (Edited publisher abstract)