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Building psychological resilience in support staff caring for people with intellectual disabilities: pilot evaluation of an acceptance-based intervention
- Authors:
- NOONE Stephen J., HASTINGS Richard P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 13(1), March 2009, pp.43-53.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Support staff in intellectual disability services may experience significant work-related stress. The aim of the present study was to pilot an intervention called the Promotion of Acceptance in Carers and Teachers (PACT). Fourteen staff provided data on work stress and general wellbeing before and after attending PACT workshops over 1.5 days. A waiting list control subgroup of six staff also completed measures over a 6 week period. Support staff distress reduced significantly from pre-intervention to follow-up, whereas their reports of work-related stressors increased slightly. Psychological wellbeing and work stress did not change over time in the waiting list sample. Although the study is not tightly controlled, these pilot data suggest that the PACT may have a beneficial effect on staff wellbeing whilst not necessarily directly reducing experience of work stress. Thus, the PACT shows promise as a means of developing psychological resilience in support staff.
Impact of a 3-day training course on challenging behaviour on staff cognitive and emotional responses
- Authors:
- TIERNEY Edel, QUINLAND Dave, HASTINGS Richard P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(1), January 2007, pp.58-63.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A range of factors have been suggested as determinants of staff behaviour in the context of working with people with challenging behaviour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a typical challenging behaviour staff training course had an effect on staff feelings of efficacy, their negative emotional reactions to challenging behaviour, and their causal beliefs. Forty-eight staff from intellectual disability organisations in the Health Service Executive Southern Region in Ireland attending a 3-day training course on understanding challenging behaviour and managing stress were assessed pre-training and at a 3-month follow-up. Questionnaires assessing self-efficacy, emotional reactions and causal beliefs were used. Perceived self-efficacy in dealing with challenging behaviours increased significantly from pre- to post-training. There were no significant changes in either emotional reactions to challenging behaviours or causal beliefs. In common with previous research, there was a sizeable impact on staff confidence and efficacy after a 3-day training course. Given the potential significance of emotional reactions both in terms of staff behaviour and their psychological well-being at work, more research is needed to explore how these reactions might best be dealt with in staff training interventions.
Understanding factors that influence staff responses to challenging behaviours: an exploratory interview study
- Author:
- HASTINGS Richard P.
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Handicap Research, 8(4), 1995, pp.296-320.
- Publisher:
- BIMH Publications
Staff beliefs about challenging behaviours, and their perception of their working environment, are important for two main reasons. Firstly, the manner in which staff define challenging behaviour affects who is labelled as a challenge, and who is referred to specialist services. Secondly, staff views of their working environment may help us to understand why staff interact with people with learning disabilities in apparently counter-habilitative ways outlined in previous research. These issues were investigated in a systematic semi-structured interview of care staff. These findings, and their implications for research and practice, are discussed.
Staff behaviour and its implications for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours
- Authors:
- HASTINGS Richard P., REMINGTON Bob
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33(4), November 1994, pp.423-438.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Reviews the research literature on the behaviour of staff, especially in relation to interactions with people with challenging behaviours. Finds empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that staff actions affect clients' challenging behaviours. In addition, studies of staff behaviour show that their behaviour is often counter-habilitative. Firstly, staff spend little time interacting with clients and the quality of these interactions is often poor. Secondly, observational studies have shown that staff respond intermittently to challenging behaviours, and self-report studies indicate that many of these responses are of a nature that may reinforce such behaviours. Finally, evidence suggests that behavioural programmes for clients with challenging behaviours are rare and where they do exist they are often not carried out by staff.