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Staff Perception of Aggressive Behaviour in Community Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

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Abstract

Experiencing aggressive behaviour has been associated with increased stress and turnover among staff who support adults with intellectual disabilities. Incident perception is a strong predictor of psychological outcomes after trauma but has not been studied in this staff group. This study clustered exposure to aggression and endorsement of emotional difficulties among 386 community residential group home staff and evaluated the contribution of four behavioural topographies to staff-rated perceived severity. Staff exposure varied considerably. Perceived severity correlated with subjective emotional difficulties. High perceived severity was associated with daily exposure, aggression towards others causing injury, and property aggression causing injury or damage. Therefore, the role the staff plays, whether a witness or target, may impact their experience.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the direct support staff members from the province of Ontario who responded to the survey used in this study. We would also like to extend thanks to the agencies and individuals from the Ministry of Community and Social Services of Ontario who supported us in these research efforts. Dr. Dewa’s Applied CHIR/PHAC Chair supported this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Employment and Workplace Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Suite 300, 455 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON, M5S 2G8, Canada

    Jennifer M. Hensel & Carolyn S. Dewa

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jennifer M. Hensel, Yona Lunsky & Carolyn S. Dewa

  3. Dual Diagnosis Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Yona Lunsky

Authors
  1. Jennifer M. Hensel
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  2. Yona Lunsky
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  3. Carolyn S. Dewa
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Correspondence to Carolyn S. Dewa.

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Hensel, J.M., Lunsky, Y. & Dewa, C.S. Staff Perception of Aggressive Behaviour in Community Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Community Ment Health J 50, 743–751 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9636-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9636-0

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