title: The analysis of challenging relations: influences on interactive behaviour of staff towards clients with intellectual disabilities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Relationships between support staff and clients with intellectual disability (ID) are important for quality of care, especially when dealing with challenging behaviour. Building upon an interpersonal model, this study investigates the influence of client challenging behaviour, staff attitude and staff emotional intelligence on interactive behaviour of one of these relationship partners, being support staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 158 support staff members completed a questionnaire on staff interactive behaviour for 158 clients with ID and challenging behaviour, as well as two questionnaires on staff interpersonal attitude and emotional intelligence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Confronted with challenging behaviour as opposed to no challenging behaviour, staff reported less friendly, more assertive control and less support-seeking interpersonal behaviour. Also, staff used more proactive thinking and more self-reflection in dealing with challenging behaviour. Staff interpersonal attitude in general, mainly a harsh-dominant-resentful attitude, had a significant influence on most staff interactive behaviours towards an individual client with challenging behaviour. The influence of staff emotional intelligence, specifically intrapersonal abilities, on staff interactive behaviour towards an individual client with challenging behaviour was somewhat limited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research supports the necessity for training staff in general interpersonal attitudes towards clients as well as training in intrapersonal emotional intelligence, when confronted with challenging behaviour. Future research should focus more on the bidirectional dynamics of staff and client interactions.
authors.affiliation: MFCG, Multi-Disciplinary Centre for Dual Disabilities, Koraal groep, Heel, the Netherlands; Tranzo, Scientific Center for Care and Welfare & Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: A P A M
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: P J C M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Embregts
authors.forename: A M T
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bosman
authors.forename: A H C
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hendriks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000451:nursing*; D056348:Emotional Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000451:nursing*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: challenging behaviour; emotional intelligence; intellectual disabilities; interpersonal model; interpersonal staff behaviour; staff attitude