Staff perception of aggressive behaviour in community services for adults with intellectual disabilities.
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.
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.hensel@mail.utoronto.ca.
Jennifer M
JM
Hensel
Yona
Y
Lunsky
Carolyn S
CS
Dewa
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*