Work stress in support staff working with people with an intellectual disability

Abstract

This thesis describes a series of studies that investigate support staff stress and burnout in intellectual disability services. The literature reports that staff in intellectual disability services are at risk of stress and burnout. A review of work stress theory applied in intellectual disability research indicated that little attention had been given to the role of staff positive perceptions and that there was a need to explore work stress theoretical relationships (Chapter 2).
In a qualitative content analysis, Study 1 (Chapter 3) explores perceptions of stress, coping and positive experiences in a group of support staff working with people intellectual disability and challenging behaviour. Staff describe aspects of working with people with challenging behaviour, the nature of the staff team and the way management supported them as stressful. Staff also identified positive experiences that were centred on the relationships they had with people with an intellectual disability and with the staff team they worked in. The staff team was also a key factor in helping staff cope with stress. Positive perceptions were further explored with work demands and measures of burnout and mental health in Study 2 (Chapter 4). Findings verify staff positive perceptions and there are implications for staff well-being which are discussed. A more traditional work stress perspective is taken in Study 3 (Chapter 5). Theoretically derived relationships for coping and support, in the relationship between work demands and burnout, are explored in a quantitative survey of support staff. There are implications for the importance of coping as a mediator of work demands, the development of burnout in staff and for staff stress interventions. Findings from the studies are discussed with reference to methodological limitations and how exploration of four main themes of work demands, positive perceptions, support and coping
contributes to current theoretical understanding. Finally, some future theoretical developments are discussed (Chapter 6).

Date of Award	Jul 2008
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Supervisor	Richard Hastings (Supervisor) & Steve Noone (Supervisor)