Psychological well-being of staff working with people who have challenging behaviour

The present survey explored stress in direct-care staff working with people who have learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. A total of 78 (82.7% response rate) staff working in 14 small community houses participated. Houses were selected on the basis of 'expert' (Head of Psychology Services) knowledge of houses where residents were known to display challenging behaviour and houses where there was no known history of challenging behaviour. Residents were assessed by key workers for adaptive behaviour, challenging behaviour and mental health using partially validated questionnaires. Staff completed self-report questionnaires on job demands, anxiety and depression, staff support, and information on the presence/absence of challenging behaviour in their home. Staff working in houses with residents who showed challenging behaviour were significantly more anxious than staff working in houses with no challenging behaviour; they also reported feeling significantly less supported, were less clear about the identification of risk situations and had lower job satisfaction. No differences were found on measures of job demands and depression. Regression analyses exploring the relationships between these variables are discussed along with the implications of the findings.