A comparison of practices, attitudes and interactions in two established units for people with a psychiatric disability

Abstract

SynopsisThis study evaluates and compares aspects of residential care in a community hostel setting and a hospital setting for people with a psychiatric disability. The clients were assessed to establish their level of general functioning, the comparison indicating there was no significant difference between the two groups on the measure used. A previously published protocol was used as a method of comparing the units. The findings indicated that the hospital unit was more individually orientated both in practices and staff attitudes, and had staff who were more optimistic about clients' potential accomplishments. No differences were found between perceived involvement of staff in decision making, or staff–resident interactions.These findings have implications for the ‘Care in the Community’ movement, as they indicate that the nature of a service is as important as its location. They suggest that the relocation of services to the community in itself will not automatically overcome some of the difficulties associated with institutional care.

The relationship between staff burnout/distress and interactions with residents in two residential homes for older people

“…The mean emotional exhaustion score was 16.3 (average burnout), the mean depersonalization score was 1.78 (low burnout) and the mean personal accomplishment score was 36.9 (average burnout). The mean PIPQ score was 11.2 (SD 4.80), which is comparable to the scores found in a study of two residential units for adults with long-standing mental health problems (Allen et al, 1989).…”

“…Sta are asked how far they agree with each statement on a scale of 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree); these scores are then added to give a total possible score range of 0±24, with a high score re¯ecting low levels of perceived involvement in decision-making. This measure has been reworded for a non-hospital setting (Allen et al, 1989). Little is known about the psychometric properties of this measure.…”

Care staff responses to people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour: A cognitive—emotional analysis

“…Higher scores indicated greater optimism. This scale was derived from the optimism-pessimism scale used by Sharrock et al (1990); this itself had been derived from work by Garety & Morris (1984), Moores & Grant (1976) and Allen, Gillespie & Hall (1989). 4.…”

Staff in services for people with intellectual disabilities: the impact of stress on attributions of challenging behaviour

“…Dagnan et al 1998). This scale was derived from Sharrock et al (1990), which was derived from Moores & Grant (1976), Garety & Morris (1984) and Allen et al (1989), and higher scores indicated higher optimism.…”