The Psychological Impact of Violence on Staff Working with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Background Staff in intellectual disability services can experience high levels of violence, which may lead to burnout. Staff burnout may result in poorer quality services. Previous research has suggested that factors such as fear of violence, self-efficacy and staff support moderate the impact of violence on burnout. Aims The research explores the relationship between levels of violence, with fear of violence, self-efficacy, staff support and burnout. Method A survey exploring levels of violence, fear of violence, burnout, self-efficacy and staff support was completed by 44 care staff in a medium-secure setting with a high incidence of violence, and 38 care staff in community settings with a low incidence of violence. Results Medium-secure staff reported significantly lower fear of violence and higher self-efficacy compared with community staff. Increased burnout significantly correlated with increased perceived exposure to physical violence and reduced staff support. Self-efficacy demonstrated a significant moderator relationship with levels of violence and burnout. Higher threats of violence significantly correlated with lower fear of violence. Conclusion Services which are organized to manage violence may be better placed to support staff experiencing violence. Fear of violence may decrease with exposure to violence, perhaps due to increased self-efficacy. Training and support for staff may increase self-efficacy, thus reducing burnout. Longitudinal research is needed to increase understanding of the relationship between violence and burnout.