Rp. Hastings et al., EXPERIENCED AND INEXPERIENCED HEALTH-CARE WORKERS BELIEFS ABOUT CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS, JIDR. Journal of intellectual disability research, 39, 1995, pp. 474-483
Within a behavioural framework, staff responses to challenging behavio
urs have been identified as likely to ensure the long-term maintenance
of such behaviour. However, little has been done to understand why st
aff behave as they do. The present paper hypothesized that staffs beli
efs about the causes of challenging behaviours may be an important fac
tor in determining staff responses to it. Beliefs about causes of thre
e topographies of challenging behaviour (self-injury, stereotypy and a
ggression) were elicited from 148 experienced and 98 inexperienced ins
titutional staff and nursing students using a questionnaire measure. R
esults showed that experienced participants held beliefs that were mor
e consistent with contemporary theories of challenging behaviours than
inexperienced participants. Experienced participants also distinguish
ed between the behaviours in terms of their causes. These data were in
terpreted as reflecting a 'needs-based' rather than a 'functional' app
roach to intervention for challenging behaviours. Implications for sta
ff training, community living and future research on staff behaviour w
ere briefly considered.