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Practitioners Who Work with Parents with Intellectual Disability: Stress, Coping and Training Needs
Author(s) -
Clayton Olivia,
Chester Andrea,
Mildon Robyn,
Matthews Jan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2008.00444.x
Subject(s) - stressor , workload , intellectual disability , psychology , challenging behaviour , coping (psychology) , psychological intervention , demographics , mental health , scale (ratio) , clinical psychology , nursing , medical education , applied psychology , medicine , psychiatry , demography , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology , computer science , operating system
Background Challenges for practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability arise from several sources. The purpose of the current study was to identify the stressors experienced by practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability in Australia, investigate coping strategies and explore training needs so as to inform professional development for this group. Materials and Methods Fifty‐eight, predominantly female Australian practitioners, completed a questionnaire, which included a demographics section and training questions (developed specifically for this study), in addition to the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Brief COPE. Results The main stressors experienced by practitioners were workload, client‐related difficulties and organizational structure and processes. Although practitioners indicated that they required additional training in 15 areas, one area was highlighted as particularly important, that is, tailoring interventions to individual parent needs and goals. Conclusions It is suggested that managers, service planners, educators and professionals involved in stress reduction be aware that this area may be the focal point of future training of practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability.