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‘It's One of the Hardest Jobs in the World’: The Experience and Understanding of Qualified Nurses Who Work with Individuals Diagnosed with Both Learning Disability and Personality Disorder
Author(s) -
Lee Amy,
Kiemle Gundi
Publication year - 2015
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/jar.12125
Subject(s) - ambivalence , intellectual disability , psychology , interpretative phenomenological analysis , learning disability , psychological resilience , personality , narrative , work (physics) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , qualitative research , sociology , engineering , social science , linguistics , philosophy , mechanical engineering
Background This study examines the experiences of qualified nurses working with individuals diagnosed with both intellectual disability and personality disorder ( PD ) in a medium‐secure forensic intellectual disability setting. Potential training needs are highlighted, as well as other ways in which services could better support staff to work effectively with this client group. Method In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were used to explore the nine participants’ experiences; the narratives were analysed with interpretative phenomenological analysis ( IPA ). Results Four master themes emerged from (i) disorder overriding disability; (ii) resilience; (iii) ambivalence towards label and (iv) knowledge. Conclusion The findings highlight that for these participants, the clients' intellectual disability appeared to be lost under the complexity of the PD diagnosis. The clinical implications are discussed in terms of developing training, supervision and support.