Rights statement: This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Accepted author manuscript, 459 KB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - An audit of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability settings in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - McMahon, M.
AU - Hatton, C.
AU - Stansfield, J.
AU - Cockayne, G.
N1 - This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
PY - 2020/12/1
Y1 - 2020/12/1
N2 - Purpose: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Individuals with intellectual disability are at a disproportionate risk of mortality, given the health inequalities they experience. This puts a significant burden of responsibility on staff who support these individuals. Consequently, this study aims to establish a baseline of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability services in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was carried out using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a brief measure of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and a brief measure of anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7). Findings: In total, 285 staff in the Republic of Ireland completed the survey. These staff reported moderate levels of personal and work-related burnout and mild levels of anxiety and depression. Higher mean scores were recorded across scales from staff who worked in independent living settings and from staff who supported individuals with challenging behaviour. Originality/value: This study, an audit, provides initial data on the well-being of staff working with individuals with intellectual disability in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights that employers need to consider staff well-being, given the levels of personal and work-related burnout, and anxiety and depression that were found. This is particularly true for staff who work in independent living settings and with adults with challenging behaviour. Future research should focus on proactive strategies for improving staff well-being in the short term, given the current resurgence of COVID-19 in Ireland. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
AB - Purpose: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Individuals with intellectual disability are at a disproportionate risk of mortality, given the health inequalities they experience. This puts a significant burden of responsibility on staff who support these individuals. Consequently, this study aims to establish a baseline of the well-being of staff working in intellectual disability services in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was carried out using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a brief measure of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and a brief measure of anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7). Findings: In total, 285 staff in the Republic of Ireland completed the survey. These staff reported moderate levels of personal and work-related burnout and mild levels of anxiety and depression. Higher mean scores were recorded across scales from staff who worked in independent living settings and from staff who supported individuals with challenging behaviour. Originality/value: This study, an audit, provides initial data on the well-being of staff working with individuals with intellectual disability in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights that employers need to consider staff well-being, given the levels of personal and work-related burnout, and anxiety and depression that were found. This is particularly true for staff who work in independent living settings and with adults with challenging behaviour. Future research should focus on proactive strategies for improving staff well-being in the short term, given the current resurgence of COVID-19 in Ireland. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
KW - Audit
KW - Burnout
KW - COVID-19
KW - Intellectual disability
KW - Ireland
KW - Staff
U2 - 10.1108/TLDR-09-2020-0027
DO - 10.1108/TLDR-09-2020-0027
M3 - Journal article
VL - 25
SP - 237
EP - 246
JO - Tizard Learning Disability Review
JF - Tizard Learning Disability Review
SN - 1359-5474
IS - 4
ER -