Expressed Emotion and Attributions in Paid Dementia Care Staff Regarding Behaviour that Challenges.

Lowen, Christine (2014) Expressed Emotion and Attributions in Paid Dementia Care Staff Regarding Behaviour that Challenges. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Aims
This project examined expressed emotion (EE) in paid dementia care staff, determining the proportion who expressed high EE and investigating whether high EE was more likely when the client displayed challenging behaviours (CB). The attributions made by staff regarding CBs and whether these were related to the construct of EE were investigated. The behaviour which staff rated as most challenging was identified.
Methodology
This project used a within subjects design, obtaining quantitative data from 47 staff participants. Each participant was asked to identify a client who displayed CB and one who did not. Participants completed a Five Minute Speech Sample, Modified Attributional Questionnaire and Challenging Behaviour Scale for each client.
Results
Overall 89.4% of staff participants expressed high levels of EE in at least one of their Five Minute Speech Samples. Significantly more staff displayed high EE in relation to clients with CB than without CB. More critical comments were made in relation to clients with CB, whilst significantly more positive remarks were made in relation to clients without CB. Participants rated the behaviours displayed by challenging clients as significantly more specific to them, whilst behaviours of the non-challenging group were rated as more controllable by staff. Positive remarks and perceptions of control by staff had a significant positive relationship. The behaviour rated by staff as most challenging was physical aggression.

Conclusions
The proportion of staff who displayed high EE in this study was higher than rates found to date in studies with family caregivers of people with dementia. This study did not provide support for the attributional theory of EE. The results are considered to be consistent with the state theory of EE and the stress-vulnerability model, and the context of the dominant philosophy of person centred dementia care is explored.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Users 7453 not found.
Date Deposited:	11 Jul 2014 12:23
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2014 12:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/49597
DOI:

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