Capturing Staff Perspectives on Quality Interaction With Clients With Intellectual Disability: A Diary Study

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Psychology
• Social Work

Background:

• Support staff are key interaction partners for individuals with severe or profound intellectual disability (ID).
• While interaction quality is studied, the staff perspective is often overlooked.
• Understanding staff experiences is vital for improving support services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of support staff during client interactions.
• To identify staff perceptions of quality in these interactions.
• To uncover the core dimensions defining quality interactions from the staff viewpoint.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four support staff participated in a 5-day diary study.
• Each staff member documented a daily interaction with a specific client.
• Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the diary entries.

Main Results:

• Diary entries revealed diverse staff behaviors and thoughts.
• Staff reported a range of emotions, both positive and negative.
• Harmonization and Return emerged as central dimensions of quality interaction for staff.

Conclusions:

• Staff views on quality interactions are shaped by the pursuit of Harmonization and the experience of Return.
• This study highlights the importance of the staff perspective in understanding interaction quality.
• Further research is needed to explore these dimensions and inform support practices.