The relationship between family variables and challenging behaviour.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The relationship between expressed emotion and causal attribution in mothers caring for an adult with an intellectual disability and behaviours that challenge.
IRAS ID
249854
Contact name
Monja Knoll
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Currently, over 34% of adults with an intellectual disability (ID) continue to live at home with their families, long after most sons and daughters do (Scottish Government, 2015). Research has shown that families caring for someone with an ID and behaviours that challenge (behaviour that puts the person or those around them at risk or leads to an impaired quality of life) are more likely to experience increased stress and mental health problems, compared to families who do not care for someone with an ID and behaviours that challenge. Research relating to families of people with a psychiatric condition, such as schizophrenia, also experience increased stress and burnout, which can lead to them becoming more critical (known as ‘expressed emotion’) of their relative. This can also lead to them believing that their relative is more responsible for his or her behaviour, rather than seeing their behaviour as a consequence of their illness. Research has begun to investigate the relationship between expressed emotion and explanations for behaviour with mothers of children and infants with an ID and behaviours that challenge, with some research suggesting that this may increase the frequency and severity of the behaviour.
Research exploring this relationship in mothers of adults (aged 18 or over) with an ID and behaviours that challenge is still little understood.
This study will consist of one brief audiotaped conversation and 3 self-report questionnaires taking approximately one hour 30 minutes to complete. Participants will be recruited through NHS and 3rd Sector organisations. The data will be analysed using statistical software. Ethical approval will be sought from the NHS and University of Edinburgh. The results of the study will be available to participants on request and written up as a Doctorate research project. Data will also be written up for publication in a peer reviewed journal.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
18/ES/0135
Date of REC Opinion
5 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion