Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The current study investigated the organizational and individual factors that promote retention for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who work with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) in residential or community-based settings across a Midwestern state. Twenty-seven DSPs completed qualitative and quantitative measures by responding to open-ended interview questions and supplying background information and ratings indicating their desires to stay or leave their current organizations and reasons for doing so. Content analysis was used to interpret the qualitative data and descriptive statistics, t-tests and Chi-square analyses were used to examine the quantitative data. Factors were conceptualized under three categories: (1) Intrinsic Factors, (2) Extrinsic Factors, and 3) Individual Factors. This organizational framework for DSPs is similar to retention models for other direct care workers (e.g., Ellenbecker, 2004; Li, 2007; Warburton et al., 2014). Some factors DSPs endorsed were similar to direct care workers generally, e.g., personality traits such as being loving or empathetic towards clients, having strong communication with coworkers and supervisors, and valuing the flexibility and benefits they receive on the job, whereas other factors appeared to be relatively unique to staff working with adults with ID/DD, e.g., seeing progress and change in their clients and feeling love and appreciation from clients. When the reasons DSPs stay (e.g., relationships with clients, flexibility in their schedules) and leave their jobs (e.g., financial constraints, viewing the job as temporary) were compared, they appeared to differ, but more research is warranted. Further research is also needed to examine whether the factors promoting retention for DSPs may differ based on age and on the settings in which DSPs work. Suggestions for ways to improve recruitment, retention, and training efforts for DSPs are highlighted, and the implications of the current findings are discussed.

There is little research on the coping strategies of direct support professional caregivers working with the intellectually disabled (ID) and developmentally disabled (DD). The study was guided by Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) theory of the transactional model of stress and coping. The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is a correlation among the independent variables of coping and personality characteristics with stress as the dependent variable. A convenience sample of 69 professional caregivers was used. Data were collected using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, NEO-FFI-3, and a demographic questionnaire. A correlational analysis was conducted to assess the variables. Findings revealed a moderate correlation between confrontive coping and stress while the coping styles of distancing, self-controlling, and seeking social support were weakly correlated with stress. Additional results were a strong correlation between neuroticism and stress and a moderate correlation between conscientiousness and stress. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine if neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extroversion could predict stress. The analysis indicated that the variance in stress was predicted by neuroticism. Recommendations for future research include using a larger sample size, controlling for selection bias, and examining which coping styles are more useful in coping with stressful situations. A longitudinal design to examine cause and effect is also recommended. This study provides insight into the way professional caregivers cope with stress and the results can be used to develop a screening tool.

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Direct support professionals (DSPs) serve an important function in the daily supervision and care of clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) through standardization of technical, cognitive, and ethical competencies for all DSPs. It is not clear, however, how these DSPs and managers perceive the implementation process and utility of these competencies or whether implementation results in meeting the desired outcomes for clients. Using Donabedian's quality of care model as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative case study in New York State to understand how DSPs perceived the implementation of the DSP core competencies under the direction of front-line managers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 12 DSPs and front-line managers. Data were inductively coded then subject to Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedure. Findings revealed that DSPs and front-line managers implemented the core competencies inconsistently because of organizational perceptions and experiences. The implications for social change stemming from this study includes recommendations to the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals to add a practicum component to the core competencies training which may benefit people living in community residential group homes diagnosed with ID/DD through hands-on approach training that would allow full implementation of the DSP core competencies in various, every day real life situations.