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Aggressive behavior of the mentally challenged person with disabilities in social care institutions.
ZEMANOVÁ, Martina
In Czech Republic, there is still paid just a little attention to aggressive behaviour of people with mental disability. There has appeared a significant development of providing social services since 2007. Services are transformed, and they are gradually moving from restrictive measures to support and to preventive procedures focused on the approach to clients. The first chapter examines the characteristics of mental disability. The second chapter describes social services according to the Law 108/2006 Coll. on social services, and it defines the service Home for People with Health Disabilities. In the third chapter I write about offending behavior, mostly about aggression, its causes, course, control, prevention and possibilities of therapies. The fourth chapter describes the importance of communication as a prevention of aggression. I dedicate the fifth chapter to the education of staff working in social services. Another topic in this chapter is the supervision as the assistance and support for staff working with people with mental disabilities and controlling the aggressive behavior. In the last chapter of the theoretical part I describe restrictive measures, which are follow up procedures when dealing with the aggression. The practical part is processed in the form of qualitative research, method of questioning and by using the technique of the semistructured interview. The research sample were employees working in the direct care, which had worked there for at least five years. Interviews with selected respondents took place from December 2012 to February 2013. The objective of this research was to find out what awareness the employees had of causes of the aggressive behavior, prevention and restriction. The recorded evidence indicates that all responding staff encountered the aggressive behavior of a person with mental disability and they perceived it as offending. They described the aggression as physical or verbal attacks against other person or property. Demonstration of the aggressive behavior is also auto-aggression. Is there any possibility of avoiding the aggressive behavior? All respondents agreed that the cause of aggressive behavior of people with mental disabilities were unfulfilled basic human needs. What concerns the role of the staff in preventing the aggression, all respondents think, that therapy, employment of clients and the appropriate communication, which shall be adapted individually, play very important role. All respondents perceive the supervision, which is helpful at their work, as a prevention. Similarly, the same is the education, which is mandatory for them by the law. What are the restrictive measures? All respondents answered that they were instruments, which limited human mobility. They also demonstrated knowledge of their use. Respondents did not mention in the interview abou the fact, that these measures may be used only for strictly necessary period. It is necessary to indicate this fact in the report on the application of restrictive measures, which, as all respondents had indicated, they filled in. That is why they think that, at its essence, they know this information. Another thing they did not mention was to inform the client himself, that restrictive measures will be used against him. I address this to possible stress during interviews on this subject. Overall, I would say that the staff know the aggressive behavior in people with mental disabilities. Likewise they know what causes aggression, how it can be prevented andwhat are the follow-up procedures if the aggressive behavior of the client occurs.
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