Adapting the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) for use in Forensic Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) Services

Bell, Natalie (2022) Adapting the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) for use in Forensic Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) Services. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

Social climate is a crucial aspect of the treatment environment in forensic settings. However, the majority of social climate questionnaires have limited evidence to support their reliability and validity in Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) populations. Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding the suitability of using these non-IDD specific questionnaires with IDD populations. Consequently, understanding of the social climate of forensic IDD settings remains limited. This thesis aimed to develop a pilot version of the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) for individuals with IDD. The perspectives of 80 staff working in forensic IDD settings were sought via an online questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups to develop an understanding of the difficulties that individuals with IDD may experience when completing the EssenCES, and to establish how the questionnaire could be amended to improve its suitability for this specialist population. Participants highlighted potential difficulties and made suggestions for amendments in the areas of the layout, linguistic content and response format of the EssenCES, along with drawing attention to ways in which the administration of the questionnaire could be improved. This feedback was used to develop the initial pilot version of the EssenCES for individuals with IDD (the EssenCES-IDD). Six individuals with IDD from one UK prison wing participated in individual interviews and seven staff members participated in focus groups to provide feedback on the initial pilot version of the EssenCES-IDD. A specialist Speech and Language Therapist and two social climate experts also provided free-text qualitative feedback. Following this, further adaptations(in terms of the layout, time-frame, cover sheets, linguistic content, response format, and administration)were made and the updated pilot version of the EssenCES-IDD was developed. Findings indicated that the current version of the EssenCES is not suitable for use in IDD populations and that a specifically adapted version is required. The EssenCES-IDD has the potential to measure social climate of IDD settings in a more accurate and reliable way, and to further develop understanding of IDD social climate and its relationship with other clinical and organisational outcomes. The addition of gathering qualitative feedback is likely to enable social climate data to be utilised in a more clinically meaningful way. It is envisaged that the EssenCES-IDD will lead to significant developments in terms of IDD social climate research; resulting in services developing ways in which to promote a more positive social climate and ultimately enhancing rehabilitative outcomes for offenders with IDD.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:
DateEvent
August 2021Submitted
21 February 2022Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords: Social climate, intellectual development disorder, EssenCES
Subjects: CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-01 - psychology (non-specific)
Divisions: Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection
Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences > Dept. Psychology
Depositing User: Jaycie Carter
Date Deposited: 27 Jul 2022 11:10
Last Modified: 27 Jul 2022 11:10
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/13440

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