Experiences and needs of direct support staff working with people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A thematic analysis.
Petri J C M Embregts, Tess Tournier, Noud Frielink
PMID 32954585WHAT IT FOUND
Direct support staff described profound fear of infecting their own families while working without protective equipment.
They faced intense time pressure covering day services and felt invisible compared to hospital staff. However, they valued team connectedness and appreciated when managers or psychologists proactively checked in on their well-being.
Key findings
01Staff feared unknowingly carrying the virus home to their families because protective equipment was only provided for confirmed cases, despite the long incubation period.
02Time pressure was severe as staff covered day activities and extra shifts due to shortages, leading many to work in their own unpaid time to manage coordination tasks.
03Staff felt a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty, but also frustration and disappointment at being overlooked by the government and media compared to hospital healthcare workers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (11 participants), limiting the generalisability of the findings. Participants were recruited from only five services in the Netherlands during the first lockdown, so experiences may differ in other countries or later pandemic phases. Data was collected via self-recorded audio messages, which prevented researchers from asking follow-up questions to clarify ambiguous points. The study did not analyse differences based on age, gender, or job experience due to the small sample size.
Declared interests
The authors declare not to have any conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that direct support staff are resilient or that their current workload is sustainable. The reported 'positive' team collaboration was conditional on low staffing gaps, and the high sense of responsibility led to unpaid work and burnout risks, not well-being.