Antecedents of Problem Behaviour of People with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

The study examined associations reported by carers between problem behaviour of 92 adults with intellectual disability and 169 antecedent events, which were either environmental situations or prior behaviours of the client. Factor analyses were used to identify groupings of antecedents, providing a basis for constructing 19 sets of antecedents of problem behaviours. Assessments were made of the psychometric properties of these sets of items or scales. Of the 19 scales, 18 were associated with an increased likelihood of problem behaviour, showing that carers reported that the problem behaviours of this sample occurred in a wide range of defined situations. The preliminary analysis suggests that the scales may be useful for inquiring more systematically about antecedents, for developing descriptions of situations where problems occur, and for identifying situations that warrant further analysis in individual cases.