Staff attitudes that impede the implementation of behavioral treatment programs.
Burned, unsupported staff fight behavior plans, while seasoned, backed staff push them forward.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Corrigan et al. (1998) mailed a survey to human-service staff. They asked how tired, supported, and experienced workers felt. Then they asked how much each worker liked behavior-analytic plans.
The team drew arrows in a path diagram. Burnout and low coworker support pointed to negative views. Years on the job pointed to positive views.
What they found
Burnout and feeling alone at work predicted dislike of behavior programs. More hands-on experience predicted liking the same programs.
In short, tired, unsupported staff resist treatment. Veteran staff welcome it.
How this fits with other research
Bottini et al. (2020) repeated the survey with 149 autism direct-care staff. They found heavy workload and unfair rewards drive burnout. The 1998 pattern holds: poor workplace conditions poison attitudes.
Paris et al. (2021) added a new piece. They showed low psychological flexibility fuels burnout in special-ed staff. The 1998 burnout link is still true, but we now know mindset matters too.
Moliner et al. (2017) linked the same burnout to lower family satisfaction. Staff negativity does not stay inside the break room; it reaches the people served.
Konstantinidou et al. (2023) looked at dozens of training studies. Staff training plus organizational fixes change staff acts, yet only one study showed real gains for clients. The 1998 warning is still live: attitude without system change is not enough.
Why it matters
You can run perfect BST, but a burned-out aide will still drift or sabotage. Use quick burnout checks, lighten unfair loads, and pair rookies with upbeat veterans. Fix the workplace first; the program will follow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Staff who have negative attitudes about behavioral treatments are less likely to implement them. Previous research suggests that negative attitudes are associated with staff burnout and perceived collegial support. A path analysis is conducted in this study to determine the direction of these effects. Ninety staff members who work in treatment programs for severely mentally ill adults completed measures of attitudes about behavior therapy, experience with behavior therapy, burnout, and collegial support. Results of the path analysis yielded a model with good fit that confirmed our hypotheses; namely, burnout leads to negative attitudes and experience with behavior therapy yields positive attitudes. Insufficient collegial support leads to negative attitudes through burnout. Implications of these findings for improving the use of behavior treatments in real-world programs are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1998 · doi:10.1177/01454455980224006