Psychosocial Working Conditions in Specialized Disability Services

This study examines psychosocial working conditions in specialized residential facilities for people with intellectual and/or psychiatric disabilities and severe challenging behaviour in Lower Austria, Austria. These facilities support individuals whose aggressive, self-injurious, or otherwise high-risk behaviours cannot be adequately managed in regular care settings. Staff in these environments are therefore regularly confronted with complex and potentially demanding situations. Rather than treating challenging behaviour as an isolated stressor, the study conceptualizes exposure to such behaviour within a broader framework of psychosocial working conditions, drawing on the Demand–Control–Support (DCS) model. The central assumption is that exposure to challenging behaviour unfolds within a wider work environment in which perceived job demands and available job resources jointly shape the well-being of direct support professionals (DSP). Using a cross-sectional survey design, data will be collected from staff members across specialized facilities in Lower Austria. Standardized instruments (COPSOQ III and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory) will assess job demands, job resources, burnout risk, and positive work-related outcomes. In addition, a structured measure of exposure to challenging behaviour has been adapted for this specific context. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) will be applied to examine the interrelations between exposure, psychosocial working conditions, and well-being. The study aims to provide a differentiated understanding of both strain-related and positive aspects of work in high-demand disability services. Specifically, it seeks to identify modifiable psychosocial factors associated with reduced burnout risk and enhanced positive work-related outcomes. By distinguishing between structural characteristics of the client population and organizationally influenceable working conditions, the study intends to derive empirically grounded recommendations for occupational health promotion and evidence-based organizational development within specialized disability services.