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Background Care staff are an important source of information and support for people with intellectual disabilities following bereavement. The purpose of this study was to explore staff perceptions of service users’ conceptualizations of death, reactions to bereavement, required levels of support and staff confidence in providing post-bereavement support. Method Forty-two staff rated individuals with intellectual disabilities with whom they worked on a regular basis. Results In general, staff believed that service users had a good concept of death, though staff tended to overestimate levels of understanding and possibly underestimate the potential for dysfunctional behaviour post-bereavement. Although staff expressed confidence in their ability to recognize grief symptoms, they were less confident in their ability to provide post-bereavement support. Conclusions The overall picture was positive with good agreement between staff, though ensuring that staff consider the potential for psychopathology following bereavement is important in providing support. The implications for staff training and post-bereavement support are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of bereavement on people with learning disability. Twenty adults with learning disabilities who had experienced the death of a primary caregiver in the previous 2 years were compared with a matched control group on measures of psychiatric disturbance and challenging behaviour. With regard to psychiatric disturbance, significant differences were found for ‘neurotic disorder’ and for ‘organic condition’ among the bereaved group on the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD). No difference was found for ‘psychotic disorder’ on the PAS-ADD. As regards challenging behaviour, significant differences were found for ‘irritability’, ‘lethargy’ and ‘hyperactivity’ among the bereaved group on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). No differences were found for ‘stereotypy’ or ‘inappropriate speech’ on the ABC. The clinical implications of these findings are outlined, and recommendations for supporting people with learning disabilities who experience bereavement are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]