This work was supported by a grant from Shalem Fund
The present study examined the contribution of personal characteristics (self-efficacy and locus of control) and organizational characteristics (type of residential setting, prevalence of abuse, ethical conflicts arising from conflicting obligations, and perceived organizational support) to staff members’ perceived ability to act in accordance with their obligations toward residents in residential settings for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The findings provided partial support for the research hypotheses. The likelihood of moral action was lower in institutions compared to community-based residential settings. In addition, perceived organizational support emerged as a positive and significant predictor of moral action. These findings highlight the importance of organizational conditions in shaping moral action. Altogether, the study variables accounted for 3.9% of the variance in moral action. Thus, while the examined variables contribute to understanding the phenomenon, they do not fully capture its complexity
Keywords: intellectual and developmental disability; out-of-home residential settings; moral action; abuse and mistreatment