What's the problem? Recruitment to intellectual disability psychology: A quantitative study.

This article investigates factors influencing trainee clinical psychologists' likelihood of choosing to work in Intellectual Disability (ID) services after qualification, addressing ongoing recruitment challenges despite increased training places. Using survey data from UK trainees, the study found that more positive attitudes toward people with ID significantly predicted a higher self-reported likelihood of working in ID services, while prior ID experience and core placements showed trends but did not reach statistical significance. The research highlights the importance of promoting positive views and reducing stigma about working with people with ID, suggesting that exposure and education—potentially beginning before doctoral training—may improve recruitment into this specialty. Limitations include the novel, not fully validated attitude survey and potential sample representativeness issues, indicating a need for further research on implicit attitudes, quality of experience, and post-qualification career choices.