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Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch Jan 2023

Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral injury (MI) can emerge following transgressive acts against one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Its symptomology involves individual psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social spheres. It has primarily been studied within the military and in a few select civilian populations. This descriptive phenomenological study involved exploring MI themes among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who had engaged in criminally reckless acts. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were coded and analyzed, leading to six major themes revealing the symptomology of MI. Responses from study participants supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance via their descriptions of alcohol abuse cycles …


Social Worker Perspectives Of Working With Aging African Americans With Depressive Disorders, Sherian Waite Jan 2023

Social Worker Perspectives Of Working With Aging African Americans With Depressive Disorders, Sherian Waite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although there is a greater proportion of people living with depressive disorders within the African American older adult population compared to their White counterparts, fewer African Americans are engaging in mental health treatment when compared to the Caucasian community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and practices of social workers who are providing mental health care treatment to African American older adult patients (aged 65 and over) living with a depressive disorder. The study was framed using both the health belief model and critical race theory. To address the research questions, a generic qualitative design …


Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot Jan 2023

Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout rates of correctional employees are higher than employees in the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify how occupational factors impact burnout rates among correctional mental health workers. Grounded in the job-demands theoretical model, this study compared burnout rates among mental health staff within county jails and state prisons. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Occupational factors were measured using the Areas of Work life Survey and Pandemic Experience and Perception Survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SSPS software to address multiple a priori directional research questions. Research questions considered how occupational factors …


Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings Jan 2023

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …


Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings Jan 2023

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …


Lived Experiences Of Non-Licensed African American Pastors Providing Counseling For Race-Related Mental Health Issues To Their Parishioners, Brian Sutton Jan 2023

Lived Experiences Of Non-Licensed African American Pastors Providing Counseling For Race-Related Mental Health Issues To Their Parishioners, Brian Sutton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is important to understand treatment practices of clergy members due to their influence on the treatment seeking behavior for professional counseling services among African American parishioners. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe African American pastors’ experiences of providing counseling for race-related mental health issues to their parishioners. The conceptual framework for this study was critical race theory. The research design included a descriptive phenomenological study with semi structured interviews with five non-licensed pastors and clergy members. The results of data analysis revealed three main themes and nine subthemes related to the participants’ experiences. The …


Effect Of Family Engagement On The Behavioral Health Of Mentally Ill Offenders, Jessica Rae Horn Jan 2023

Effect Of Family Engagement On The Behavioral Health Of Mentally Ill Offenders, Jessica Rae Horn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, 40% of incarcerated individuals have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but they often lack the support system needed to navigate their incarceration. This study addressed ways to understand how family engagement opportunities can improve the behavioral health of mentally ill offenders. Specifically, five research questions were used to explore the degree to which the practice of family engagement was understood as a method for providing support to mentally ill incarcerated individuals. The study followed the Baldrige Framework of Excellence to identify current organizational leadership and management issues that can help reach its goals, improve …


Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch Jan 2023

Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral injury (MI) can emerge following transgressive acts against one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Its symptomology involves individual psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social spheres. It has primarily been studied within the military and in a few select civilian populations. This descriptive phenomenological study involved exploring MI themes among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who had engaged in criminally reckless acts. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were coded and analyzed, leading to six major themes revealing the symptomology of MI. Responses from study participants supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance via their descriptions of alcohol abuse cycles …


Discipline Without Punishment For African American Male Juveniles: From The Eyes Of A Mental Health Professional, Mia Nichole Lee Jan 2023

Discipline Without Punishment For African American Male Juveniles: From The Eyes Of A Mental Health Professional, Mia Nichole Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration among African Americans are not equal and up to the standards and recommendations of society. This study focused on identifying the differences between the juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration punishment among African American offenders, with the goal of helping improve the way that the society looks at African Americans. The paper followed qualitative research methodology, which provided social evidence and helped in breaking down information. Data were collected from focus groups, observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The research highlights issues regarding juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration of African Americans, which can encourage change.


Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot Jan 2023

Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout rates of correctional employees are higher than employees in the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify how occupational factors impact burnout rates among correctional mental health workers. Grounded in the job-demands theoretical model, this study compared burnout rates among mental health staff within county jails and state prisons. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Occupational factors were measured using the Areas of Work life Survey and Pandemic Experience and Perception Survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SSPS software to address multiple a priori directional research questions. Research questions considered how occupational factors …


Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings Jan 2023

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …


Discipline Without Punishment For African American Male Juveniles: From The Eyes Of A Mental Health Professional, Mia Nichole Lee Jan 2023

Discipline Without Punishment For African American Male Juveniles: From The Eyes Of A Mental Health Professional, Mia Nichole Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration among African Americans are not equal and up to the standards and recommendations of society. This study focused on identifying the differences between the juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration punishment among African American offenders, with the goal of helping improve the way that the society looks at African Americans. The paper followed qualitative research methodology, which provided social evidence and helped in breaking down information. Data were collected from focus groups, observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The research highlights issues regarding juvenile rehabilitation and incarceration of African Americans, which can encourage change.


Stress And Coping Among Sud Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, Cynthia June Thomas Jan 2023

Stress And Coping Among Sud Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, Cynthia June Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Certified Peer Recovery Specialists (CPRSs) are individuals with lived experience in the successful recovery of substance use or mental health disorders. CPRSs provide services for individuals seeking or enrolled in substance use disorder (SUD) recovery, provide mentoring and coaching, service and resource connections and lead recovery groups but, the job of a CPRS can have beneficial and detrimental impacts on the CPRS’s personal recovery. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by Lazarus’s theory of coping and stress, was to determine whether there is (a) a relationship in stress and coping effectiveness among CPRSs, (b) a difference in the level …


The Correlation Between Laura’S Law And The Incarceration Of The Mentally Ill In A Southwestern State, Aaron Alarcon-Bowen Jan 2022

The Correlation Between Laura’S Law And The Incarceration Of The Mentally Ill In A Southwestern State, Aaron Alarcon-Bowen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Assisted outpatient treatment and involuntary outpatient treatment laws refer to the power of the court system to order community-based treatment without hospitalization to individuals with a mental illness diagnosis. Studies have linked these laws to a decrease in the use of incarceration among this population. The effectiveness of the assisted outpatient treatment law in a Southwestern state, known as Laura’s Law, has not been studied. With a theoretical foundation based on the social contract and multiple streams analysis theories, a quantitative, casual, comparative study using an independent t test was centered on determining whether the mean numbers of incarcerated individuals …


Generational-Cohorts And Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior Intentions In Law Enforcement Officers, Victoria Mccann Jan 2022

Generational-Cohorts And Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior Intentions In Law Enforcement Officers, Victoria Mccann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement is a high-stress, high-risk occupation that can lead to mental health issues. These issues can affect law enforcement officers and the level of service they provide to the public. Traditionally, officers have been found to be resistant to seeking help for their mental health. It was hypothesized that generational turnover may be impacting this positive change found in recent research. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effect of generational cohorts on officers' mental health help-seeking behaviors. The core concepts of the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitudes, subjective norms, internal perceived behavioral control, external perceived …


Officers' Perceived Safety After A Law Enforcement Line Of Duty Death, Crystal Baird Jan 2022

Officers' Perceived Safety After A Law Enforcement Line Of Duty Death, Crystal Baird

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every year, several line of duty deaths occur among law enforcement personnel in the United States. Risk factors, community influences, types of violence, and diverse calls for service could affect an officer’s perception of safety. Given the number of line of duty deaths, officers’ perceived safety is an important avenue for further research. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore whether a line of duty death affected the perceived safety of officers in small, rural police departments in the state of Texas. A social constructivism perspective was used to understand the world in which the participating officers …


The Longevity Of A Law Enforcement Career Post Critical Incident, Alyce E. Clark Jan 2022

The Longevity Of A Law Enforcement Career Post Critical Incident, Alyce E. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers experience traumatic events that can have an impact on their health and their career. Regardless of the continued research on police and mental health, challenges persist. The stigma is that law enforcement officers are tough and keep their emotions to themselves; however, they are human, like the community they serve. Due to possible consequences related to officers discussing having mental health problems after critical incidents, police officers may be reluctant to seek help due to backlash. Interviews were completed in a two-tier format that led to follow-up questions with surveys specifically related to alcohol and burnout found …


Law Enforcement Officers' Experience Of Crisis Intervention Team (Cit) Training, Jessica Yolanda Goings Jan 2022

Law Enforcement Officers' Experience Of Crisis Intervention Team (Cit) Training, Jessica Yolanda Goings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe decline in mental health services has led to an increased role of law enforcement officers (LEOs), who are often the first to respond to mental health crisis incidents. Despite the specialized training that officers receive, there continues to be a public consensus that LEOs lack proficiency when handling a mental ill individual and have a deficiency in communication skills. The purpose of the research was to explore the experience of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for LEOs and then describe how their experience ensued once deployed to the field to handle mental health encounters. Evaluations of CIT training have …


Moral Distress Experienced By Behavioral Health Clinicians Who Have Worked With Maternal, Opioid-Using Clients, Jill Lee-Hubble Jan 2022

Moral Distress Experienced By Behavioral Health Clinicians Who Have Worked With Maternal, Opioid-Using Clients, Jill Lee-Hubble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral distress (MD) is a concept that has been well studied in nursing and other medical fields as a precursor to provider burnout. Understanding how MD impacts behavioral health (BH) clinicians provides insights for counselor educators and supervisors to identify clinical situations that often lead to MD. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how MD was experienced by five BH clinicians who have worked in residential and hospital settings providing counseling to maternal, opioid-using clients. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) informed the research methodology and data analysis. Substance use during pregnancy is highly stigmatized in society; thus, a feminist conceptualization was integrated …


The Perceptions And Experiences Of Intensive In-Home Counselors Regarding Vicarious Trauma, Tara Ross Jan 2022

The Perceptions And Experiences Of Intensive In-Home Counselors Regarding Vicarious Trauma, Tara Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the study was to explore intensive in-home counselors’ perceptions and experiences with vicarious trauma when providing in-home services to children. The constructivist self-development theory was used to explain how helpers develop vicarious trauma after exposure to traumatic stories of clients. A generic qualitative inquiry was the methodology for this study because it focused on illuminating the participants’ experiences, and offered a highlighted description of the participants’ awareness, consciousness, and understanding, which explored those personal experiences. The study consisted of 10 adults between the ages of 31 and 62. The participants were all African American. Semi structured interviews …


Continuity Of Care For Adult Offenders With Severe And Persistent Mental Illnesses: An Action Research Study, Lakeshia C. Gonzalez Jan 2022

Continuity Of Care For Adult Offenders With Severe And Persistent Mental Illnesses: An Action Research Study, Lakeshia C. Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For decades, the representation of adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) in the criminal justice system has steadily grown despite public recognition and increased federal implementation of mental health courts and diversion programs. Though more is known about risk factors associated with psychiatric and criminal recidivism among this population, a gap in the literature remains on collaborative interventions and continuity of care between inpatient mental health and criminal justice facilities. Grounded in resilience theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine challenges social workers faced when attempting to facilitate discharge planning between inpatient mental health facilities …


Mental Health-Medical Crisis Team Impact On First Responder Outcomes On Persons With Mental Illness, Mary Josephine Lakey Jan 2022

Mental Health-Medical Crisis Team Impact On First Responder Outcomes On Persons With Mental Illness, Mary Josephine Lakey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Persons with mental illness (PMIs) are 16 times more likely to experience harm when interacting with police than individuals without mental illness. This inequity has recently become prominent in American discourse due to the ubiquitous use of cell phones and social media, where videos of incidents between police and PMIs circulate. In this generic qualitative research, members of a collaborative mental health and emergency medical service professionals (EMSPs) team in an urban area were interviewed to assess the team members’ perceptions of the impact of the program on frequency of adverse outcomes during interactions with PMIs. The theoretical framework for …


Improving Patients' Engagement And Retention In Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment, Leo W. Lavender Jan 2022

Improving Patients' Engagement And Retention In Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment, Leo W. Lavender

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance use disorder continues to be a major health crisis in the United States. Thousands of people die yearly due to substance use and related criminal activity. Substance abuse treatment is a remedy to the disorder and treatment centers admit thousands of patients yearly to address the dilemma. Throughout the years retention has been an ongoing barrier to successful treatment. This study explored significant obstacles to retention: motivation and engagement. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was utilized to assess the training, supervision, procedures, and leadership roles at an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment center. This study utilized a qualitative approach case …


The Experiences Of Female Survivors Of Sexual Assault When They Make A Police Report, Tracy L. Rainey Jan 2022

The Experiences Of Female Survivors Of Sexual Assault When They Make A Police Report, Tracy L. Rainey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 20% of all women will be the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault within the United States, yet less than one quarter of victims will report their experienced crime to law enforcement (LE). Many survivors of sexual violence experience apprehension about reporting sexual assault, due to fear of social consequences, relational consequences, and fear of the reprisal from LE officers. The purpose of this interpretive descriptive qualitative study was to describe and interpret the experiences of adult, female sexual assault survivors when they make a LE report about their victimization. Resilience theory, which is the study of …


Intimate Partner Violence Education In An Outpatient Setting, Juddy Morgan Jan 2022

Intimate Partner Violence Education In An Outpatient Setting, Juddy Morgan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence/domestic violence (IPV/DV) has been a widely recognized yet preventable public health concern. Despite the increased attention to IPV/DV, there has been a lack of knowledge in recognizing its symptoms and referring victims to appropriate community services by staff in a mental health outpatient clinic. The purpose of this project was to provide the clinic staff with the knowledge to recognize symptoms of IPV/DV victims and refer them to appropriate services within the community. The educational intervention was designed to increase the clinic staff’s knowledge of recognizing victims of IPV/DV; becoming familiar with the Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream …


The Relationship Between Housing/Living Arrangement And Admission To Drug Treatment Centers In Virginia, Odessa Ochoa Jan 2022

The Relationship Between Housing/Living Arrangement And Admission To Drug Treatment Centers In Virginia, Odessa Ochoa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeless veterans with substance use disorders are among the most vulnerable and inaccessible populations in Virginia, which is evident by the lack of state and local resources. This cross-sectional study was conducted to present a retrospective assessment of the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) to develop an understanding of the impact of housing arrangements on admission to long-term drug treatment centers among veterans in Virginia. To guide the study, the socioecological model was selected as the theoretical framework to better examine and understand the relationship between housing/living arrangement and admission to drug treatment centers among Virginia veterans. The aim of …


Experiences Of African American Female Offenders On Parole And Under Community Supervision, Shirley Lawson Jan 2022

Experiences Of African American Female Offenders On Parole And Under Community Supervision, Shirley Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American female offenders on parole under community supervision reenter communities as convicted felons and face the challenges of intersectionality and collateral consequences. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American female offenders active on parole and under community supervision. General strain theory was used to explore the experiences of African American female offenders on parole and under community supervision. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with a purposive sample of 10 African American female offenders, ages 18 and above who were on parole and under community supervision. Colaizzi’s seven-step method …


Crisis Intervention Team Training On Autism Among Female Cit-Trained Police Officers, Julie Hall Jan 2022

Crisis Intervention Team Training On Autism Among Female Cit-Trained Police Officers, Julie Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was the lack of documentation that supports the perceptions and experiences of crisis intervention team (CIT) trained female police officers related to their encounters with persons with mental illness (PwMI) with autism. Using Giles’s communicative accommodation theory (CAT), the purpose of this study examined the perceptions of CIT-trained female police officers of PwMI with autism during encounters. Giles’s CAT was aligned closest with the teachings of CIT training. Seven participants provided data which comprised of completed questionnaires and transcribed interviews. The method of analysis used was a combination of inductive coding and …


African American Youth Decline To Extend Foster Care Despite Their Needs, Rhonda Flowers-Corpening Jan 2022

African American Youth Decline To Extend Foster Care Despite Their Needs, Rhonda Flowers-Corpening

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the United States, African American children are disproportionately placed in foster care and experience a myriad of problems, including physical and emotional abuse. As a result, negative post-discharge outcomes are revealed in existing literature, such as substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, sexual promiscuity, and mental health issues. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to explore the foster care experience from the perspective of African American foster care alumni. The goal was to understand why the decision is made not to extend foster care services, despite their ongoing needs for support and lack of preparation for adulthood. Ecological Systems …


Understanding Resilience Among Individuals With Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Meghan Larson Jan 2021

Understanding Resilience Among Individuals With Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Meghan Larson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, and dysfunction in a child’s home are considered a public health crisis due to their correlation to health disparities and psychosocial problems in adulthood such as substance use, relationships, education, and maintaining employment. However, some individuals are resilient and demonstrate the ability to adapt and function well despite experiencing adverse events. To better understand resilience when ACEs are present, I conducted a basic qualitative research study to explore the lived experiences of individuals in Tennessee with elevated ACE and resilience scores. A purposeful sample of 12 participants who scored high on ratings …