Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive Coaching For African American Leaders, Barrhonda White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American leaders face inequalities in executive leadership development support such as executive coaching. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of African American leaders that worked with a leadership coach. The intention of the study was to gain insight into factors that led African American leaders to seek assistance from a leadership coach, preferences regarding leadership coach demographics, and goals from coaching. The theoretical foundation for this research was Self-Discrepancy Theory. The study utilized two research questions related to a) the lived experiences of African American leaders that work with, or have worked with, an executive coach, and …

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 …

Attachment And Its Prediction Of Emotional-Social Intelligence (Esi) Of African American Females During Mid-To-Late Adolescence, Lauren N. Callahan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attachment and emotional-social intelligence (ESI) have been an area of study among scholars since attachment has been shown to impact important areas of psychosocial development. This study involved exploring attachment or the adolescent bonding experience, and its prediction of ESI of African American females during mid-to-late adolescence. Researchers have demonstrated there are ethnic differences in terms of attachment and ESI but have not established predictive relationships among African Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine attachment and its prediction of ESI of African American females between 15 and 18. Using a quantitative design, the Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire and …

Parenting Skills Of African American Young Mothers Who Transitioned From Foster Care, Tamesha Yvonne Townsend-Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research indicated there is an ongoing social issue in the United States for young single mothers with foster care experiences and their children. This group of women face poor economic and parenting outcomes without assistance from government resources in the form of effective parenting programs. Yet programming lags and there are ongoing assumptions about young mothers' in foster care parenting skills and abilities. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to better understand the development of parenting skills among a selected group of African American adult young mothers who transitioned from foster care to independence and motherhood between …

The Experiences Of Successful Formerly Incarcerated African American Males, Bernice Gordon-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men are incarcerated at alarming rates and often recidivate at high rates within 3 years. Researchers have demonstrated that recidivism rates last through years 4 and beyond. There is limited qualitative data to provide strategies from formerly incarcerated African American males who have been successful at not recidivating for 10 or more years after their release. The purpose of this Afrocentric-hermeneutic phenomenological study was to bridge the gap in the literature and explore the lived experiences of African American males who were formerly incarcerated and have positively changed their lives to avoid further criminality. A purposeful and snowball …

Relationship Between African American Professionals’ Acculturation, Racial Identity, And Experienced Stereotype Threat, Erica Regina Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is considerable research on acculturation, identity formation, and stereotype threat experiences of African American children and college students. However, little research has been conducted exploring these factors once college graduates have entered the workforce. Furthermore, the previous research has treated these variables separately or combining no more than two at a time. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to learn more about African American professionals’ acculturation, racial identity, and stereotype threat experiences. Seller’s Model of Racial Identity, Berry’s acculturation theory, and Shapiro’s Multi-threat framework provided the basis of this study. The research question addressed whether the type …

Caucasian Social Workers’ Cultural Competence Regarding Advance Care Planning Among Southern African Americans, Lisa Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caucasian social workers who work in healthcare and implement advance care planning (ACP) may not be competent regarding African Americans’ reluctance to complete advance directives. Research is lacking on how Caucasian social workers in Louisiana are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. This study explored how Caucasian social workers are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the cultural competence model. …

Attachment And Its Prediction Of Emotional-Social Intelligence (Esi) Of African American Females During Mid-To-Late Adolescence, Lauren N. Callahan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attachment and emotional-social intelligence (ESI) have been an area of study among scholars since attachment has been shown to impact important areas of psychosocial development. This study involved exploring attachment or the adolescent bonding experience, and its prediction of ESI of African American females during mid-to-late adolescence. Researchers have demonstrated there are ethnic differences in terms of attachment and ESI but have not established predictive relationships among African Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine attachment and its prediction of ESI of African American females between 15 and 18. Using a quantitative design, the Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire and …

Preincarceration Collaborative Religious Coping Strategies Of Black Males With A History Of A Criminal Offense, Pearlette E. Springer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are 56% of the incarcerated population in the United States. Black males spend an average of 13.4% of their working lives incarcerated and 82.6% of their working lives addressing the stigma and restrictions associated with incarceration. The purpose of this study was to address a gap in research by exploring the preincarceration collaborative religious coping strategy experiences of Black males with a history of criminal offenses. Pargament’s theory of collaborative religious coping strategy guided the research, interview questions, and data analysis. The qualitative narrative approach with purposeful and snowball sampling was used to recruit and collect data from …

The Experiences Of Successful Formerly Incarcerated African American Males, Bernice Gordon-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men are incarcerated at alarming rates and often recidivate at high rates within 3 years. Researchers have demonstrated that recidivism rates last through years 4 and beyond. There is limited qualitative data to provide strategies from formerly incarcerated African American males who have been successful at not recidivating for 10 or more years after their release. The purpose of this Afrocentric-hermeneutic phenomenological study was to bridge the gap in the literature and explore the lived experiences of African American males who were formerly incarcerated and have positively changed their lives to avoid further criminality. A purposeful and snowball …

Caucasian Social Workers’ Cultural Competence Regarding Advance Care Planning Among Southern African Americans, Lisa Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caucasian social workers who work in healthcare and implement advance care planning (ACP) may not be competent regarding African Americans’ reluctance to complete advance directives. Research is lacking on how Caucasian social workers in Louisiana are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. This study explored how Caucasian social workers are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the cultural competence model. …

Relationship Between African American Professionals’ Acculturation, Racial Identity, And Experienced Stereotype Threat, Erica Regina Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is considerable research on acculturation, identity formation, and stereotype threat experiences of African American children and college students. However, little research has been conducted exploring these factors once college graduates have entered the workforce. Furthermore, the previous research has treated these variables separately or combining no more than two at a time. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to learn more about African American professionals’ acculturation, racial identity, and stereotype threat experiences. Seller’s Model of Racial Identity, Berry’s acculturation theory, and Shapiro’s Multi-threat framework provided the basis of this study. The research question addressed whether the type …

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive Coaching For African American Leaders, Barrhonda White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American leaders face inequalities in executive leadership development support such as executive coaching. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of African American leaders that worked with a leadership coach. The intention of the study was to gain insight into factors that led African American leaders to seek assistance from a leadership coach, preferences regarding leadership coach demographics, and goals from coaching. The theoretical foundation for this research was Self-Discrepancy Theory. The study utilized two research questions related to a) the lived experiences of African American leaders that work with, or have worked with, an executive coach, and …

Left Behind: Intersectional Stigma Experiences Of African American College Women With Adhd, Angela Lynnette Anderson-Elahi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American college women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience intersectional stigmas based on race, gender, and learning disability. Intersectional stigmas affect African American college women in self-esteem, social acceptance, and academic progress. The scholarly community has not published literature regarding intersectional stigma experienced by African American college women with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American college women who had encountered intersectional stigma based on race, gender, and ADHD. Goffman’s social stigma theory and Crenshaw’s intersectional stigma theory served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to explore how African …

The Experience Of Conflicting Identities Amongst African American Law Enforcement Officers, Jeremy R. Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement’s unjust treatment of African Americans is a worldwide concern but impacts the African American community in different ways, particularly African American law enforcement officers who are placed in conflicting positions. They aspire to see change and more conforming police treatment, compared to other racial populations, but work for the same organization that exhibits the biased treatment they desire to have abolished. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore African American law enforcement officers’ experiences of conflicting identities. The theoretical foundation was based on Turner’s theory of self-categorization (SCT). The key research questions addressed African American …

Relationship Between Parental Involvement And 4th-5th Grade Students’ Academic Motivation, Charla Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The achievement gap between African American and White students has been well documented. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether parental involvement in academics predicted academic motivation of fourth- and fifth-grade African American students in the Southwest United States. Social development theory provided the framework for the study. Survey data were collected from 43 students and 43 parents using the Parental Involvement Scale and the Children’s Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. A t test, linear regression, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated no significant difference between how parents and students perceived parental involvement …

The Executive Director Experiences Of African American Women In Mainstream Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations, Davida S. Gobin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are presently underrepresented in mainstream nonprofit performing arts organizations (PAOs) throughout the United States. Despite this inequality, a small number of African American women have overcome the odds and have productively earned senior leadership roles as executive directors in mainstream nonprofit PAOs. Using the conceptual frameworks of intersectionality and critical race feminism, the purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of African American women in executive director positions and the impact of race and gender on their leadership development and training for advancement in a mainstream nonprofit PAO. Four research questions explored the …

Recruitment Strategies For A Sustainable Pipeline Of African American College Graduates As Civil Servants, Owen Wilbert Muldrow, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Government leaders have not been successful in their strategies for developing a pipeline of African American college students to address the absence of African American representation in civil service management positions. Increasing African American representation among civil service personnel may produce a government workforce that reflects American society, which may promote equitable and responsive solutions in serving public interests. The purpose of this qualitative modified Delphi study was to build consensus among a nationwide expert panel of government-affiliated talent managers as to strategies for creating a sustainable civil service pipeline of annual graduating classes of African American collegians. The research …

Substance Use And Romantic Attachment Among African American And Black Caribbean Adult Males, Shaun Faith Hutton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals from unfavorable environments tend to carry maladaptive patterns of attachment from infancy through adulthood. Empirically, these styles have been shown to be intergenerational. Substance use disorder has been linked to maladaptive patterns of attachment among adults. However, limited data exists regarding this phenomenon with African American and Black Caribbean males. Bowlby's attachment theory and Ainsworth's patterns of attachment were the theoretical frameworks applied to this quantitative study. The purpose was to determine the effect of ethnicity and alcohol use on anxious and avoidant attachment patterns among a sample of 151 adult males. Using the Experience in Close Relationship and …

Cultural Perspectives On African American Adolescent Sexual Risk Behavior In Central Mississippi, Debra Suzette Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, Mississippi had the 3rd highest adolescent birth rate in the United States, high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and enduring racial disparities between African American and White teenagers. Few researchers have described the immediate cultural environment to determine how it may influence the sexual behaviors and attitudes of African American teens. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to describe the sociocultural environment of African American adolescents in Mississippi that influences their sexual behavior by exploring the knowledge, feelings, experiences and beliefs of African American adults. The social cognitive theory was used as a theoretical framework to …

The Experiences And Perceptions Of African American Women Who Reside In Nursing Homes, Lakeisha De Lon Riley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of African American women who reside in a nursing home and to understand African American women's decisions for admitting to the facility. Social Learning Theory was applied to answer the question of how African American women's experiences and perceptions toward long-term care influence healthcare decisions and admission to a nursing home. Eleven participants interviewed in the study were at least 60 years old, admitted into the facility within the past two years and who had not previously resided in a nursing home. Yin's five step approach …

Teachers' And Parents' Perceptions Of Special Education Referral For African American Students, Darlene Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related to special education referral and assignment of African American elementary students as perceived by 7 teachers and 6 parents in the school district. Inductive analysis including open, axial, and selective coding led to the categorization of three themes: complexity in the referral process, inadequate teacher-parent communication and lack …

Exploration Of Perceptions Of Marriage Dissatisfaction Among African American Couples, Terrence Schofield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceptions of Marital Dissatisfaction Among African American Couples

by

Terrence Schofield

MS, Walden University, 2012

BS, Knoxville College, 1994

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Clinical Psychology

Walden University

August 2016

Rural Obese African American Women And Depression, Food Culture, And Binge Eating, Tracee Tamiko Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rural African American population has a high incidence of severe psychosocial problems and a skewed perception of obesity, despite obesity's extremely high prevalence rate in this population. Despite the acknowledgements of these problems, there is a gap in literature relative to the effective treatments for obese African Americans diagnosed with depression. This study measured correlations between obesity and depression, binge eating, and food culture amongst African American women residing in Jefferson County, MS. The health belief model was used to guide an assessment of beliefs, perceptions, susceptibility, cues to action, and self-efficacy. A cross-sectional design was used based on …

Hostility Toward Dominant Culture Individuals And The Perceived Stability Of Power, Anne Kristine Pihl Gaddis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racism in the United States is persistent and its negative effects are widespread. The social hierarchy in the United States positions White people as the dominant culture and Black people, among other races, as a minority culture. Current literature provides insight into explicit and implicit individual expressions of racism; however, very little research clarifies the effects racism has on the continuance and structure of the social race hierarchy. This study utilizes social gender hierarchy research to investigate how racism-induced hostility toward the dominant culture relates to an individual's perception of the stability of the race hierarchy. This quantitative survey study …

Stigma And Hiv Testing Among African American Women In New Jersey, Mirriam Limage-Pierre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are 18 times more likely to contract HIV than are European American women, yet they are less likely to be tested for HIV. Lack of HIV testing leads to late diagnosis and increased mortality from HIV-related illnesses. Based on the health belief model, this correlational study analyzed the extent to which HIV stigma mediated the relationship between perceived benefits or perceived severity of HIV and the uptake of HIV testing among African American women in New Jersey. A total of 93 African American women aged 18 and older who resided in New Jersey completed online questionnaires. Data …

The Impact Of Self-Imposed Barriers On African Americans Successes, Pennie L. Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers and economists have argued that the economic and social stagnation of African Americans is the result of their lack of self-confidence, initiative, and commitment toward their own advancement. This qualitative study examined whether historical conditioning and personal experiences have created a hypersensitivity in this population to events triggering behaviors that mirror the success fearing personality when seeking social, economic, and political advancement. It used Zuckerman and Allison's fear of success scale to identify the range of success fearing in 30 African American men and women aged 35 years or more; this group was also interviewed regarding their lived experiences …

Quality-Of-Life Indicators For African American And European American Long-Term Survivors Of Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Cher De Rossiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This meta-analysis investigated the difference in perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among long-term early-stage breast cancer survivors (BCS). The comparison was between African American and European American women. Initial pilot searches suggested that enough studies existed for a meaningful meta-analysis of a BCS population at least 5 years post diagnosis. Only studies using the outcome measure HRQOL were included in the study; this yielded an initial sample of 212 study reports, with 56 reports entering the coding phase of the process. African American women were grossly underrepresented in this set of studies in comparison to the overall breast …

Academically Resilient Minority Doctoral Students Who Experienced Poverty And Parental Substance Abuse, Marcia Boatman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of research on the academic resilience of minority, first-generation, online doctoral students (MFOD) who experienced poverty and parental substance abuse (PSA). The purpose of this study was to explore how MFOD who overcame poverty and PSA developed academic resilience. Resilience theory and Kember's model of attrition in online programs provided a conceptual framework for this study. The research questions guiding this qualitative study concerned how MFOD perceive and interpret their academic resilience and protective factors. A purposeful sample of 6 students participated in semistructured interviews. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted, which included a case by …