Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using An Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Recognition Practice To Improve Job Satisfaction, Hali Bianchi

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: The project targeted low job satisfaction and high nurse turnover in a Central Florida bone marrow transplant unit, impacting patient care and costs.

PICOT: (P) For registered nurses (RNs) on the bone marrow transplant unit, (I) does implementing an evidence-based practice employee recognition program (C) compared to no employee recognition program, (O) lead to an increase in job satisfaction (T) over 10 weeks?

Evidence: The evidence supported the effectiveness of meaningful recognition programs, such as personalized verbal acknowledgment from leadership, in boosting job satisfaction among nurses.

Intervention: The intervention involved nurse managers using a weekly employee recognition …

Consumer Behavior Analysis Approach To Teacher Choice Of Reading Interventions, Rochelle N. Picardo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The use of Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) in schools is heavily emphasized in educational research and policy; however, many teachers do not use EBPs for reading instruction and intervention. Previous research on the limited use of EBPs in classrooms has primarily focused on teacher characteristics, such as their attitudes or beliefs toward these practices. As an alternative to this view, this study applied a behavioral economic approach to understanding teacher choice (i.e., EBPs over other alternatives, such as interventions with a base of limited empirical support; low-value practices [LVPs]). Hypothetical Intervention Choice Tasks were developed and used to evaluate how both …

A Research Framework To Improve Evidence-Based Practice Surrounding The Resuscitation Response To Drowning In Surf Lifesaving, Elissa Hooper, Aaron T. Scanlan, Shayne D. Baker, Samantha Fien

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Surf lifesaving members are essential first responders who patrol public waterways, performing rescues and resuscitation to individuals in the community when needed. In this way, surf lifesaving members experience arduous physical requirements alongside extensive psychological stress during resuscitation. Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) represents the predominant, frontline lifesaving service in Queensland, Australia; however, little research has explored key aspects of drowning resuscitations involving this organisation, as well as in the broader lifesaving industry, limiting our current understanding on this vital topic. We sought to explore key aspects of drowning resuscitations within SLSQ and create a framework to generate evidence-based practice. …

An Evidence-Based Approach To Prison Library Provision: Aligning Policy And Practice, Jayne Finlay, Susannah Hanlon, Jessica Bates

Journal of Prison Education Research

The aim of this paper is to enable a better understanding of the possibilities of prison library services and offer evidence that can help to support efforts to align policy and practice in prison library provision. Alongside an examination of existing policies, guidelines and literature, the paper presents findings that emerged from interviews with six prison library experts, undertaken as part of a recent national review of prison library services in Ireland. Following a discussion of these findings, a set of ten principles for prison library provision in Ireland is presented which holds relevance for global prison library policy and …

Integrating Trauma-Informed Services In Out-Of-School Time Programs To Mitigate The Impact Of Community Gun Violence On Youth Mental Health, Angela T. Clarke, Stevie N. Grassetti, Lauren Brumley, Kyle Y. Ross, Courtney Erdly, Sarah Richter, Emily R. Brown, Michele Pole

Psychology Faculty Publications

Community gun violence disproportionately impacts youth in low-income urban neighborhoods. Integrating trauma informed mental health care in community-based out-of-school time (OST) programs is an innovative method of service delivery for these youth. This article provides justification for integrating evidence-based, trauma-informed services in OST programs within communities characterized by high rates of violent crime to minimize the impact of violence exposure on youth mental health. We describe the initial feasibility of a model program, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Initiative, implemented in a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania. Within the first six months of the VIP Initiative, 95 community residents …

Provision And Long-Term Assessment Of A Specialized Clinical Evidence-Based Practice Curriculum For Master Of Social Work Students, Susan Reay

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study investigated social workers’ knowledge of the common elements in evidence-based practice to treat youth mental health conditions following a specialized curriculum during their Master of Social Work (MSW) education. Participants’ knowledge was measured during their MSW education and in their first 5 years of social work practice after graduation. The quantitative study measured participants’ knowledge of common elements three times; 86 social workers participated in the study with 67 sets of scores at three data points. Study results showed that participants knew more after completing the curriculum but knew less one to five years after graduation. Overall, however, …

The Stark Implications Of Abolishing Child Welfare: An Alternative Path Toward Support And Safety, Antonio R. Garcia, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Richard P. Barth, John Gyourko, Patricia Kohl, Johanna K. P. Greeson, Brett Drake, Victoria Cook

Department of Social Work - Faculty Scholarship

Scholars and advocates are at odds about how to achieve higher levels of child safety and permanency. Calls for change include the recent upEND focus on eradication of child welfare services to a radical refocusing of the present system towards prevention/early intervention. To clarify the implications of reform over abolition, we seek to portray a future in which the abolition of child welfare has occurred, in juxtaposition to maintaining four core elements of established child maltreatment programmes around the world: (1) receiving and responding to community signals about the risk to children; (2) assessment of need coupled with a proportionate …

Humor Matters: An Adapted Multiple Case Study Exploring Music Therapists’ Perspectives Of Humor With Older Adults, Caleb M. Posey

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Humor is a ubiquitous human experience and a skill retained in older adulthood. It is also an integral but elusive therapeutic tool with numerous benefits and risks to well-being. Therapeutic humor – the application of humor to client well-being – is an emerging area of study. However, scant music therapy literature on humor is available. The purpose of this qualitative thesis was to explore the use and function of humor in music therapy with older adults from the perspectives of experienced music therapists. There were three research questions: (1) how do music therapists describe their use of humor with older …

Evidence-Based Practice As An Undergraduate Clinician, Abigail Guinan

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Evidence-based practice consists of client perspectives, clinical expertise, and research evidence to make clinical decisions for client treatment. This project evaluated evidence-based practice in the field of speech-language pathology. One evidence-based treatment method was found for each of the Big Nine areas of treatment in speech-language pathology. More focus was put on the area of language, specifically late language emergence in pediatric populations. Late language emergence is a delay in language development that is not caused by any comorbidities. Children with late language emergence struggle in all areas of language. The three intervention strategies for late language emergence are family-centered, …

Health Librarians As Part Of The Perioperative Care Team, Gemma Siemensma

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Chances are you may never find a librarian in the operating suite, unless as a patient, but they do play a vital role in enabling the work of perioperative nurses. A perioperative nurse’s role can encompass a variety of tasks at the pre-operative, operative and post-operative stage and includes the daily use of information resources to ensure evidence-based practice (EBP) occurs. This article explores the role of health librarians in the perioperative environment and highlights resources and services that are offered to assist perioperative nurses.

Attitudes, Clinical Practices, And Perceived Advocacy Needs Of Professionals With Interests In Personality Disorders, William D. Ellison, S. Huprich, A. Behn, M. Goodman, S. Kerr, K. N. Levy, S. M. Nelson, C. Sharp, The Board Of Directors Of The International Society For The Study Of Personality Disorders

Psychology Faculty Research

Experts in personality disorders (PDs) generally prefer dimensional diagnostic systems to categorical ones, but less is known about experts’ attitudes toward personality pathology diagnoses in adolescents, and little is known about public health shortfalls and advocacy needs and how these might differ geographically. To fill these gaps, the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders surveyed 248 professionals with interests in PDs about their attitudes toward different diagnostic systems for adults and adolescents, their PD-related clinical practices, and perceived advocacy needs in their area. Results suggested that dimensional diagnostic systems are preferable to categorical and that skepticism about personality …

"We Collect Tons Of Data... We Report What We Think Our Community Cares The Most About... We Learn So Much From It:" School Librarians' Evidence Collection And Sharing Practices, Jennifer Moore, Maria Cahill, Jeffrey Discala, Wanyi Wang

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Evidence-based practice (EBP) offers school librarians a systematic process for developing, assessing, and revising their school library programs. Two of the seven steps in this process involve collecting and sharing meaningful evidence with appropriate stakeholders, often for advocacy purposes, strategically selecting communication channels and methods aligned with target audiences. Through a survey collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, 161 school librarians in Kentucky, Virginia, and Texas shared their experiences with evidence-based practice. The study reported here focuses on school librarians’ evidence collection and sharing practices. Findings indicate school librarians collect easily obtainable data and share evidence of practice widely; however, …

Determining The Quality Of The Evidence Base For Incremental Rehearsal, Emily K. Fischer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this review is to examine the current literature on incremental rehearsal (IR) to investigate whether IR is be considered an evidence-based practice, based on the quality indicators set forth by the Council for Exceptional Children (Cook et al., 2014). Burns et al. (2012) completed a meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of IR and to compare the effect sizes calculated from single-case and group designs. Results of that analysis showed that IR was effective with various student groups, including students in grades ranging from preschool to high school, and students with disabilities. The original review investigated …

Occupational Therapy In Secondary Transition: A Case Report, Latoya Harvey, Susan Zapf, Sandra E. Groger

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Introduction: This case report aims to inform the occupational therapy profession of best practice by providing an example of the profession’s role in secondary transition for students with disabilities.

Method: This qualitative case report examines the value of occupational therapy during transition in the life of one student with a disability. Six weeks of coaching and collaboration were provided to facilitate student engagement to enhance independent living skills, work-related skills, and self-determination. Pre-test and post-test results of the Roll Evaluation of Life Activities (REAL), the Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL), the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), interviews, informal discussions, …

Advancing A Mixed Methods Approach To An Evidence Based Practice In Drama Therapy: A Literature Review, Travis Ciempa

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The present literature review investigates the history, roles, strengths, and limitations of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches within the research process. The goal of this review is to conclude whether a mixed methods approach can be utilized to support drama therapy in becoming an evidence-based practice. Current trends in drama therapy research demonstrate a need for more empirical investigations within the field. This is accompanied by the added competitive nature and standards of professions within healthcare. As such, this literature review explores future recommendations for research practices within drama therapy, including utilizing a mixed methods approach, manualization in drama …

Religion Has A Public Relations Problem: Integrating Evidence-Based Thinking Into Clinical Practice, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Religion and religious institutions receive a great deal of negative, rather than positive, attention and press. This creates an impression, for the casual observer, that religion and associated institutions are a plight on the planet. It is critically important for evidence-based research and best practices in clinical services to be well known and utilized within professional psychotherapy practice. Clinicians must be mindful of the many advantages of religious engagement for physical, mental, and community health and wellness. Psychologists, and other mental health professionals, tend to be secular and nonreligious and receive little, if any, training on religious diversity that may …

Educational Pandemic Impacts In Applied Behavior Analysis (Aba) Classrooms: Qualitative Outcomes From Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba) And Registered Behavior Technicians (Rbt) Perspectives, Chana S. Josilowski-Max, Nicole Lambright

The Qualitative Report

The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services are provided to students/clients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and scant literature is available from which to determine the best course of action for providing safe services during a pandemic. The research question for this study is: What is the essence of experiences of parents, teachers, and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts of students with ASD who are now receiving ABA services remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic school closures? Generic qualitative design was used to analyze the responses of nine participants who are either Board …

The Value Of Adapting Counseling To Client’S Spirituality And Religion: Evidence-Based Relationship Factors, Amelia L. Evans, Jennifer Koenig Nelson

Graduate School Faculty Publications

There is a strong tradition of attention to relationship factors in the field of counseling. The research on the importance of the relationship and adapting to client factors continues to grow, supporting the importance of professional multicultural competence. The field of counseling, specifically within the United States context, has focused on Multicultural Counseling Competencies with more recent emphasis on social justice through the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies. Within these competencies, spirituality and religion are mentioned as multicultural components to consider as potentially salient to clients. Yet, there has been less emphasis on ways to adapt counseling to a …

A Systematic Review Of Recommendations For Behavioral Health Services For Transgender And Gender Diverse Adults: The Three-Legged Stool Of Evidence-Based Practice Is Unbalanced, Natalie Holt, Allura L. Ralston, Debra A. Hope, Richard Mocarski, Nathan Woodruff

Trans Collaborations Academic Papers

There is a growing literature of clinical recommendations for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) affirming behavioral health care, yet it is unknown to what extent these recommendations are rooted in evidence-based practice (EBP). This systematic review included 65 articles published between 2009 and 2018 with recommendations for behavioral health services with TGD adults, emphasizing general clinical care. Coded variables included type of article, participant demographics, aspects of EBP, and whether care was informed by objective assessment. Most articles did not equally draw from all components of EBP. Recommendations for specific clinical problems are increasingly available and address diversity within TGD …

Community Stakeholder Preferences For Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Strategies In Behavioral Health: A Best-Worst Scaling Choice Experiment, Nathaniel J. Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Community behavioral health clinicians, supervisors, and administrators play an essential role in implementing new psychosocial evidence-based practices (EBP) for patients receiving psychiatric care; however, little is known about these stakeholders’ values and preferences for implementation strategies that support EBP use, nor how best to elicit, quantify, or segment their preferences. This study sought to quantify these stakeholders’ preferences for implementation strategies and to identify segments of stakeholders with distinct preferences using a rigorous choice experiment method called best-worst scaling.

Methods: A total of 240 clinicians, 74 clinical supervisors, and 29 administrators employed within clinics delivering publicly-funded behavioral health services …

Longitudinal Impact Of Parental Catastrophizing On Child Functional Disability In Pediatric Amplified Pain, Bernadette L. Dougherty, Nataliya Zelikovsky, Kimberly S. Miller, Daniel Rodriguez, Sharon Lee Armstrong, David D. Sherry

Psychology Faculty Work

OBJECTIVE: Children with amplified musculoskeletal pain (AMPS) experience significant functional disability, with impairment in their ability to participate in age-appropriate activities of daily living. Parental factors play an important role in a child's pain symptoms and treatment outcomes, with parental pain catastrophizing and protective behaviors linked to several maladaptive outcomes for children. Aims of the current study were to examine how parental pain catastrophizing, child pain catastrophizing, and parental protective behaviors longitudinally impacted functional disability for children with AMPS.

METHODS: Archival data were examined from parent-child dyads presenting to a tertiary pain clinic for treatment of AMPS. Over …

Technical Reviewing For The Family First Prevention Services Act: Strategies And Recommendations, Antonio R. Garcia, Peter J. Pecora, Audrey H. Schnell, Cynthia Burnson, Elizabeth Harris, Allison Finseth

Social Work Faculty Publications

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) has compelled states to expand their priorities to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) as a means to prevent foster care placement. While the states may opt to include EBPs already approved by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), some state leaders are opting to commission an independent technical review for the EBP they would prefer to implement as part of their FFPSA plan. While the goal is for ACF to approve their plan and issue a temporary license, little guidance is provided on how to conduct technical reviews. Relying upon the expectations that …

Evidence-Based Practice In Lis: The Systematic Review, Claire Walker Wiley, Meggan Houlihan, Amanda Click

Library Faculty Scholarship

A book chapter from the Association of College and Research Libraries publication titled Reflections on practitioner research: a practical guide for information professionals.

Inclusive Considerations For Optimal Online Learning In Times Of Disasters And Crises, Kim M. Thompson, Clayton A. Copeland

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Engagement Of Community Stakeholders To Develop A Framework To Guide Research Dissemination To Communities, Jennifer Cunningham-Erves, Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Yolanda Vaughn, Jim Hawk, Mike Helms, Claudia Barajas, Yvonne Joosten

Department of Health Policy and Community Health Faculty Publications

Background: Dissemination of research findings to past study participants and the community-at-large is important. Yet, a standardized process for research dissemination is needed to report results to the community. Objective: We developed a framework and strategies to guide community-academic partnerships in community-targeted, dissemination efforts.

Methods: From 2017 to 2019, a community-academic partnership was formed in Nashville, Tennessee, and iteratively developed a framework and strategies for research dissemination using cognitive interviews. A deductive, constant comparative analysis was conducted on interview responses to examine framework and strategy content. Feedback was used to finalize the framework and strategies for the evaluation. …

A Positive Framed Message To Improve Cpap Compliance For Patients With Osa, Frances Clark

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 24% of the US population (DiNapoli, 2014). Untreated OSA causes many diseases, affects one’s quality of life, and increases mortality (Pengo et al., 2018). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the lifelong treatment for OSA; yet 30%-80% of OSA patients are CPAP noncompliant within one year. The purpose of this EBP project was to determine if implementing a positive frame message intervention would improve CPAP compliance for newly diagnosed OSA patients. Based on the evidence, implementation of behavioral interventions, such as a positive framed message, was effective in improving CPAP compliance (Pengo et al., 2018). …

Home Safe, Megan Nigus

MSW Capstones

Home Safe is a housing program designed to provide permanent, affordable, supportive housing for women and children escaping domestic violence. The project is guided by evidence-based practice for serving this vulnerable population most effectively. This program is also guided by the NASW Code of Ethics. Guiding theoretical orientations include conflict theory and feminist theory. A basic description of the Home Share program is provided along with a discussion about program evaluation techniques and Home Share’s strategies for eliminating housing barriers for women and children escaping domestic violence. Volunteer recruitment, funding, and phase 2 planning is described. The program is designed …

Testing A Theory Of Strategic Implementation Leadership, Implementation Climate, And Clinicians’ Use Of Evidence-Based Practice: A 5-Year Panel Analysis, Nathaniel J. Williams, Courtney Benjamin Wolk, Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Rinad S. Beidas

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Implementation theory suggests that first-level leaders, sometimes referred to as middle managers, can increase clinicians’ use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in healthcare settings by enacting specific leadership behaviors (i.e., proactive, knowledgeable, supportive, perseverant with regard to implementation) that develop an EBP implementation climate within the organization; however, longitudinal and quasi-experimental studies are needed to test this hypothesis.

Methods: Using data collected at three waves over a 5-year period from a panel of 30 outpatient children’s mental health clinics employing 496 clinicians, we conducted a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study to test whether within-organization change in implementation leadership predicted within-organization …

Developing A Clinician Self-Report Fidelity Measure For A Transdiagnostic, Evidence-Based Protocol At A Residential Eating Disorders Treatment Center, Jennifer M. Oswald

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: Fidelity monitoring is a vital component of successful evidence-based practice implementation in routine treatment settings. However, resource-intensiveness and low clinician buy-in pose barriers to traditional observer-report monitoring, highlighting a need to explore the practical utility of self-report approaches. This study used a mixed-methods approach to (a) develop a self-report fidelity measure of a transdiagnostic evidence-based protocol in a residential eating disorders treatment center; (b) tailor the measure for optimal accuracy, acceptability, and ease of use; and (c) assess measure validity via convergence with observer ratings. Methods: N = 10 clinicians participated in cognitive interviewing to refine an initial draft …

It’S About Time: Initial Findings From A Feasibility Study Of A Time-Study Tool For School Social Workers In Michigan, Michael S. Kelly, Steven Whitmore

International Journal of School Social Work

Starting in late Summer of 2015, the two authors began collaborating on the pilot testing of a school social work (SSW) time-study tool with a sample of SSW in suburban Detroit (n=9). This article details the path towards the development of the time-study tool, drawing from the extant literature on workload and caseload issues in related special education fields, and resulting in the time-study tool that was first piloted with SSW in 2015-2016. Initial data from year one of the two-year 2015-2017 pilot project is shared in this article, along with qualitative data based on interviews with the SSW in …