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Rehabilitation Counselor Interventions On Parental-Disability Acceptance, James Samuel Rothrock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rehabilitation counselors work with families to assist in transitioning adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) from school to adult services. Currently, there is no evidence base for rehabilitation counselors to conceptualize and promote disability acceptance in parents. The purpose of this research was to identify interventions used by rehabilitation counselors with parents at various levels of disability acceptance. The research questions focused on what experiences rehabilitation counselors have had coordinating services with parents of adolescents with ID experiencing various degrees of acceptance and how do they understand and intervene with parental acceptance? The theoretical foundations girding the formation and interpretation of …

Barriers To The Use Of Injectable Naltrexone In An Outpatient Setting, Heather Schultz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The opioid epidemic is a public health concern that impacts thousands of individuals across the United States. There was a lack of clear understanding of what leads opioid addicts to decline use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with injectable extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX). The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was to examine the relationships between past XR-NTX status and demographic factors (gender, age, race, education level, time sober in days, and employment status) and the attitudes about encouragement from providers about engaging in MAT, as well as perceptions about MAT in individuals currently in a MAT who chose not …

Comparison By Race/Ethnicity And Social Determinants Of Health In Early Postpartum Maternal Morbidities, Cynthia Joy Garringer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal mortality continues to increase in the United States, despite medical advances. Patients with negative social determinants of health (SDOH) and racial/ethnic minorities are at increased risk for maternal morbidities although most mortality and morbidities found in maternal health could have been prevented. The purpose of this study, guided by the SDOH conceptual mode, was to examine the relationship between the five components of SDOH and early postpartum morbidities among minority racial and ethnic groups. Secondary data (n = 1401) were obtained from a state health department in the Midwest for women who delivered in the year 2022 from one …

Cancer Patients’ Spiritual Well-Being, Religious Coping, And Comfort In Communicating With Physicians, Cheryl Boettger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Terminal cancer patients with unmet spiritual needs are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and an overall decrease in the quality of their physical, mental, and spiritual health. Even though the incidence of cancer continues to increase, with better treatment, patients are surviving longer. There is a known connection between spiritual, and physical well-being, but research has indicated that this connection is sometimes overlooked in certain populations. In this phenomenological qualitative study, the participants’ lived experiences communicating with their physician about spirituality while in treatment for cancer were examined. The biopsychosocial-spiritual model was used to explore the lived experiences …

The Experience Of Grief, Coping, And Community In Black Families And Friends Of Homicide Victims, Rachel A. Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black families and friends of homicide victims (BFFHV) are left behind to grieve and cope with the traumatic loss of a loved one to homicide. The evidence reveals a risk of developing emotional and psychological issues for the survivors. The purpose of this study was to explore four phenomena the BFFHV experience: (a) the experience with local law enforcement and the courts during the investigation of the homicide, (b) the experience of grieving over traumatic loss, (c) the experience of coping with traumatic loss, and (d) their current relationship with the community. Heider’s attribution theory was used to guide the …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Hesitancy To Covid-19 Vaccination Uptake In Nigeria, Dominique U. Mbachie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vaccine hesitancy is a major global health problem despite their being historically effective at preventing infectious diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, polio, rabies, pertussis, measles, and yellow fever. It has significantly hampered herd immunity, with a rate of 67% for COVID-19 globally. Vaccine hesitancy is common in underdeveloped nations like Nigeria. Misinformation and rumors may be the foundation of the lower vaccination rates in impacted African nations, particularly Nigeria. Thus, the Nigerian population has primarily remained unvaccinated or hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination uptake. This qualitative study explored the knowledge and attitudes towards hesitancy regarding COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Nigeria. The …

Strategies Used To Retain Newly Hired Veterinarians, Christina Avila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failing to retain new veterinarians can compromise patient care and the sustainability and success of veterinary practices. Employee turnover impacts veterinarian organizations by lowering morale, productivity, and the organization’s bottom line. Grounded in Goleman’s emotional intelligence theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies veterinarian leaders use to retain newly hired veterinarians. The participants comprised five veterinarian leaders from different clinical organizations in the US state of California who effectively used strategies to prevent newly hired veterinarian turnover. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Five themes emerged: …

Parental Satisfaction With Provider Communication And Interventions For Their Autistic, David Escorcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition in childhood impacting children globally and involving entire families. It has far-reaching effects on the U.S. healthcare system, communities, and school systems. Recent reports from the CDC reveal that one in 44 children is diagnosed with ASD, emphasizing the need for professional interventions to support the development and well-being of autistic children. However, the existing literature is sparse when it comes to understanding how therapies provided by licensed practitioners are perceived as successful from the standpoint of parents. To address this gap, I undertook secondary data analysis of the National Survey …

Analysis Of Sri Lanka’S Ethnic Inequality Through The Lens Of Polarities Of Democracy, Samanga Amarasinghe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sri Lanka, despite gaining independence in 1948, has been plagued by ethnic separatism, negatively impacting 29.9% of its ethnic minorities and causing violence and civil unrest throughout the nation. This has hindered the nation’s sustained growth and development. This study addresses Sri Lanka’s ethnic separatism by examining three stages of its history through the lens of the polarities of democracy model. The research question for the study is “How has the balance of polarities of democracy contributed or detracted from Sri Lanka’s pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial governance in terms of sustaining ethnic harmony?” The study took the form of a …

Police Officer Perceptions Of Parenting Experience Changes Following An On-Duty Child Death, Jennifer Sellers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) work in careers that can be demanding, stressful, and traumatizing. Although researchers have explored vicarious, or secondary, trauma as it relates to a LEO bringing their experiences at work into the home environment, influencing their spouse or partner’s mental and physical well-being, they have not yet investigated how a LEO’s experience of a child death while on-duty might affect their parenting styles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the parenting styles that LEOs use or change when they have experienced a traumatic incident at work, specifically a child death. The study was …

Organic Food Supply Chain Efficiency Strategies To Reduce Costs For Local Food Businesses, Tonya Keller Adair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The price of organic foods makes consumers unable to reduce risks of specific health issues, including pesticide-related diseases and allergies. Supply chain managers are concerned that the financial barrier to accessing organic foods can exacerbate nutritional inequalities, particularly affecting communities facing food insecurity. Grounded in the resource dependency theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the processes supply chain leaders at four organizations use to supply organic foods to local grocery stores in South Carolina. The data collected from four semistructured interviews were thematically analyzed, resulting in six primary themes: organic certification, food appearance, expensive freight …

Clinicians’ Experiences Of Using Schema-Focused Therapy In Black Americans With Panic Disorder, Martin E. Akanaefu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black Americans have a history of racism, oppression, subjugation, and discrimination, which could increase the risk of developing panic disorder. Because panic disorder and other chronic psychological problems resist Beck’s short cognitive therapy and other interventions that overlook the roots of psychological problems, schema-focused therapy has been adopted more conveniently over the most recent years for their effective treatment. In this study, clinicians’ experiences of using schema-focused therapy with Black Americans with panic disorder was explored. The concept that grounded this study was the integrated schema-focused model, a convenient clinical model that integrates several models of schema therapy. Generic qualitative …

A Comparison Of Public, Private, And Charter Educator Beliefs About Autistic Students Abilities, Jodene Ruth Jensen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the incidence of autism on the rise, it is imperative to identify factors that contribute to education. Despite the accessibility and low cost of public institutions, many parents choose to educate their autistic children in private and charter school settings. This study examined the difference in beliefs among public, private, and charter school educators toward the abilities of autistic students. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory guided this study. Through a mixed-methods approach, surveys were employed to special educators within the Walden Participant and Survey Monkey Pools. There was a total of 209 survey respondents. Surveys were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis …

Black Male Counselors’ Experiences Navigating Client-Initiated Microaggressions In Cross-Cultural Therapeutic Dyads, Crystal Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black male counselors working in the United States often face a unique set of challenges as the history of racism, discrimination, and prejudice that has plagued the United States also occurs in therapeutic spaces. Recent research has brought awareness to the existence of client-initiated microaggressions in therapy, but training on how to adequately address those microaggressions is lacking. Black male counselors have reported issues with knowing how to protect their own needs and maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with their clients while addressing these microaggressions as they are required to hold space for their clients despite any emotional distress or …

Black Social Workers Use Of Racial Identity And Self Concept In The Workplace, Shielah Monique Deblanc

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Navigating the Black professional identity in U.S. work environments poses challenges for social workers, with limited research addressing racial salience, power dynamics, and self-concept within their specific workplace contexts. Using self-concept theory, and the multidimensional model of racial identity as theoretical and conceptual frameworks, the purpose of this research was to examine Black social workers’ attitudes about self-concept using racial salience, power distance, and employee tenure as predictors. Using web-based surveys to collect data, a purposive sample of 77 participants were used to complete demographic information, a measure of centrality to gauge racial salience Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, a …

The Experience Of Correctional Officers Who Have Witnessed Inmate Suicide, Amanda Michelle Burrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Correctional officers are tasked with supervising individuals in custody. Their duties are plentiful and include responding to critical incidents, such as inmate suicide. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experience of correctional officers in the United States who have witnessed inmate suicide. Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping was used to guide this study. Participants included eight correctional officers within the United States who have witnessed inmate suicide. These participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Virtual, semi-structured, audio recorded interviews were conducted with participants. Data were analyzed using Braun and …

Public Health Insurance: An Approach To Mitigate The Burden Of Diabetes In Low Resource Settings, Jideuma I. Egwim, Namgyal Kyulo, Hadi Danawi, Aaron B. Mendelsohn

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a significant public health concern globally as well as in Owerri, Nigeria. The deleterious effects of diabetes have been linked to poor glycemic control. According to the International Diabetes Federation, poor glycemic control is reflected in glycosylated hemoglobin levels greater than 7.0%, which are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown a dramatic rise in diabetic complications in Nigeria, particularly in Owerri. However, evidence is lacking on specific risk factors associated with poor glycemic control among diabetes mellitus patients in Owerri. There is a gap in the literature regarding the association between health insurance …

Understanding The Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support And Psychological Well-Being: Perspectives Of Turkish Faculty Members, Ünal Deniz, Cihan Kocabaş

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of our quantitative correlational study is to investigate the relationship between the perceived organizational support of faculty members and their psychological well-being.

Methods: Our study included 450 faculty members from state universities in Istanbul who were selected using a simple random sampling method. We used descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and linear multiple regression analyses.

Results: We found that faculty perceptions of organizational support and psychological well-being vary according to academic title and tenure and are not different by gender. Perceived organizational support significantly predicted psychological well-being while controlling for gender, academic title, and tenure.

Conclusions: Ensuring …

Ptsd As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Police Discrimination And Family Relationship Among Black Americans, Mary A. Camper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police discrimination among Black Americans has been an ongoing trend for many years. Researchers have linked police discrimination to a traumatic experience that may result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In addition, researchers found that PTSD symptoms may impact the family relationship negatively. This quantitative study examined whether PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between experiences of police discrimination and family relationships. The family system theory and the critical race theory guided this study. The family system theory described how one family member affects the whole family unit. The critical race theory described the systems that are in place …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs Toward Third Hand Smoke, Gisele Tah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Third hand smoke (THS) is gaining significant interest in the environmental and public health fields as a new but dangerous phenomenon. THS is identified as a form of passive smoke consisting of residual nicotine and chemicals that settle on surfaces. THS is reported to be genotoxic in human cells, yet the public has limited or no knowledge of this new concept. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive, descriptive study was to discover and describe the level of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs regarding THS among individuals in an eastern U.S. state. Social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for this …

Understanding Adherence To Prescribed Medical Regimen To Treat Hypertension Among African American Males, Yolanda Lucian George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypertension is referred to as the silent killer and has been for decades. African Americans have been affected disproportionately compared to Whites, leading to a significant medical and financial burden. The literature has demonstrated that even though African Americans have a similar or better awareness of hypertension, they are more likely to have poorer treatment outcomes and have their hypertension less controlled. In this study, the health belief model and the ecological social model were used as the guiding framework to understand this phenomenon. In this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were used to explore and understand the perception of adherence …

Experiences Of Women In Sierra Leone Relating To Accessing Breast Cancer Treatment, Anne Neville, Magdeline Aagard Dr.

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The lack of consistent access to breast cancer care and treatment remains a significant problem for women diagnosed with breast cancer in Sierra Leone. The instability of the political structure has created an environment with a high level of illiteracy and financial hardship among the female population, resulting in a significant deficiency in information relating to symptoms and the detection of breast cancer. To study the lived experience of women living in Sierra Leone who were diagnosed with breast cancer, I [the first author] used a descriptive phenomenological approach. I conducted semi-structured interviews based on Andersen and Newman’s healthcare utilization …

Exploring Strategies To Build And Sell Affordable Homes, Christopher Lamont Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some builders are having challenges selling newly constructed homes and building affordable homes. New home builders are tasked with developing creative ways to move leftover inventory and adding affordable homes to their inventory while also realizing a profit. Grounded in uneven development theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies to build and sell affordable homes to prospective buyers while generating a profit for the builder. The participants were three small to medium-sized new home builders who build and sell in Baltimore County, Maryland, and have been operating their business for 5 years or longer. …

Training And Supporting Early Childhood Providers In Inclusive Settings, Kimberly K. Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood providers care for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and special needs in their programs and classrooms. This study addressed the problem that there is insufficient professional development (PD) training for early childhood providers working with infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand what training early childhood providers report they have had, and what training early childhood providers perceive that they need to support infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. Using the whole teacher approach as the conceptual framework, the research questions explored …

Beyond Incarceration: Identification Of Post-Incarceration Strategies For Successful Reintegration, Sharon D. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study was the high rate of recidivism among released offenders in the United States. Recidivism results in the rearrest of up to 650,000 offenders within 3 years of release. Reentry barriers are a primary cause of recidivism across the United States, as released offenders struggle to reintegrate into their communities. Policymakers and researchers have not focused on non-recidivating ex-convicts who designed, implemented, and maintained strategies for successful living. Rather than identifying obstacles ex-convicts face, which have been long recognized, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate and identify post-incarceration strategies for …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Transgender Men Living In The Southern United States, Coltena Reynolds

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transgender individuals face challenges such as safety, stereotyping, mental illness, racialized violence, lack of support, and cultural challenges. There has been considerable media attention paid to transgender people, but there was little knowledge of the lived experiences of African American transgender males and how they manage situations in which invisibility is required to survive in the world, especially in the southern United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of African American transgender men in this region. Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality was used to understand how the intersectionality of many social statuses impacts …

Strategies To Reduce Turnover And Increase Retention Among Therapists And Case Managers In Community Mental Health, Genice Mae Harvey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The issue of employee turnover has been widely recognized. High turnover and poor retention of clinicians, specifically therapists and case managers, in the community mental health arena of behavioral health impact not only an organization, but also the consumers it serves. The subject of this qualitative case study was a state contracted provider of the community mental health authority. Semistructured interviews were held with five behavioral health leaders of this organization in addition to a review of organizational records. The Baldridge Performance Program was the conceptual framework that grounded this study. A thematic qualitative analysis of the interviews in addition …

Revitalizing Public Health Policy And Legislation For Effective Management Of Sickle Cell Disease, Elvelyna B. Beaubrun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transition of care from childhood to adulthood can impact young adults with chronic conditions. U.S. public health policy and legislation can mitigate the challenges with the transition of care through education and policy guidelines. There was a lack of information on the public policies that evaluate continuing care practices, education, and the competence of young African American (AA) adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) living in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of 10 AA adults ages 18–25 with SCD to understand what education was necessary for policymakers to reform legislation and …

Development Of A Work-Conduct Training For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Katharine J. Robershaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At the nonprofit organization that was the site of this study, Agency A, formerly incarcerated employees’ lack of appropriate professional work conduct was preventing them from maintaining successful employment. The purpose of the study was to develop a program to train Agency A’s formerly incarcerated employees about appropriate professional work conduct. The practice-focused questions for this qualitative study were used to determine topics to be included in the training program, reasons for inappropriate work conduct, and interventions already in place to assist formerly incarcerated employees manage their behaviors. The study was guided by the paradigm for counterproductive behaviors and adult …

Perceptions Of Instructional Faculty Regarding Their Professional Development Program, Brenda Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study is the lack of understanding of the instructional faculty members’ perspectives at southeastern university (SEU, pseudonym) on the strengths and professional activities for improvement of professional development program. The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructional faculty members at SEU perceive the strengths and opportunities for improvement of the professional development program. The conceptual framework for this program evaluation design study was based on Andragogy Theory. Fifteen instructional faculty members who participated in professional development activities and teach at least one course per year at SEU were interviewed. NVivo was used for …