Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Relationship Of Social Inclusion On Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intentions Of Us Post-9/11 Veterans, Sheree' L. Peters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many American veterans return to the civilian workforce and report having problems reintegrating into society, as well as finding their role in the new corporate social realms. Over 80% leave their civilian jobs within the first two years of employment, and over 70% report experiencing feelings of loneliness. Recently, the World Health Organization reported that the lack of perceived social inclusion also has a significant economic impact on both individuals and societies. A quantitative, nonexperimental methodology was used to examine the moderating relationship of social inclusion on the relationship between job employee turnover intentions of post-9/11 enlisted veterans. This study …

Community Advocate Perspectives On Addressing Equity Gaps In Florida’S Gifted Programs, Ashley Phelps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study addressed the lack of community advocate perspectives related to efforts being made to improve bureaucratic representation for minority students who were underserved by gifted programs in Florida. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of community advocates about efforts to improve bureaucratic representation for students underserved by gifted programs in Florida. The study was conceptually framed around Kingsley’s theory of representative bureaucracy. The research questions focused on community advocates’ perceptions related to diversity in Florida’s public school gifted programs and their current efforts to improve representation of minority students in gifted education …

Strategies To Reduce Employee Turnover In The Insurance Industry, Ebony Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover continues to increase in the insurance industry because no minimum skill or education level is required to enter the U.S. insurance industry. Insurance leaders are concerned with reducing employee turnover, as it creates a risk to employee productivity and profitability. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies five insurance leaders from central Kansas used to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected using semistructured virtual interviews and a review of company records. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step approach, and three themes emerged: (a) supportive leadership, (b) incentives/benefits, …

Examining Help-Seeking Intentions Among Female Veterans With Military Sexual Trauma, Elizabeth Pirone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 38.4% of military women have experienced military sexual trauma (MST) at some point in their careers. Because MST experiences can be confounding, navigating beliefs toward treatment resources and seeking help can be challenging. The problem under study was that no literature examined multiple constructs of the health belief model (HBM) together as a foundational tool to identify perceptions of help-seeking intentions among female veterans with MST experiences. Guided by the HBM, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health motives, perceived severity of emotional or nervous problems, perceived benefits of getting help for emotional …

African American Women’S Experiences Coping With Stress Through Community-Based Services, Delisa V. Procks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few studies have studied how community-based services (CBS) work to mitigate the strong Black woman image (SBWI) coping mechanism for Black women to improve their mental health. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to understand the experiences of 10 African American women, ages 18 and older, who identified with the SBWI and had received CBS to address their stress-related coping strategies. Transactional theory of coping with stress and the SBWI approach was used as the framework to help explain how stress in terms of the SBWI impacted the response of the African American women within their environment. Data …

Oncology Nurses, Compassion Fatigue And General Health: A Mixed-Methods Study, Michelle Rampersad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current literature on compassion fatigue is expansive, but there is a lack on the relationship between compassion fatigue and general health complaints in oncology nurses; how they perceive compassion fatigue and its relation to their general health. Using Pender’s health promotion model, this mixed methods study addressed how oncology nurses perceive compassion fatigue and whether a correlation exists between compassion fatigue and general health complaints. Data were collected from a sample of 55 oncology nurses through two separate Survey Monkey links. All 55 participants completed quantitative data points including a demographic questionnaire, the Professional Quality of Life 5 tool, and …

Impact Of Minority Incarceration On The Family Unit, Huey S. Ratcliff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The economic impact of incarceration on minority family units has both secondary and third-order effects on the minority family unit when a family member is incarcerated, which is exacerbated when the incarcerated family member was both the primary breadwinner and a parent. The purpose of this study was to identify the social and economic effects incarceration has on minority families. The study addressed how minority families adjust to changes in organic composition and how the minority family copes with increased debt and loss of earning potential. Further, the study sought to answer how minority families overcome economic hardship when the …

Personal Resilience As An Interventional Strategy To Reduce Physician Burnout, Towahna D. Rhim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPhysician burnout is prevalent in healthcare today. Contributing factors include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of loss of autonomy. Physician burnout negatively affects a physician’s ability to provide high quality patient care. Physician burnout indicators include poor behavior, mental decline, depression, narcotics and alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicide completion. Given the negative impact of physician burnout, it is necessary to understand what can counter this phenomenon. Through lived experiences of physicians who self-identified as burned out, the purpose of this study was to explore personal resilience as an interventional strategy to reduce physician burnout. Personal resilience is adapting …

Nurses' Lived Experiences Caring For Covid-19 Patients In The United States, Cynthia Rose Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare services and delivery and may leave unprecedented effects on nurses’ physical and mental health. Research is sparse on the pandemic’s effects on nurses, but studies have identified the stressful factors that may contribute to nurses’ health and well-being. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in the United States and discover how their experiences impact them on a personal and professional level. Hans Selye’s general adaptation theory served as the theoretical basis for this study with Edmund Husserl’s life worldview used …

Postsecondary Education, Self-Efficacy, And Organizational Commitment Impact On Previously Incarcerated Employee Job Satisfaction, Elizabeth Sadler Roney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A study was conducted to determine if previously incarcerated employee age, postsecondary education (PSE) attainment, prior incarceration status, and assessed self-efficacy predict job satisfaction. It also considered if organizational commitment had a moderating effect on the predictors ability to forecast the criterion. Two underlying theories considered in this study are Bandura’s social learning theory and Vroom’s expectancy theory. The obtained sample of 22 participants included seven previously incarcerated individuals. Demographic data used as predictors were employee age, PSE attainment, and prior incarceration status. Three instruments used included the New General Self-Efficacy Survey to assess self-efficacy as a predictor, the Job …

Heterosexual Male Sexual Assault Victims Experience Of Challenges In Reporting Their Victimization, Jessica Lynn Rundle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the gender specific challenges male sexual assault victims face when they report their victimization. Researchers can use their knowledge of these challenges reduce the stigmatization that is correlated with being a male sexual assault victim. The theoretical basis for this study was Joseph Pleck’s sex role strain paradigm, also known as the gender role strain paradigm. The research questions pertained to the psychological challenges that male sexual assault victims encounter when they begin seeking out services. The sample for this study consisted of eight heterosexual male participants who are sexual assault …

Adult Attitudes And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications For Child Maltreatment, Carla M. Santana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, approximately $124 billion is spent annually on mental health and medical diagnosis as a result of the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences. These experiences can result in both mental and physical illness as well as a pattern of instability across the lifespan, which may affect adult attitudes toward child maltreatment and perpetuate the cycle of abuse. The purpose of this quantitative regression study was to examine any association between a person’s adverse childhood experiences and attitudes of what defined child maltreatment. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was the framework. A total of 98 participants took part …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives On Their Responses To Children’S Challenging Behaviors, Dr. Sharon Denise Scallion

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem that was the focus of this study was the high rate of suspensions and expulsions of preschool children enrolled in independently funded childcare centers in Texas, and the lack of understanding of preschool teachers’ response to children’s challenging behavior. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers’ perspective on how they handle children’s challenging behaviors, and what inclines teachers toward suspending or expelling children from independently funded childcare centers. Liu’s theory of children’s externalizing behavior provided the conceptual framework for the study. Ten preschool teachers from urban, independently funded childcare centers in Texas were …

Relationship Between Nurse Managers’ Cultural Humility Practices And Nurse Retention, Jessica Scharfenberg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some hospital administrators experience yearly loss of human capital, resulting in economic and noneconomic consequences that require resource reallocation to sustain operations. Grounded in the cultural humility theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between nurses’ perceptions of their nurse managers’ (a) openness, (b) self-awareness, (c) egolessness, (d) self-reflection and critique, (e) supportive interaction, and nurse turnover intention. Participants included 142 registered nurses working in the Midwest United States. Data were collected using Foronda’s Cultural Humility Scale and the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated the model could significantly predict …

School Counselor Leadership: Illuminating The Lived Experiences Of Principals Who Utilize Counselors In Leadership, Amanda Schwyn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe topic of principal–school counselor partnerships has been emerging over the last several decades. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) helped introduce and streamline counselor roles and responsibilities in 1952 and has been advocating for schools to have comprehensive school counseling programs since. Despite articles, research, and ASCA’s work to promote school counselors as leaders in the school and the importance of a comprehensive school counseling program, a gap remains with respect to counselors working with principals to establish comprehensive school counseling programs from the principal’s perspective. To understand the principal’s experience, the study was conducted using eight principals at …

Implementing Music Therapy Into Behavioral Healthcare To Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder, Arthur George Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis study explored how best to implement Music Therapy (MT) in any hospital setting when working with autistic children, teenagers, and adults. Baldrige’s theory and concepts were used as a benchmark to facilitate all findings through the research conducted. Multiple factors affect the workforce and the existing staff at a large medical facility in the Western United States. The methodology employed included interviews with two behavioral health leaders using structured questions. This was an ideal research setting given that over fifty providers, including doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists, who work daily with the ASD population. Key findings included MT treatments at …

U.S. Secondary Teachers’ Concerns About Videoconferencing As An Instructional Modality For English Language Learners, Ani Seker Ba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Videoconferencing (VC) instruction has become more prevalent in education due to a variety of factors, one of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, which required online teachers to plan relevant and purposeful VC lessons. Secondary English Language Learner (ELL) teachers have expressed concerns about the quality of instruction being delivered. The problem for this study was that U.S. secondary teachers of ELLs had concerns when using VC for instruction. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the concerns that secondary teachers have about using VC with secondary ELLs. The concerns-based adoption model formed the conceptual framework of this …

Gender-Based Pay Inequality In The Canadian Insurance Companies, Mostafa Shayangogani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem in this study was gender-based pay inequality among women at Canadian insurance companies. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand gender-based pay inequality for women at Canadian insurance companies. Aigner's, Cain's, Arrow's, and Phelps' statistical discrimination theory guided the study. The theoretical foundation also included the human capital theory by Becker and Schultz. The research questions focused on understanding C-suite and V-level executives’ lived experiences of gender-based pay inequality and identifying effective strategies that should be adopted to overcome the problem at Canadian insurance companies. This study used purposeful sampling to recruit 15 C-suite and …

Professional Counselor Identity Development Relative To Professional Recognition, Brandon Shurn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This descriptive phenomenological study was conducted to explore how professional counselors described their professional identity development and if professional recognition from psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and other professional organizations contributed to professional identity development. Phenomenology was developed by Edmund Husserl and explores insights from others based on their experiences. Licensed clinical professional counselors in Maryland formed the purposive sample that included six participants; each participated in a semi-structured interview. Thematic coding highlighted themes that emerged and included (a) the importance of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), (b) licensure as a stressful process, (c) professional …

Medication Versus Mindfulness Meditation On Symptoms Of Adhd In Adult Women, Maria Skoulidas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA recent spike has occurred in women diagnosed with less common and often overlooked ADHD symptoms. Using the mindfulness to meaning theory as the foundation, this study was conducted to explore how mindfulness meditation (MM) and medication affected three related factors commonly found in women with ADHD, self-concept, risky behaviors, and familial relationships. The research questions were formulated to determine if there was a difference in subscale scores of each variable based on the type of treatment the participant was using, either mindfulness meditation (MM) or prescription medication, to deal with ADHD symptoms. A pre-experimental static group comparison design was …

Prevention Of Early Adolescent Substance Misuse And Addiction In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Alisha J. Thomas

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This portfolio intends to educate children ages 9 to 11 about addiction and its effects in an effort to prevent future alcohol and drug experimentation.

Significant Findings: This paper explores the issue of early adolescent substance use in Bernalillo County, New Mexico also known as Albuquerque. According to the New Mexico Voices for Children (n.d.), in 2017, 9.6% of 12-17-year-olds within the county participated in binge drinking. Internal and external individual risk factors significantly influence a young person’s ambivalence, decision-making, and behaviors to use harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs. The Mexican-American population is a subgroup that …

Youth Mental Health Awareness, Hillsborough County, Fl, Kelce Minor

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This social change portfolio aims to increase awareness of youth mental health and provide resources for easy access to mental health services, ultimately improving the psychological health outcomes of young people in Hillsborough County.

Significant Findings: Numerous adolescents in Hillsborough County report experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. The youths also lack mental health awareness and assistance access. The portfolio suggests increasing mental health resources, school-based programs, and mental health awareness campaigns to address these issues.

Adult Physical Inactivity In Baltimore, Md, Christopher Aitken

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to identify low cost, high access, and high participation community programs that will promote increased leisure time physical activity amongst Baltimore City adults ages 18 and older.

Significant Findings: Adults in Baltimore City, Maryland are less physically active on average than the rest of the United States (County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, 2022). A sedentary lifestyle places adults at greater risk of depression (Luo et al., 2022), low overall mood (DeMello et al., 2018), obesity (Ali & Kunugi, 2020), and higher hospitalization rates for comorbid mental health problems (Gupta et al., 2023). …

Preventing Opioid Addiction In Wilkes County, North Carolina, Charly Marie Harris

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Opioid addiction is a problem in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Preventing opioid addiction would slow opioid related deaths and decrease problems such as the number of children in foster care, crime rates, homelessness, and improve mental and physical health. Opioid addiction has been on the rise since around 2007 after pharmaceutical companies began offering lavish incentives to doctors for prescribing opiates. Opioid addiction is devastating families across the nation hence the need for prevention (State of North Carolina, 2017). Prevention efforts must reach children and adults. Addiction does not discriminate and can happen to people of various ages and cultural …

Serving Poverty & Homeless Populations Through Structured Encampments With Personal Interaction(S) And Healthcare Providers Volunteering., Abreana C. Howerton

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Significant Findings:

Poverty and homelessness have numerous effects on communities. These populations are usually transient, making it difficult to track their movements. Providing structured encampments affords homeless people the opportunity to feel safe, included, and helps healthcare professionals provide continuity of care. Homeless individuals are part of many communities and should be appropriately treated. Prevention theories can also be implemented into this population, providing resources and stabilized relationships while offering support through re-entry into the community. The Critical Time Intervention (CTI) provided evidence-based findings that can decrease homelessness by up to 67% in nine months (Arnold Foundation, 2018). Inadequate housing …

Police Excessive Use Of Force: Preventing Trauma-Induced Stress And Anxiety In The Black Community, St. Louis, Mo., Ashleigh A. Cole

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to increase awareness of mental health disparities in the Black community due to experiencing or witnessing police brutality.

Significant Findings: This brief explores issues of police excessive use of force during interactions with Blacks that result in trauma-induced stress and anxiety, whether witnessing or experiencing such brutality, for this marginalized population. In St. Louis, Missouri, Blacks who experience police use of force in person or “seeing a video of police use of force in the media” experience moderately high police contact anxiety (Murez, 2021, para. 7). The scope of the problem illuminates …

Preventing Veteran Suicide In Berkeley County, Sc, Jonathan F. Nelson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: I want to reduce veteran suicide in Berkeley County South Carolina by developing a program based on Social Cognitive Theory and Community Organizing Theory which fosters relationships among veterans and helps them integrate within the civilian community. Significant Findings: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and is particularly prominent in the military veteran community which experiences a suicide rate 1.5 times greater than the civilian population (US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), 2022). As of the 2022 US census, Berkeley County, SC is home to over 20,600 and can expect to have approximately …

Affordable Housing For Austin’S Homeless Population, Brittany M. Bilbo

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: In this portfolio, the issue of homelessness in Austin will be discussed as well as the impacts affordable housing and easier access to resources could have as preventative measures.

Significant Findings: The target population of this portfolio includes individuals at risk of entering into homelessness in Austin, Texas. In communities across the United States, higher rates of homelessness are correlated with higher rates of criminal activity, mental health issues, and substance abuse across all subgroups of those communities (Center for Evidence-Based Solutions to Homelessness, 2019). Thus, the issue of homelessness is a public health issue because it impacts …

Increasing Ace Screenings In Wayne County, Amber Anderson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change portfolio is to decrease Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Wayne County by highlighting the need for increased physician training, screenings, and resources. Significant Findings: The population of Wayne County, MI experiences a higher instance of poor mental health days per month than the national average (County Health Rankings, 2023). In fact, those citizens report having 14 or more poor mental health days per month which is significant considering that is more than half of each month. ACE screening can detect stressors earlier in life, allowing attention, resources, and education to be funneled …

Prevention Of Substance Use In Adolescents In Glenn County, California, Gabriela Gonzalez

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this prevention plan is to promote awareness of the adverse effects of substance use in Glenn County through workshops and work with schools and the community to increase resources for adolescents to decrease their partaking of substance use.

Significant Findings: The rates of adolescent substance use in Glenn County, California, have rapidly increased. From 2019 to 2021, marijuana usage in adolescents was 16% (California Department of Education, 2023), and 8.9% of adolescents reported consuming alcohol (National Center for Drug Statistics, 2023). There are many consequences of the early use of substances, like poorer verbal memory, …