Digital Commons Network^™

Diabetes Distress Among Adults Living In Texas, Jenny Chinedu Ogadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

About 34.2 million Americans (approximately 10.5% of the total U.S. population) live with diabetes. African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and more likely to be less compliant with treatment medication regimens and suffer from related complications, compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Such disparities brought attention to the need to investigate and understand better the diabetes distress of diverse groups of diabetics. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between demographic factors (race, age, gender, and educational level), diabetes education, diabetes management, and diabetes distress of adult diabetics in Texas. The theory of …

Challenges Of Digital Privacy In Banking Organizations, Okechukwu Innocent Ogudebe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the information and technology age becomes more advanced, digital privacy flaws have become more challenging. Information technology (IT) security managers, chief information security officers, and other stakeholders in banks are concerned with identity-based authentication attacks because identity-theft attacks cause data breaches. Grounded in the protection motivation theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to examine strategies IT security professionals working on internet banking platforms use to mitigate identity-based authentication attacks. The study participants comprised five IT security professionals currently working in the online banking industry from the northeastern United States with at least 5 years of experience …

Risk Factors Associated With Type 2 Diabetes Among Adults In Alabama, Peter Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the 21stcentury Diabetes mellitus is recognized as one of the most important public

health challenges that carry a substantial individual and community burden.

It is necessary to do a detailed search regarding DM2 from adolescence till adulthood is in

Alabama which should aim to provide recent information. T2D is influenced by a many

factors including demographics including age, sex, income level, educational, BMI,

physical activities, etc. Identification of the associated risk factors is very important to

inform decision making by concerned bodies and T2D management. The study aimed to

examine the risk factors associated with T2D in adults aged …

The Experience And Perception Of Contraceptive Use Among Teenage Girls Living In Lagos, Nigeria, Kikelomo Omotoso

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThere is a low level of contraceptive use among Nigerian teenagers, leading to unwanted pregnancies and subsequently unsafe abortions. Sexual activities among teenagers in Lagos, Nigeria, are a major public health problem. The principal factors leading to this health problem are poverty, peer pressure among university students leading to involvement in the sex trade, and early marriage in some cultures. There are myths and perceptions about the use of contraception in society, especially concerning the use of condoms, which Nigerian teenagers believe do not make intercourse interesting or satisfying; these ideas can lead to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), …

Relationship Between Cost, Schedule Overruns, And Project Success In The Nuclear Construction Industry In The United Kingdom, Adesegun Francis Osadare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to achieve project success due to cost and schedule overruns may negatively affect an organization's financial strength, profitability, and competitive advantage. Organizational leaders must constantly monitor and control projects throughout the life cycle to reduce the impact of cost and schedule overruns and ensure project success. Grounded in the triple constraint model, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between cost, schedule overruns, and project success. Data were collected from 66 project managers, project directors, project control, delivery integration managers, and construction project planners. The multiple linear regression analysis results were significant, F (2,63) …

Successful Recruitment And Retention Strategies Used By Logistics Hiring Managers, Anna Ouattara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover results in increased employers’ costs and a decrease in profitability. Transportation hiring managers who lack strategies to recruit and retain employees risk higher employee turnover, resulting in reduced profitability. Grounded in Herzberg’s two factory theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies transportation hiring managers use to recruit and retain employees to reduce employee turnover and improve profitability. The participants were three transportation hiring managers from three transportation companies in Eagan, Minnesota, who successfully implemented strategies resulting in employee retention. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a review of company documents. Data …

Non-Disclosure Of Child Sexual Abuse: The Lived Experience Of Victims In South Africa, Chima Obiora Ozor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child sexual assault (CSA) has been reported all over the world. Studies indicated that South Africa has one of the highest incidences with far reaching social, physical and emotional consequences. However, non-disclosure is common, which increases the risk of revictimization. Understanding the complexities surrounding the low reporting and non-disclosure will provide guidance for better intervention of CSA in South Africa. This study explored the past experiences of adults who were sexually abused as minors, and how their experiences and outcomes may have been influenced by factors at the micro, meso, macro, and chrono-system levels of Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological model. The …

Reducing Racial Disparity Of Youths Referred To The Juvenile Center, Kimberly Paige

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2018, The Juvenile Center in St. Louis, Missouri acknowledged that they needed to decrease the racial disparity in the numbers and percentages of Black youths who were overrepresented compared to White youths at the front-end intake step of the facility. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight as to whether there were alternative actions for police officers after they arrested the youths but before they referred them to the front-end intake step of The Juvenile Center. The main method of collecting data was an ethnographic interview in the form of a questionnaire to gather the community …

Improving Advance Care Planning Among Native Americans, Jasjit Kaur Pataria

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A staff education project was created in a tribal health system of primary care clinics to improve advance care planning (ACP) conversations between care providers and Native American tribal patients. ACP conversations and advance directive documentation occurrences were found to be low or negligible in the project site despite primary care clinics being an ideal place to start these conversations. The purpose of the staff education project was to improve the knowledge and attitudes of providers toward initiating ACP conversations in a rural underserved community of Native Americans. The knowledge-to-action model was used to frame the project. Pretests and posttests …

Relationship Between Nursing Staffing Hours (Rns & Lpns) And Covid-19 Mortality In Indiana Nursing Homes, Chirag Chandrakant Patel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many nursing homes struggled to meet the needed staffing levels, compromising service delivery in health institutions across the United States. The disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on various health care institutions and staff-patient ratios rejuvenated discussions on the longstanding workforce challenges on quality care and outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the relationship between registered nurse (RN) staffing hours and COVID-19 deaths in Indiana private and public nursing home residents based on the data obtained in the Care Compare database and Indiana Department of health COVID-19 portals. The independent study variables were RN …

Endarkened Joy: A Black Woman’S Critical Autoethnography Of (Re)Membering Self Through Generational Tales Of Spirituality, Social (In)Justice, And Education, Rhemma D. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Counselor education lacks representation and visibility of Black women and women of color scholars and professionals despite ongoing efforts to promote cultural diversity and inclusion within the field. Researchers have explored the externalized stereotypes of identity for Black women; however, little is known about the internalized beliefs of these stereotypical identities and the impact on advocacy and (un)wellness in academic settings. The purpose of this critical autoethnography was to present an insider’s view of a Black woman’s nuanced experiences of internalization of stereotypes while completing a counselor education doctoral program. Using an endarkened feminist onto-epistemological framework to guide the research, …

Challenges And Opportunities For Implementing Sustainable Wind Strategies In The Dominican Republic, Virgil J. Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The difficulties utility managers in the Dominican Republic have implementing sustainable wind strategies threaten the ability to diversify the energy supply and reduce dependence on imported fuels. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies utility managers use to implement renewable wind energy in the Dominican Republic. The participants were five wind energy managers in the Dominican Republic. Data were collected using semistructured, face-to-face interviews and a review of company documents. Three themes emerged through thematic analysis: deconstructing the existing regulatory legal framework for renewable energy development, the fusion …

Perspectives Of Adult Esl Teachers On The Use Of Direct Vocabulary Instruction With Adult Ells, Erica N. Pettis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWith the growing number of non-native English speakers, improving communication through direct vocabulary instruction (DVI) is important. The problem investigated in this study was that English as a second language (ESL) teachers were not using the strategy DVI, in the ESL classroom. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore ESL teachers’ perspectives about DVI for adult English language learners (ELLs) in a Midwestern state. The conceptual framework was drawn from Vygotsky’s constructivist theory because ESL teachers construct meaning from their experiences and what they have learned about vocabulary to improve reading comprehension for adult ELLs. The research …

Health Responsibility In Community College Students, Christine Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community college students are less healthy than 4-year college students, and they tend to have a higher allostatic load than their 4-year counterparts. Although research demonstrated that community college students are at greater risk for physical and mental illness, a better understanding of how community college students perceive their health responsibility was needed. A basic qualitative approach was employed to study how community college students experience health responsibility. Self-determination theory and the health belief model were used to guide the development of a semistructured interview and analysis plan. Thirteen adult credit-seeking students were interviewed. Data were analyzed using a top-down …

Resilience Of Former Offenders Released From A Halfway House, Tasha Andrea Pritchett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Former offenders confront a myriad of obstacles that often lead to re-offending and return to prison. Re-offending also creates financial and social burdens for taxpayers. There is some evidence that the consequences of incarceration for offenders can be buffered through resilience. Factors that promote resilience can be personal (internal) and environmental (external), and may directly or indirectly affect offenders’ adaptation, well-being, and development as they transition out of prison. The purpose of the study was to explore the narratives of resilience in adult males who have transitioned from halfway houses to mainstream society. Richardson’s metatheory of resilience and resiliency was …

Stories Of Adults Experiencing Overweight Or Obesity With Histories Of Childhood Adversities, Megan Propps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than half the population in and outside of the United States experience childhood adversity, which is associated with the risk of developing obesity and overweight problems across the life span. In the United States, overweight affects 73.6% of adults, obesity affects 42.5% of adults, and both are considered a major public health concern. With this qualitative study, 18 adults with early life adversities were explored as to how experience weight loss treatment within their primary care. This narrative inquiry was designed to answer the research questions intended to explore physical health, mental health, and socio-environmental aspects of their stories, …

Beliefs, Skill Sets, And Behaviors Of Police Officers Regarding Mental Health Treatment, Kareem C. Puranda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current law enforcement training assumes that police officers can manage their mental health with minimal support. This cultural attitude creates a fear of being unfit if police officers seek assistance for their mental health. Law enforcement suicide rates have outnumbered duty-related deaths in recent years. Statistics show that police officers are twice as likely to die by suicide for reasons related to stress. Mental health treatment is the ideal solution, but research has shown that police officers often reject treatment due to stigma. This qualitative study aimed to examine factors that hindered law enforcement officers from obtaining mental health treatment. …

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

Staff Nurses Lack Of Knowledge And Opioid Use At The Veteran Administration, Cathy J. Ramey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStaff Nurses’ Lack of Knowledge and Opioid Use at the Veteran Administration By Cathy Ramey

MS, University of Phoenix, 2014BS, Chamberlain University, 2008

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University November 2022

Abstract Opioids are often prescribed for pain management, which may have led to high rates of opioid addiction among veteran populations. The problem identified in this DNP project was the nurses’ lack of knowledge regarding pain management and the use of opioids in the veteran’s (VA) hospital where the project commenced. Using the Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, …

The Relationship Between Work Engagement, Burnout, And Employee Turnover Intention, Lannita J. Randle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover can cost an organization 30% to 250% of a worker’s annual compensation to replace and train an employee. Understanding employee intent to leave is vital for human resource managers in the field service industry to help reduce turnover. Grounded in Alderfer’s Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG) theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between work engagement, employee burnout, and employee turnover intention in the field service industry. The participants were 169 full-time service repair employees residing in the metropolitan Houston, Texas area who completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, …

Correctional Education And Response To Prison Reentry Of African American Men, Robert Reddick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is limited knowledge of how correctional education programs prepare rural African American men for reentry into society after incarceration. The purpose of this study was to learn how young, rural African American men between the ages of 20 to 30 years perceived their experiences of technical correctional education programs and how such programs aided in reducing recidivism during their reentry process from incarceration. This qualitative study was guided by the institutional theory which purported that correctional education should be based on the population served and not on mirroring other institutions. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected from …

Work-Life Balance And Job Satisfaction For Older (55+) African American Men, Anthony B. Redic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate work-life balance (WLB) strategies help workers achieve psychological, physical, and emotional stability and contribute to organizational success. Most of the current literature centers on female workers, however, leaving the experiences of a sizable segment of workers, African American men aged 55 and older, unexplored. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether WLB predicted job satisfaction among African American men aged 55 and older. A secondary purpose was to examine whether work hours and age moderated the relationship with job satisfaction. The theoretical framework included the boundary and border theories. The sample consisted of 126 African American …

The Implementation Of Advanced Digitalization In The Oil And Gas Industry, Ensieh Rezafar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe immature advanced digitalization in the oil and gas industry can limit access to the potential value of mature progressive digitalization. Oil and gas leaders must expedite the implementation of advanced digitalization to increase organizational proficiencies and reduce costs and losses. Grounded in Pettigrew and Whipp’s dimensions of strategic change theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies some leaders in the oil and gas industry used to implement advanced digitalization. The participants were seven leaders in two oil service companies in North America involved in the successful implementation of progressive digitalization. Data were collected …

A Quality Improvement Evaluation On A Nurse Residency Program, Mary Christine Richards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this DNP project was to explore new graduate nurse (NGN) residency program retention data in a large healthcare system to assess if participant retention met or exceeded identified retention benchmarks. The second project question explored NGNs’ reasons for leaving the organization after the first year of experience. The Plan Do Study Act model framed this quality improvement evaluation project. The total number of NGN residency participants for the system in 2020 was 586 and 680 in 2021.Year one retention in 2020 was 539 (92%). Year one retention in 2021 was 625 (92%). Year two retention data were …

Relationship Between Nurses’ Perceptions Of Work Environment And Intent To Stay, Ursula Virginia Roberts-Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health systems in the United States face a growing shortage of nurses to provide care, including home health agencies looking for approaches to improve retention and reduce attrition. The work environment across all health delivery systems plays a critical role in nurse retention. Studies show increased attrition when nurses perceive their work environment as hostile. This quantitative correlational study guided Watson’s theory of human caring. It explored the relationship between home health nurses’ perceptions of their work environment and their intent to stay in their current position. Archival data from a convenience sample obtained from an extensive multistate multiservice health …

Staff Education On The Benefits Of Pharmacogenetic Testing For Chronic Pain Management, Laura April Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic pain management is a growing concern in the medical community with one out of three people in America suffering from chronic pain. This educational practice-focused project identified the value of educating a group of primary care providers (PCP) on pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing offering genetic-based prescribing choices and reducing trial and failure in treating chronic pain patients. The practice-focused question explored if there would be support regarding learning gained by the providers following an evidence-based education process on PGx testing, as shown from pretest to posttest results. The educational model was guided by the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation …

Strategies For Information Technology Small Business Owners To Sustain Beyond The First 5 Years, Edward Alan Rodarte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses are the foundation of an economy and spawn innovation, but small business owners fail at an alarming rate because they lack strategies to sustain business operations. Since 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years, small business sustainability research is critical to support small business owners. Grounded in entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies information technology (IT) small business owners use to sustain operation beyond the first 5 years. The participants included four IT small business owners in the Southwestern United States who sustained operations beyond the first 5 …

Improving Employee Productivity Using Effective Leadership Strategies, Candice Nicole Rodgers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low employee productivity has the potential to impact small business outcomes negatively. Small business leaders who can develop and use strategies to increase employee productivity, improve employee morale, and lower employee turnover rates can help a business succeed and grow. Grounded in the decision-making model of leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to identify strategies some small business leaders use to increase employee productivity. The participants consisted of one leader from five different small businesses who had experience implementing leadership strategies to improve employee productivity. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, a review of documents, …

Integrating Social Justice Advocacy In Clinical Supervision, Mary Rodgers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A research gap exists on the process for how supervisors effectively address social justice advocacy (SJA) in clinical supervision within the counseling profession. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study was to increase understanding of the process by which SJA can be integrated into clinical supervision and thus generate a theory for teaching supervisors to effectively integrate SJA into clinical supervision. A constructivist grounded theory approach provided direction on the structure of this study to identify how professors who are social justice advocates and provide clinical supervision to doctoral students in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related …

Social Distance Compliance And Perceived Importance Of Online Youtube Diabetes Prevention Programs, Bettyann Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative, nonexperimental survey was designed using a five-point Likert scale to measure the differences in the perceived importance scores for enrollment practices into nationally accredited YouTube diabetes prevention programs, or YouTube DPP, among online U.S. adult participants during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the social cognitive framework and was validated with Cronbach’s alpha. G* Power analysis for alpha level = 0.05, standard power = 0.08, and the effect size = 0.25 was calculated for a target population of over 100,000. Responses (i.e., N = 258) from the COVID-19 Blood Sugar Wellness Survey were uploaded from SurveyMonkey. The perceived important …