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Staff Education For Intake Clinicians On A Behavioral Health Unit At A 137-Bed Safety Net Hospital In An Underserved Community, Latisha Stennis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health conditions among adolescents are rising across the nation. This project consisted of an educational intervention implemented at a 137-bed safety net hospital that is expanding psychiatric services for adolescents, and numerous personnel at the organization reported having limited knowledge and experience working with this population. The project aimed to reduce the knowledge gap by accentuating the signs and symptoms of adolescents with anxiety, depression, suicidal, and self-injurious behaviors. The practice question that was developed to address this problem was as follows: Does implementing an educational intervention focused on adolescent anxiety, depression and recognizing suicidal and self-injurious behaviors enhance …

Workplace Violence Prevention, Solomon Soroibe Okwueze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This staff education and quality improvement project was created to reduce workplace violence incidents within a psychiatry and primary care health group. Research has shown that the frequency of workplace violence events can create a critical practice problem that severely impacts the safety, morale, and, ultimately, retention of nursing staff. Addressing workplace violence in the healthcare field not only can ensure a safer working environment but also can increase the well-being of staff and assure high-quality care for patients. The project highlights a proactive approach to mitigating violence, promoting safety culture, and improving workplace ambiance. The central practice-based question guiding …

Mental Health Seeking Perspectives Of Filipino Immigrants In California, Jonathan Patam Won

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Filipino immigrants have low access to mental healthcare in their native country and a high rate of mental health disorders. The problem that was investigated in this concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study was a lack of understanding regarding how Filipino immigrants to California perceive mental health services. Acculturation theory was used to understand the lived experiences of eight Californian Filipino immigrants who had sought mental health services and seven who had not. All participants had lived in California for at least 10 years. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis were employed for the qualitative component. An acculturation questionnaire was used to gather …

Effective Strategies For Mitigating Bidding Corruption For U.S. Infrastructure Contracts, Alan Edward Kulevich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fraud in the U.S. government and corporate construction bidding process remains a critical issue, driving up project costs, distorting competition, and undermining financial forecasting. Business owners face financial losses and competitive disadvantages due to fraudulent bidding, while regulators struggle to enforce fair practices, and taxpayers bear the burden of inflated costs. Grounded in the fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies to mitigate fraud in the government and corporate construction bidding process. The participants were 10 construction managers from the Department of Transportation, Department of Justice, and private sector, all experienced in …

Exploring Service Quality In Gambian Public Universities In The Dawn Of Massification: Perceptions Of Internal Authorities, Yankuba Yabou, Precious Nyoni

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of our study was to explore the perceptions of internal authorities of public universities in The Gambia—with a focus on the University of The Gambia (UTG)—on service quality amid massification and thereby elicit their recommendations.

Method: This qualitative case study of service quality in public universities in the Gambia employed content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain categories.

Results: The results showed an unfavorable view of the quality of all the factors observed—physical environment quality, core educational quality, and transformative quality. Despite efforts of the university administration to enhance the quality of education, the …

Association Between The Lack Of Health Insurance, Income, And The Severity Of Negative Perinatal Outcomes Among Native Spanish- And English-Speaking Women Living In Florida, Khadijeh Ashktorab

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence indicates that non-English-speaking mothers, particularly Spanish-only speakers, experience worse maternal health outcomes compared to their mainstream counterparts. Language barriers often hinder communication and negatively affect perinatal care. This study used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System from Florida (2019–2020) to examine associations between health insurance, income, and perinatal outcomes among Spanish and English-speaking women. Krieger’s eco-social theory guided this cross-sectional, quantitative analysis. Chi-square tests were used for bivariable analysis, and multivariable models were used to adjust for confounders. Results showed that native language alone significantly predicted specific outcomes such as large-for-gestational-age …

Factors Affecting The Educational Status Of Children In Nigeria, Ayima Lott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is that irrespective of active involvement of Nigeria in Universal Basic Education, the nation still records the highest number of out-of-school children globally. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine how geopolitical location, socio-economics of the household, parental education, role of the child, age of the child, and gender of the child predict the educational status of children in Nigeria. This study is grounded in conflict and social systems theories. The most recent national secondary data on education from the 2015 Nigerian Education Data Survey was used. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic …

Effective Strategies Nursing Leaders Use To Increase Registered Nurse Retention, Hannah L. Campa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The declining number of registered nurses (RNs) across all specialties in the United States presents significant challenges to the healthcare system, requiring nursing leaders to implement effective retention strategies. A critical issue for hospital stakeholders is that many nursing leaders lack evidence-based strategies to improve RN retention. Grounded in the stakeholder theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this pragmatic inquiry research project was to explore the nurse retention strategies successfully used by six nursing leaders in the Midwest United States. Data were collected through personal interviews and publicly available documents, then analyzed following Yin’s 5-step process ,ensuring data …

Effective Health Care Management Strategies For Increasing Employee Engagement And Productivity, Erica L. Hurd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to increase employee engagement and productivity can negatively impact business operations. Human resources (HR) and business leaders in the health care industry who lack effective strategies to increase employee engagement and productivity risk business stability. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore effective strategies HR and business leaders in health care use to increase employee engagement and productivity. The participants were six health care HR and business leaders who had effectively implemented strategies to increase employee engagement and productivity. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis …

Hurricane Irma's Impact On Mortality Among The Chronically Ill Populations In Florida, Cody Ray Thornton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Natural disasters pose significant risks to individuals with chronic diseases, exacerbating health disparities through disruptions in healthcare access and systemic vulnerabilities. This study investigated the association between chronic disease-related mortality occurring within 2 months of Hurricane Irma, and whether demographic variables, including age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, poverty, urbanicity, and educational attainment, modified this relationship. This cross-sectional study used the social-ecological model to analyze secondary mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression revealed that deaths from chronic illnesses, occurring between September 2017 and October 2017, were 2.694 times higher, compared to the same period …

A Disparities Analysis Of Cancer Patients’ Access To Depression Treatment By Health Insurance Status And Type, Stephanie Minbiole-Snider

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has demonstrated that comorbid conditions like depression in cancer patients reduce quality of life, prolong recovery, and reduce survival time of the cancer patient. Although other studies have investigated the issue of depression among cancer patients, there is a dearth of studies looking at differences in taking depression medication with health insurance as a source of disparity. Using survey data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and the health belief model as the theoretical framework, this study had two purposes. The first was to determine if there were differences in the likelihood of taking medication for depression based …

Leadership Strategies To Address Employee Turnover In Therapeutic Foster Care Within The Southeastern United States, Angelique Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addresses the problem of low staff recruitment and retention rates in therapeutic foster care, resulting in staff burnout and reduced program performance and affecting the program’s targeted population and their communities. A case study allowed for a holistic view of the problem through the unique perspectives of behavioral health leaders within the program selected, which is based in the southeast United States and serves children within the foster care system. The study is grounded using the Baldrige excellence framework. Data were obtained through semi-structured interview with three of the program’s behavioral health leaders. The data were analyzed using …

Solutions To Retaining Leaders In Behavioral Health Organizations, Kelly Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retaining qualified behavioral health leaders is critical to the success of the behavioral health organization. Continually exploring solutions and strategies helps the organization to assess and improve its effectiveness in meeting its mission, vision, and values. This study focused on the development and execution of the strategic plan as a tool for the organization to successfully meet its goals. The problem addressed in this study is the leadership turnover rate and how this change impacts progress toward achieving the mission, vision, and values of the organization. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was used in this study to evaluate processes of hiring, …

Executive Summary: Staff Education Project Reducing Burnout Through Mindfulness Education, Shateria Michelle Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on addressing burnout for staff nurses working in a psychiatric hospital. Evidence indicated that burnout among nurses, caused by emotional stress and heightened responsibilities, may result in increased medical errors, diminished patient satisfaction, and significant dangers to patient safety and care. The practice-focused question for this project addressed whether a mindfulness-based educational intervention program would increase staff knowledge and decrease burnout among nurses working in a psychiatric hospital. The program incorporated a pretest/posttest format, educational content delivered via a PowerPoint presentation that included an interactive mindfulness meditation training session, and a …

Gad-7 Screening Tool Implementation, Charity Allwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this doctor of nursing practice (DNP) project was to provide a staff education program to improve staff knowledge about the use of the GAD-7 screening tool. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) remains an underdiagnosed condition, often due to inadequate use of standardized tools in clinical settings, leading to delayed treatments and suboptimal outcomes for patients experiencing anxiety disorders. The identified gap in practice necessitated an educational intervention to equip healthcare providers with the skills to effectively use the GAD-7 screening tool. To address this gap, a 2-hour staff education program was delivered via in-person sessions and online modules. …

Factors In Teacher Turnover Within A Nonpublic Special Education Setting, Sarah Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistent turnover among special educators poses significant challenges to the quality of education provided to students with disabilities. The problem addressed in this study was the significant rate of turnover of special education teachers in a nonpublic special needs school on the east coast of the United States. Guided by Maslow’s theory of motivation and hierarchy of needs, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of special education teachers and factors that influenced their decision to remain within the classroom environment. Eight special educators participated in semistructured interviews sharing the experiences they perceived as …

Stratgies Used By Small Fashion Retail Business Leaders To Survive Beyond 5 Years, Lakeshia Nicole Chaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small fashion retail business leaders face survival challenges due to rapidly shifting consumer spending patterns and growing demands for social responsibility. The leaders care deeply about addressing these challenges to maintain profitability, protect jobs, and ensure sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive market. Grounded in strategic contingency theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies small fashion retail business leaders use to survive beyond 5 years in South Central United States. The participants were six small fashion business leaders from a retail sector entity who successfully implemented survival strategies for at least 5 years. Data …

Relationship Between Adjunct Faculty Workplace Inclusion And Burnout In Online Universities, Allisson Kinkade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online universities rely on adjunct faculty even though including them in institutional processes is challenging and might be related to burnout. The relationship between the level of workplace inclusion and burnout of adjunct faculty has not been investigated. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between the level of workplace inclusion and burnout of adjunct faculty at online universities, moderated by instructor age, gender, and the number of years teaching as an adjunct. The conservation of resource theory by Hobfoll was used as the theoretical framework. For this quantitative nonexperimental correlational research design, data from 104 …

Experiences Of Former Foster Youths With Learning Disabilities Who Transitioned Into Adulthood, Phyllis J. Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foster youths with learning disabilities face numerous challenges as they transition out of care, including housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues. Despite these barriers, research focusing on this specific population is limited. Guided by Taormina’s adult personal resilience theory, this qualitative case study explored the experiences and perceptions of former foster youths with learning disabilities to inform interventions and improve service delivery and policy improvements. The research questions addressed the experiences of former foster youths with learning disabilities transitioning out of care, the unique challenges associated with transitioning out of foster care as experienced by former foster youths with …

Allostatic Load And Incident Dementia Among Older Adults In The United States, Mohammed Usman Kabeto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Allostatic load (AL), the cumulative physiological burden of chronic stress, is a significant health problem, and it has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including cognitive functioning. There is a paucity of literature examining associations between AL and incident dementia in the United States. This quantitative study used data from the United States Health and Retirement Study cohort (2016-2020) to examine the association between AL quartile and incident dementia among participants who were aged 56 and older at baseline. Dementia status was determined measuring immediate and delayed recall, serial seven subtraction, and backward count, as well as self-report conditions for …

Staff Education On Medication Nonadherence For Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Julius Chick Abam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary From both the literature and the staff observation in this private practice, bipolar disorder (BD) patients who do not comply with medication are at a higher risk of hospitalization and poor quality of life. The purpose of the project was to implement staff training focused on adherence strategies, including motivational interviewing and psychoeducation to improve medication adherence rates among BD patients. The project question was: Does providing an interactive education program using case studies improve staff knowledge and self-confidence? Different studies support the effectiveness of both psychoeducation and motivational interviewing in improving adherence and functionality in BD. An interprofessional …

Therapists’ Experiences In Cases Of High-Conflict Divorce Among Individuals With Personality Issues, Tamara Soal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High-conflict divorce (HCD) involves prolonged conflict exceeding 2 years, persistent hostility, and extensive court involvement. Mental health professionals often participate as court-appointed expert witnesses or provide therapy at parental request. Therapists' roles become more complex when parents exhibit challenging personality traits. This descriptive qualitative study explored therapists’ experiences in treating children and families in HCD cases where one or both parents displayed complex personality issues or disorders. Greenberg and Gould’s model on mental health professionals in court cases and Freud’s countertransference theory provided the study’s conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine therapists, and thematic analysis was …

Physical And Mental Health Experiences Of Obese Men Living In The United States During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to public health worldwide, significantly impacting vulnerable populations like obese men in the United States. This qualitative descriptive study involved exploring how these men perceived the pandemic’s impact on their physical and mental health, addressing a critical gap in existing literature. The research question that guided this study was: How did obese men living in the United States perceive the stressor that was the COVID-19 pandemic on their physical and mental health? Guided by the biopsychosocial model, the study involved using semi-structured interviews with 15 participants who were recruited online through social media. Thematic …

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (Gad-7) Tool For Anxiety Screening, Nicholas Tindong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The staff education project aimed to address the gap in practice regarding the use of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) screening tool at a psychiatric clinic. Approximately 40% of the clinic’s patients exhibited symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), yet the nurses did not consistently use validated tools to assess anxiety severity, relying instead on unstructured clinical interviews. This inconsistency has resulted in delayed diagnoses and suboptimal patient care. The project sought to improve nursing staff's knowledge and confidence in using the GAD-7 tool through a structured education program guided by the following practice-focused question: Among nurses at a …

Impact Of Medication Adherence On Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Vero Lum Fon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This staff education project was aimed at improving registered nurses’ (RNs) knowledge on the impact of medication adherence in patients with bipolar disorder. Up to 60% of patients fail to take their prescriptions as recommended, which increases the risk of recurrence and hospitalization and lowers quality of life. The practice-focused question is: Does comprehensive and targeted staff education improve knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding how to optimize medication adherence among patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder? I sought to provide RNs with evidence-based medication adherence and patient care measures to close the knowledge gap. Pre and post-tests were used to assess …

The Role Of Leadership In Improving Discharge Planning For Complex Cases In A Healthcare System, Philmaris Miranda Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health organizations face significant challenges in managing psychiatric hospital readmissions, often influenced by social determinants of health (SDOH) such as poverty, education, social support, housing, and food security. This study examines the perspectives of behavioral health leadership on discharge planning in psychiatric hospitals in the southeastern United States, exploring how leadership strategies impact patient readiness for discharge and reduce the risk of readmission. Using the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework, key performance categories, including leadership, strategy, measurement, and operations, were evaluated to inform actionable improvements in discharge planning and transitional care. Evidence was collected through interviews with healthcare leaders and …

The Roles And Motivation Of Volunteers In State Correctional Facilities, Sherlyn Kimberly Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have demonstrated that volunteers play a vital role in supporting the needs of those incarcerated in state correctional facilities, but the researchers fell short of elaborating on what stimulates the volunteers’ motivation, chosen roles, and selected areas for their contributions. Understanding the motivation of this group is valuable to ensure ongoing commitment for this important community role. The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of community state prison volunteers to better understand what motivates them. Dutta-Bergman’s theory of unified responsibility formed the framework for this generic qualitative study. Narrative data from interviews with six participants were …

Residence, Education, Wealth, And Hiv/Aids Prevention Knowledge Among Nigerian Adults, Chinedu Nwaobia Nwaru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV has remained the most prevalent and deadliest epidemic affecting humanity. It is pertinent to note that, despite the number of years since the first case was reported in the early 1980s in the United States, and concerted efforts by local, national, and international governmental and nongovernmental agencies at curbing it, the level of knowledge of HIV transmission and the disease prevention, especially among Nigerians, is still not encouraging. Nigeria, the most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa ranks second globally as the country with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, which is currently estimated at 3 million. In …

African American Women’S Experience Of Wearing Natural Textured Hair, Tammy White-Jolivette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women’s (AAW’s) experiences of wearing natural textured hair are underrepresented in the literature. This issue, and hair discrimination more broadly, is a form of social injustice that underscores the cultural and social significance of natural hair as a symbol of heritage, identity, and resilience in African American communities. Guided by social comparison and self-concept theories, the purpose of this study was to examine how wearing natural hair influences AAW’s self-perception. The research question was: How do AAW describe their experiences of wearing natural textured hair? The qualitative method featured interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data were collected by conducting in-depth …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Urgent Care Clinic Providers’ Experiences With Patients With Mental Health Concerns, Teresa L. Hodges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With mental health concerns on the rise in the United States and around the world, there has been a call for non-traditional avenues for the treatment of patients with mental health needs. Existing research indicates that in the current post-pandemic era, urgent care clinic providers have begun playing a pivotal role in the treatment of patients with mental health concerns. However, there is a lack of research currently available on the lived experiences of urgent care clinic providers treating of patients with mental health concerns. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of urgent care …