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Social Workers’ Role In School Discipline Of Black Male Students, Teresa L. Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School administrators enforce various forms of school discipline, including office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions, as strategies to maintain safe learning environments for students and staff. Over four decades of research indicate Black male students experience more consequences and receive tougher school discipline than their peers of other races. School discipline potentially causes adverse outcomes for students. Schools employ social workers to support behavior and academic needs of students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore lived experiences of school social workers in their role in school discipline of Black male students. The theoretical framework used for this study …

Christian U.S. Army Female Combat Veterans Diagnosed With Ptsd Experiencing A Moral Injury Of War, Kathaleen Graham-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Warzone exposure potentially impacts the mental and physical health of veterans who receive a diagnosis of PTSD. There is limited research addressing the adjustments of the potentially morally injurious event(s) (PMIEs) experienced by Christian U.S. Army female combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan warzones post - 9/11. To better understand the impact of PMIEs experienced by the target population, a study of the integration of the transpersonal-existential meaning-based model was used. A general qualitative research design was selected to understand the complex social phenomena. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted to gather viable data. These …

Intersectional Invisibility Of Black Lgbtqia+ Client Strategies For Bias And Discrimination Prevention, Dr. Tonya Y. Griffith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Those who identify as members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities have been victims of bias and prejudicial attitudes. Because LGBTQIA+ people embody all cultures, races, religious convictions, and socioeconomic statuses, this creates additional barriers for some community members who identify as both Black and LGBTQIA+. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore social workers’ perceptions of intersectional invisibility when working with Black LGBTQIA+ clients and the strategies that social workers identify as beneficial in averting discrimination and bias when working with this community. Implicit bias theory and intersectionality theory …

The Impact Of Wrongful Death Lawsuits On Police Officers, Richard Kevin Powers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement has become known as one of the most stressful occupations. Stress can have negative impacts on police officers’ professional careers and their personal life. This qualitative research revealed the unseen pressure of wrongful death lawsuits involving police officers, especially those cleared of any criminal wrongdoings. The study explored the police officers' perceptions while gaining knowledge from their lived experiences of how wrongful death lawsuits impacted them professionally and personally. This qualitative study was guided by the person-in-environment theory, which means that the environment can affect the police officer. In return, the police officer can affect the environment. The …

Chronic Pain-Related Opioid Use In Atlanta, Georgia, Alexis Ware

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Significant Findings:

Chronic pain is recognized as one of the most common reasons for medical visits (Bertin et al., 2021). These visits frequently lead to opioid prescriptions for treatment. Since 2013, the opioid-related overdose epidemic has placed an undue burden on the healthcare system (Dahlby & Kerr, 2020). The increase in opioid prescriptions over the past two decades has increased rates of misuse and addiction in patients suffering from chronic pain (Bertin et al., 2021). From a public health perspective, these rates indicate a need for greater collaboration and coordination of care among healthcare providers (Dahlby & Kerr, 2020).

Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next …

Prevent Recidivism In Charles County, Maryland, Erin L. Gormley

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal: The goal of this social change portfolio is to prevent recidivism by offering a six-month life skills group at the local Health Department in Charles County, Maryland. The long-term goal of this prevention program is to reduce recidivism in Charles County by 5% in one year.

Significant Findings: Charles County, is a populous county in the State of Maryland with limited resources for adults with arrest records related to substance abuse. There are currently no long-term structural or prevention programs to assist with reintegration. The recidivism rate in the State of Maryland is near fifty percent (Maryland.gov, 2020). The …

Post-Partum Depression In Low-Income Hispanic Women In Bexar County, Texas, Emily Johnson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this prevention program is to prevent post-partum depression (PPD) among Hispanic women in Bexar County, Texas. To aid in achieving this goal, I will offer low-cost psychoeducation counseling groups that run for 16 weeks per session to educate pregnant, low-income mothers about the signs and symptoms of PPD. These groups will also teach coping skills to help combat the symptoms of PPD. I will also offer a free workshop at a local community center that teaches mothers how to recognize the signs of PPD and introduce the group counseling classes. This project will track public …

Pornography A Public Health Crisis In Utah, Candace A. Green

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal is to reduce Utah’s teenage pornography consumption by 25% through the implementation of an in-home program where parents and guardians can learn communication skills, teach their children about the risk factors and dangers of pornography addiction, and apply prevention strategies and protective measures in their own home.

Significant Findings: Pornography use is more prevalent now than at any other time in history. Much of this can be attributed to our cell phones and the 24-hour internet access we have at our fingertips which makes viewing sexually explicit material a few seconds away at all times. Utah …

Increasing Awareness Of Sexually Transmitted Infections In Adolescents And Sexual Minorities, Carrington Kaiser

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal is to reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections in adolescents and sexual minorities by increasing access to contraceptives, STI testing, and comprehensive sexual health education.

Significant Findings: The population addressed in this paper is adolescents and LGBTQ+ youth. Indiana is not required by law to teach sexual health education, let alone comprehensive and medically accurate information (Siecus, 2021). Sexual orientation and gender identities are not required in sex education even though men who have sex with men have the highest risk for STIs (Siecus, 2021; Blackwell, 2018). According to the Center for Disease Control and …

Increase Awareness Of Adolescent Depression And Suicidal Ideations In Orleans County, Vermont, Nicole Corbett

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Collaborate with Vermont SPC and NAMI chapter of Vermont as well as school behavior team and school-based clinicians to implement a mental health /suicide prevention program for the local middle school and high school to be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year with a minimum of four contacts/events.

Significant Findings: This social change portfolio was developed to increase awareness of the mental health needs of adolescents in Orleans County, Vermont, and to investigate the next steps in building a prevention program to support this population. Adolescent depression and suicidal ideation affect the lives of over a quarter of …

The Experiences Of Male Veteran Victims Seeking Help For Military Sexual Trauma/Assault, Natasha Blue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMilitary sexual trauma/assault (MST/MSA) among male survivors is significantly underreported. Male survivors continue to deal with the societal and personal stigmas and barriers that impeded their ability or desire to seek help for their trauma. The most prevalent barrier is the societal stigma that men cannot be raped or experience sexual trauma or assault. The primary goal of the current research was to illuminate the current barriers male MST/MSA veteran victims experience seeking help while on active duty. Qualitative analyses were used to examine the collected data from the semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 male veterans who experienced MST/MSA while …

Effect Of Simulation Learning On Graduate Student Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Teams And The Team Approach To Care, Norman Cadiz Belleza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to health care reports, more than 250,000 deaths annually are attributed to medical error, prompting interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives as one way to improve healthcare delivery. The problem is that little is known about the effect of simulation learning with standardized patients on occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students’ attitudes toward IPE. The purpose of this causal-comparative study using a pretest–posttest nonequivalent control group design was to investigate the difference in posttest scores on the Students’ Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education—Version 2 (SPICE-R2) between first-term graduate OT and PT students who participated in a simulation and those …

Self-Efficacy And Caseload As Predictors Of School Counselor Burnout, Marcos G. Casares

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School counselors are faced with many job duties, including supporting students’ academic, career, and emotional needs; maintaining these duties can increase stress and lead to burnout. The need to provide high-quality services to students, along with a high caseload, may be associated with the self-efficacy beliefs of school counselors and the possibility of burnout. However, there has been little to no interest in researching the subject of burnout, and its causes and outcomes concerning school counselors. The purpose of this quantitative study was to fill this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between school counselor burnout, specifically, the …

Refugee Women’S Post-Resettlement Experiences In The United States, Dr. Kristen M. Curry, Phd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and community members of the host country make decisions regarding refugee lifestyles during and post-resettlement rather than the refugee women themselves. This research study informs the development of and provision of multiculturally appropriate counseling services to refugee women living in the United States from the perspective of the refugee women themselves. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experiences and related meanings of a group of Hmong refugee women living in post-resettlement in the United States. This hermeneutic phenomenological study was developed with a feminist …

How Social Workers Contribute To Outcomes Of Adolescent Participants In Wilderness Programs, Tracy Dockler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The wilderness environment has become recognized as a viable treatment modality for addressing the psychosocial and behavioral needs of treatment-resistant adolescents. Even though social workers provide services in these specialized programs, little is known about how they perceive the contributions they make to the outcomes of the adolescent participants. The conceptual framework of wilderness treatment with a focus on the wilderness experience, as well as on the physical, social, and psychosocial aspects of participant functioning guided this study. In this qualitative study, a semistructured interview guide was used to elicit the thoughts of five master’s level social workers (MSWs) regarding …

Perceptions Of Human Services Case Workers Regarding Culturally Sensitive, Evidence-Based Services In Child Welfare, John Dyrkacz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The perceptions of human services case workers toward their racial minority clients may affect the quality of service that racial minority families who are involved in the child welfare system receive. In the child welfare system, some African American families are not offered services that are culturally sensitive or tailored to their race or ethnicity. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore human services case workers’ perceptions of offering culturally appropriate, evidence-based services to their African American and racial minority clients in an Upper Midwest urban setting in the United States. Family systems theory was used to …

Continuity Of Care For Adult Offenders With Severe And Persistent Mental Illnesses: An Action Research Study, Lakeshia C. Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For decades, the representation of adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) in the criminal justice system has steadily grown despite public recognition and increased federal implementation of mental health courts and diversion programs. Though more is known about risk factors associated with psychiatric and criminal recidivism among this population, a gap in the literature remains on collaborative interventions and continuity of care between inpatient mental health and criminal justice facilities. Grounded in resilience theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine challenges social workers faced when attempting to facilitate discharge planning between inpatient mental health facilities …

A Female Perspective On Overcoming Barriers To Become A City Manager In Californian Municipalities, Jessica M. Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are significant implications related to understanding perceived barriers experienced by women in local government. The purpose of this study was to identify career barriers of women executives in municipal administrations based on their own experiences. Approached using the situational leadership theory and role congruity theory and the narrative research design along with thematic analysis, this study was comprised of one-on-one interviews with nine female city managers currently working in Californian municipal administrations. Five themes (early influences, home life, work life, leadership experiences and development of others) were not only present within each of the participants’ experiences, but also represent …

Sense Of Belonging, Achievement Motivation, And Goal Attainment Through The Lens Of Transgender Activists, Donella Gray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It was not known how transgender activists' lived experiences of a sense of belonging influence their motivations to achieve personal goal attainment. Using the theory of achievement motivation, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how transgender activists' lived experiences of a sense of belonging influenced their motivations to achieve personal goal attainment. Two topics guided this study: how transgender activists' community participation influenced their sense of belonging and how transgender activists' lived experiences of a sense of belonging influenced their motivation to achieve and personal goal attainment. Thematic analysis was used to identify five themes collected …

School Social Workers’ Perceptions On Bullying In Elementary Schools, Anna Marie Gustafson Clum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of bullying in schools has been an area of study among researchers, but there is a gap on how school social workers can help. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary school social workers’ perceptions on bullying, contributing factors of bullying, and organizational culture on bullying. Sociocultural theory aided in interpretation of results and understanding the social problem of bullying. Nine elementary school social workers participated in semi structured telephone interviews. The phone interviews were analyzed using open coding methods, in vivo codes and phrases, categories, and themes. The study’s findings revealed that …

Holistic Health Among African American Women Remaining In A Marriage After Infidelity, Nena Evette Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infidelity has been noted as a major reason married women experience stress and seek therapy. Infidelity is a social problem that results in adverse outcomes for individuals, families, and society. Health disparities are noted in women who have experienced infidelity. Studies have been conducted on marital status and health, but little has been studied on the holistic health experiences of married African American women who stay in their marriage after a spouse’s infidelity. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how the experience of marital infidelity affects the holistic health of heterosexual African American women in the …

Parenting Black Daughters: The Parenting Experiences Of Previously Incarcerated African American Males., Sarai D. Hollis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Having a parent incarcerated can have a major effect on children. As it is difficult for the child, it is also difficult for fathers to be away from their children. African American males suffer from various issues revolving around not being present in their children's lives. African American males are one of the largest populations of men incarcerated, and that has a strain on their relationship with their children during and after their release from incarceration. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of the parenting role of African American males while incarcerated to …

Evidence-Based Discharge Planning For Assisted Living Facility Residents, Annick Sheron Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractLack of staff knowledge is one of the leading challenges contributing to ineffective discharge planning from assisted living facilities. Recognizing that appropriate discharge planning is essential to the well-being of residents, the purpose of this doctoral project was to develop a staff education program based on current evidence-based discharge planning procedures for residents of an assisted living facility. Knowles’s adult learning theory; Lewin’s change theory; and the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model guided development of the staff education program. According to a review of the literature, evidence-based strategies for resident discharge planning included early discharge planning; tailored support, …

Influence Of Clinical Supervision On Licensed Clinical Social Workers’ Confidence In Implementing Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Jamie Rebecca Leigh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) require clinical supervision when they are new to the field or new to a treatment method. The supervision is meant to guide the LCSWs as they learn new skills and build confidence. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand how LCSWs described the impact clinical supervision had on their confidence in implementing trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) with youths in a North Carolina intensive in-home program. Social cognitive theory was the framework for this study. Semistructured interviews were completed with 10 participants. Thematic coding was used to identify themes. All participants reported …

African American Male Ex-Offenders’ Experiences Of Housing Support And Other Postincarceration Services, Joyce Denise Mcphee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Many male African American ex-offenders lack resources that would allow them to become successful in reentering society. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of male African American ex-offenders regarding homelessness and the search for housing after release from incarceration. Schneider and Ingram’s theory of social construction of target populations was the framework for the investigation. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews with 12 adult African American male ex-offenders from the South Florida region of the United States who were experiencing homelessness. Participants self-selected by responding to a flyer posted at a shelter. Data analysis …

The Effects Of Acculturative Stress On The Physical/Mental Health Of Immigrant Mexican Women, Maria Del Carmen Mendoza Griego

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractImmigrants may experience acculturative stress as they adapt to their host country's dominant culture, which previous research has indicated may affect their physical and mental health. The purpose of this quantitative study utilizing a random sample was to examine the effect of acculturative stress and age on the mental and physical health of adult women of Mexican origin living in the United States, considering the moderation of perceived discrimination. The theoretical framework of acculturation by John W. Berry guided this study. The three research questions involved understanding whether immigrant Mexican women experienced a negative effect on their mental and physical …

Exploring Challenges School Social Workers Face When Advocating Services For Childhood Trauma And Abandonment, Danielle Mozie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School social workers focus on the growth and development of school-age youth by connecting students with resources in the school and community. One population that school social workers provide services for is youth with childhood traumatic backgrounds. This population may have increased behavioral problems, absenteeism, and lower academic achievement. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to better understand what challenges school social workers face when advocating services for school-aged youth experiencing trauma due to neglect from being abandoned. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory was the conceptual framework. Ten licensed master social workers employed as school social workers in the …

Transitional Experiences Of Young African American Women In Foster Care, Tiarra Michelle Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emancipated foster youth continue to experience fewer positive outcomes after foster care despite the changes in legislation and the implementation of additional transitional living programs and supports such independent living programs. This quantitative research study followed a non-experimental, secondary data analysis to examine how independent living programs impact the outcomes for African American young women who have transitioned out of the foster care system compared to their Caucasian young women peers at age 17 and age 21. The exploratory study used data from the Children’s Bureau National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Cohort 2. A cross-section comparison analysis was conducted …

Disparities In The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, Helen Grace Neri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the developmental disability system suffer from socioeconomic and social services disparities. Efforts to address the disparities issue included enacting Welfare and Institutions Code 4519.5 § (e), (f), (g), and (h), also known as the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act or the disparities law. The law mandated monitoring of developmental disability system expenditures and allocated funding to the regional centers and community-based organizations to assist with implementing activities to address the disparity. Schneider and Ingram’s and Jun’s theories of social construction framed the inquiry as to how the law impacted considerations of the social construction …

Educating Nursing Staff Regarding African Immigrants And Mental Health Stigma, Kelly Ngenge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental health stigma exists across multiple minority populations, especially among African immigrants in the United States. The purpose of this project was to increase staff knowledge at an outpatient mental health clinic by educating them on mental health stigma among African immigrants in the United States. The practice-focused question guiding this study was: Does nursing staff education on mental health stigmas among African immigrants increase knowledge? Two theories served as the theoretical framework for this doctoral project: social stigma theory and modified labeling theory. Seventeen staff members voluntarily participated in a 60-minute nursing staff education project based on the analysis, …