Digital Commons Network^™

Stonewall: Developing A Historically-And-Culturally Based Empowerment Narrative Modality For Therapeutic Treatment With Lgbtq+ Youth, Stephen Terranova

Dissertations

Despite more recent advancements in social acceptance and legislative advancements, LGBTQ+ peoples have continued to suffer from institutional and cultural oppression which has resulted in disproportionately higher levels of negative psychological outcomes, particularly for youth. The behavioral health establishment should be best-suited for addressing these concerns, but a history of stigmatizing LGBTQ+ peoples has created a paucity of population-sensitive treatment interventions which could be beneficial for use with younger people of sexually diverse identity. This paper posits that empowerment narrative therapy, with its emphasis on re-framing the stories of individuals to draw on their history of resilience to confront personal …

Exploration Of Atheism As A Diversity Issue And Its Implications For Best Practice In Psychotherapy: Trajectories And Strengths, Justin Michael Lampert

Dissertations

The conceptualization of Atheism has transformed considerably over the past century, making a transition from the taboo to a new movement of outspoken activism underlined by a strong self-identification with systemic nonbelief and sense of pride. Psychological literature has only begun to reflect the larger societal changes in perception and value over the past decade. As such, research has yet to adequately examine Atheism from a cultural perspective, creating an injustice in the psychotherapist’s ability to properly understand and treat patients in a comprehensive manner. Through the examination of trajectories leading to an Atheistic belief set, the application of a …

Quality Of Life, Self-Transcendence, Illness Distress, And Fatigue In Live Transplant Recipients, Kathy A. Baker

Dissertations

This cross sectional study described the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and self-transcendence (ST) in liver transplant recipients. Self-transcendence is a dynamic process reflecting spiritual growth and maturity and a broadening of personal perspective during challenging life experiences. Illness distress, fatigue, age, gender, marital status, education, and time-since-transplant were also investigated relative to QOL.

Seeking Life Balance: The Perceptions Of Health Of Cambodian Women In Resettlement, Olivia Catolico

Dissertations

This grounded theory study was an inquiry into the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement and the conditions that influenced their perceptions. Few studies of Cambodian women who escaped political conflict exist. Cambodian women were among the waves of Southeast Asian refugees who have resettled in the United States. The sequelae of significant life trauma upon the health of Cambodian women in resettlement have received little attention in the nursing literature. There is less information about their perceptions of health in resettlement as their beliefs about health and illness causation contrast with those of Western health care providers.

Kids These Days: Increasing Youth Engagement In Community Heritage And Social Justice Through The Implementation Of A Youth Participatory Empowerment Model, Melanie Canaday-Talley, Lindsay Clemens, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland, Mary Gillis, Curlinda Mitchell Blacksheep, Jancarlos Jose Romero

Dissertations

The purpose of this co-authored, qualitative, action research study was to examine how to empower youth to become active participants in their communities. Citizen engagement in community and public life is vital to a healthy democracy and young people have a unique place in community citizenry, but are often dismissed or excluded from decision-making. The research team developed a model, the Youth Participatory Empowerment Model (YPEM), to guide youth through a process of identifying and engaging a community heritage or social justice need in their community. The team assembled a guidebook of activities to engage groups in difficult self, group, …

Nurse Family Member Perceptions Of Patient Death And Nursing Care After Withdrawal Of Life-Sustaining Treatment, Deena Drake

Dissertations

Purpose/Aims: This pilot study explored nurse family member perceptions of nursing care and patient quality of death and dying during and after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment within Intensive Care Units (ICU).

Rationale: Past research that examined physician, nurse, and family member experiences of End-of-Life (EOL) care within the ICU found significant differences between the three groups.

Background: Approximately 500,000 people die within an ICU each year in the United States. End-of-Life and Palliative Care programs focused primarily on physician interventions to improve quality of EOL care have had little impact on family member perceptions of quality of care or patient …

The Relationship Of Leadership Patterns To Usage Patterns And Suitability Of Information Technology For Decision-Making Of Nursing And Non-Nursing Academic Administrators In Higher Education, Martha J. Morrow

Dissertations

This dissertation describes the relationship of leadership patterns to computer usage patterns and the suitability of information technology for decision making among academic administrators in higher education in the Nursing departments and Arts and Science Departments of universities in the United States and its provinces.

Toward A Theory Of Home Health Care Nursing Practice, Leslie J. Neal-Boylan

Dissertations

Current theories of home health nursing practice in the United States are not based on research. The purpose of this study was to build a substantive theory of home health nursing practice using a qualitative methodology. A grounded theory study of 26 home health nurses practicing in the tri-state area of Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland was conducted to explore how home health nurses define their practice. The nurse participants varied in nursing background, level of education, home health nursing experience, age, race, position within the organization, and the type of organization that employed them. Unstructured interviews that were audiotaped …

How Navy And Marine Corps Veterans Make Meaning Of The College Choice Process In The Post-9/11 Gi Bill Era, Derek Abbey

Dissertations

The Post-9/11 GI Bill was implemented in 2009. Since then more than 1,900,000 people have used the benefit and more than $90 billion have been paid to institutions of higher learning and to Post-9/11 GI Bill users. During this period there has been a shift in the types of college and universities veterans attend, as well as the educational models they select. These shifts are different than the general population of students. This period also included a spike in questionable recruiting practices by some colleges. In response to many institutions taking advantage of veterans, the President of the United States …

Social Innovators And Developmental Stages, Juan Carlos Rivas Espinosa

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The past two decades have seen increased interest in social innovation as a leading source of change. While social innovation literature experienced vast growth, particularly in the Western world, there is limited research on the individuals engaged in it, especially concerning their leadership practice. The extant research focuses mostly on identifying traits and competencies exhibited by social innovators. These individuals are often thought of as exceptional people able to think systemically to identify and solve problems in novel ways. The field runs the risk of perpetuating the idea that to be a social innovator one must possess a specific …

Making The Invisible Visible: Capturing The Multidimensional Value Of Volunteerism To Nonprofit Organizations, Sue Carter Kahl

Dissertations

Volunteers represent an important part of the nonprofit labor pool, and their contributions are diverse and significant. Yet, the assessment of the value that they bring to nonprofit organizations often is reduced to a few numbers and understood to be an economic decision based on their absence of wages. This value is traditionally reported as volunteer numbers, hours, and an hourly financial value assigned to volunteer time. These data are important tools for articulating volunteer contributions. However, the emphasis on numbers and economic value sometimes obscures important dimensions of service. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to reveal more …

Employee Engagement And Burnout: A Quantitative Study Of Their Correlations With Job/Organizational Satisfaction, Sarah Burnett

Dissertations

Since Kahn introduced the concept of employee engagement in 1990, the focus on motivating employees has been en vogue in practitioner literature. The federal government as well now measures its agencies annually on how well they implement conditions conducive to engagement. Federal agencies are also ranked annually as “Best Places to Work” based on their aggregated score on three survey items deemed to represent job/organizational satisfaction. The concept of burnout, or the so-called “erosion of engagement”, however, has received significantly less attention. To begin to fill this void in the literature, secondary survey data from the 2017 Organizational Assessment Survey …

Mental Health Nurses' Imagination, Power, And Empathy: A Descriptive Study Using Rogerian Nursing Science, Maureen B. Doyle

Dissertations

The researcher developed a perspective on empathy derived from Rogers' (1970, 1994) Science of Unitary Human Beings. Building on Barrett's (1983) Rogerian theory of power as knowing participation in change, the researcher proposed that empathy and power would change relative to each other and relative to the creative manifestation of human imagination. Using a descriptive correlational design, three hypotheses predicting that empathy, power, and imagination would each be related positively to one another were tested.

Adolescent Motherhood: The Human Agency Perspective, Sharon L. Dormire

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a causal model a priori. The mediating influence of self-esteem in the relationship among the sociocultural variables of race, social status and family relationships, perception of motherhood, and pregnancy in adolescent females was examined. The Human Agency Model of Behavior developed by the researcher was used as a framework to explore interactions between the variables. In this model, the individual is shown as a self agent in determining behavior.

Talk And Backtalk: Negotiating Cervical Cancer Screening Among Appalachian Women In West Virginia, Wendy D. Grube

Dissertations

Cervical cancer, once a major killer of women, still remains a quiet threat to the lives of discreet populations within the United States. Women living in Appalachia are among those most vulnerable to this disease primarily due to lack of participation in screening programs. Despite efforts of government subsidized programs to educate, enroll and provide screening facilities throughout high-risk areas, unacceptable rates of inadequately screened women persist. Little is known about the reasons Appalachian women do not seek screening. The literature identifies sociodemographic data related to screening, and suggests that healthcare providers play a significant role in women's participation in …

A Grounded Theory Approach To Explore The Experience Of Involuntary Childlessness In Couples With Infertility, Taylor L. Grube

Dissertations

Couples who experience involuntary childlessness as a result of infertility are challenged to manage the biological, sociological, and psychological implications of the situation. Furthermore, they are confronted with a variety of options regarding infertility management and resolution of involuntary childlessness. Nurses play a key role in supporting couples as they manage infertility and involuntary childlessness. Since infertility and subsequent involuntary childlessness is a couple's experience, nursing care should aim to meet the needs of both partners. However, there is a lack of evidence to suggest how couples experience and manage this phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to …

Behavioral Indices Of Maternal Stress And Health Related Family Boundary Ambiguity In Pediatric Intensive Care, Bonnie L. Harbaugh

Dissertations

This study of mothers of children in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) created two measures, (a) Health Related Family Boundary Ambiguity (HRFBA:PICU), (b) Maternal Caretaking Behavior (MCOS:PICU), and explored relationships between Health Related Family Boundary Ambiguity (HRFBA), Caretaking Behaviors, and Stress (STAI; Spielberger, et al., 1983).

Understanding Interdisciplinary Communication And Collaboration Among Physicians, Nurses, And Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Gwendolyn L. Lancaster

Dissertations

The negative impact of medical errors on patient safety poses a major problem for health care providers. Since physicians, nurses, and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs) each provide a portion of patient care, coordination of the various treatments and interventions provided is critical to prevent errors and fragmentation of care. The significance of this qualitative phenomenology study is that it can provide information to enhance interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among physicians, nurses and UAPs, thereby positively impacting patient care outcomes. Semi-structured face-to-face, privately held individual interviews were conducted to determine how physicians, nurses and UAPs view their roles and each other's …

The Development Of Newspaper Restaurant Criticism In Ireland, 1988–2008, Claire O'Mahony

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the development of newspaper restaurant criticism in Ireland from 1988 to 2008. This era was a time of considerable economic change in Ireland. It was also a period that saw changing attitudes to food and dining out, as well as a more varied restaurant landscape. This study aimed to determine how the format and focus of newspaper restaurant reviews changed over this time frame. It also explored the role of the restaurant critic, and how reviews reflected developments in Irish food culture and the economy. Using a mixed methods research design, a sample of reviews from the …

Supervisor-Subordinate Conflict Negotiation: Examining The Core Concerns In Light Of Communication Accommodation And Gender Roles, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined a supervisor-subordinate negotiation of an emotion-laden conflict from the lens of the core concerns framework, communication accommodation theory, and gender roles research. Results empirically support CCF that, by accommodating or attending to the employees’ core concerns, managers can stimulate employees’ positive emotion and integrative intention. However, under- and overaccommodating the core concerns can lead to distributive intention. Additionally, the employees’ perception of manager goodwill can strengthen or attenuate the positive effect of core concerns accommodativeness on outcome variables especially for male managers. Thus, moderate accommodation is recommended for male managers. For female managers, the results show …

The Cultural Adaptation Experiences Of Chinese Higher Education Students In The American Deep South: A Comparison Across Disciplines, Xiaonan Song

Dissertations

In the past decade, Chinese international students have been found as one of the largest international student groups at American institutions across the country. However, the American Deep South was not less frequently studied in the past. Due to the distinctiveness of the Deep South, the researcher conducted this qualitative research on Chinese international students studying in this historically and culturally distinctive region. Mississippi was chosen as a representative state of the Deep South in the current study. The researcher collected data from in-depth interviews from three publicly funded institutions in Mississippi. Besides reporting many common issues regarding to cultural …

Mississippi Registered Nurse Perceptions When Communicating With Limited-English-Speaking And Non-English-Speaking Patients, Mary Pipper Widdig

Dissertations

Communication serves as the foundation for safe and effective healthcare practice. Effective nurse-patient communication is the cornerstone of the nurse-patient relationship and is vital for the delivery of safe and effective healthcare. Research has shown patients who are communication impaired are at a greater risk of medical error and poorer health outcomes. A review of the literature revealed various nurse perceptions of barriers when providing care for limited-English-speaking patients and non-English-speaking patients. LEP and NEP patients also identified similar perceived barriers when receiving care. Both nurses and patients revealed a distrust for interpreters and interpreter services. The literature review revealed …

Exploring A University System Through Organizational Communication Routines Involving Risk, Sean Fourney

Dissertations

Given the nature of differing risks that can damage higher education institutions, perception from leaders’ perspectives is crucial in viewing organizational behavior regarding potential damage to the system. This case study investigated how a university staff perceives, communicates, and organizes about risk. Thirty interviews (27 one-on-one, 2 via email, and 1 over the phone) with campus leaders sought to identify how those in a higher education institution collectively communicates elements of risk within and beyond its environment while potentially forming relationships in attempts to mitigate it. An applied thematic analysis revealed that informants perceived risk as a system issue to …

Life Without Choice: How Do Mothers With Children Living In Direct Provision In Ireland Feel About Their Limited Role As Family Food Providers?, Michele Moran

Dissertations

Direct Provision was introduced in Ireland during the year 2000. Latest figures show 5,848 asylum seekers are in Direct Provision (RIA, 2018). Physical and mental health research studies have highlighted the challenges within this system (Manandhar et al., 2008). Food provision is one of these challenges. Food, culture, religion, income, and isolation are highlighted in this research study. The key objectives of this research were (1) to review the literature on aspects of food and identity, culture, tribalism, and ethnicity concerning asylum seekers living in Direct Provision in Ireland. (2) To conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews with mothers living in different …

Psychological Well-Being In College: The Role Of Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy And Romantic Relationships, Lyndsey Marie Evans

Dissertations

According to recent research, numerous components of psychological well-being have indicated Americans are struggling psychologically. Given that psychological well-being has a bidirectional and, in some cases, a predictive relationship with various environmental factors, this study sought to discover the “missing link” of psychological well-being. In doing so, this study organized parental meta-emotion philosophy, emotion expression, romantic relationship satisfaction, and psychological well-being into unique measurement and structural models. Correlations, t-tests and structural equation modeling conducted on a sample of 167 indicated emotion-coaching and psychological well-being were significantly related to romantic relationship satisfaction. Further, emotionally-dismissive parenting was significantly related to emotion expression …

English As A Second Language: Adult Programs And Their Impact On Second Language Learners’ Aspirations, Hala Gheriani

Dissertations

Over the years, millions of immigrants have made the trek to the United States to start a new life away from the known and the familiar (Lopez, Bialik, & Radford, 2017). English as a Second Language (ESL) centers are often the first formal introduction to the English language, and many immigrants will wait on long waiting lists for the chance to learn proper English and, therefore, ascend to a future identity sometimes years in the making (Jhangiani, Tarry, & Stangor, 2015; National Council of State Directors of Adult Education, 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate, through a …

Current Perspectives On The Gestalt Of Nursing Curricula, Brandi Lynne Venvertloh

Dissertations

This research study aimed to investigate the current gestalt of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curricula in the United States. Presently there is an emphasis in nursing education on the practice–education gap in order to ensure new graduate Registered Nurses are adequately prepared for entry into practice in a dynamic and complex healthcare environment. There has also been movement in nursing education to remove nursing theory from BSN curriculum guiding frameworks and replace them with essential educational standards. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of faculty curriculum leaders …

Effectiveness Of Simulation In Addressing Stigma, Sundeep Kaur Varaich

Dissertations

Mental health stigma hinders quality nursing care. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to test if simulation was effective for addressing stigma in nursing education and evaluating student attitudes towards psychiatric conditions. A sample of eight-nine undergraduate nursing students were assigned to a control or treatment group and participated in either a chronic health challenge scenario or a mental health scenario to test the effectiveness of using a mental health simulation to address stigmatizing attitudes. Day’s Mental Illness Stigma Scale was used as the data collection tool for the post-test to measure students’ stigmatizing perceptions in relation to their …

The Effects Of Rurality And Education Deserts On The Four-Year Degree Selection Of Aspiring Teacher Education Candidates In A Rural Community College Setting, Alice Faye Sanders

Dissertations

Teacher shortages exist across the nation, with greater shortages in middle school and secondary education (Center for Public Education, 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine the factors and barriers presented to teacher education candidates affecting the selection of their teacher education degrees in a rural community college setting. The research questions were designed to use quantitative survey questions administered to the teacher education candidate population of ABC College. Qualitative interview questions were used to gather data from the Director and Assistant Director of Enrollment Services/Student Development at ABC College. As a result of data analysis, misconceptions were …

Exploring The Homeless Persons Perception Of Living In A Long-Term Care Facility, Janice Woods

Dissertations

Objective:The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of homeless persons admitted to a nursing home facility. Originally, the study was to explore their understanding of and their experience with advance health care planning; coincidently, the participants were more open to their experience of living in a long-term care facility.

Method:A convenience sample of 13 participants (12 male, 1 female) at four long-term care facilities in Southern California were interviewed about their perception of advanced health care planning, including the physician’s orders for life sustaining treatment (POLST); a consent form required in all nursing homes. …