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Military Sexual Trauma In Veterans: Consequences, Treatment, And Therapeutic Implications, Chelsey Siville

Dissertations

Amongst Veterans served within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, approximately 1 in 50 men and 1 in 3 women have experienced military sexual trauma (MST). While every individual is different, a common characteristic or identity amongst those who have served is that of a warrior – someone perceived as strong and ready to defend both their country and fellow soldier. Experiencing military sexual trauma can create a painful and discrepant identity as well as impact almost all domains of functioning. Unfortunately, trauma is an all too common occurrence in the lives of many service members and the multifinality of trauma …

Experiences Of Graduate Level Students Of Color With Race In Psychology Diversity Courses, Lakesha Winley

Dissertations

The ethnoracial makeup of individuals entering fields of study such as psychology continues to change but the experiences of graduate level students of color in these programs is a phenomenon that has received little attention. When attempting to understand these experiences specific to racial content, the literature is almost nonexistent. This qualitative inquiry was designed in an attempt to understand, assess, and depict the experiences of students of color related to experiences of racial content in their American Psychological Association (APA) accredited graduate level diversity/multicultural psychology courses. The focus was on their reactions (e.g., emotional, physical, somatic) to class discourse, …

Psychotherapy Model For The Training Of Counselors In India, Vini Kalra

Dissertations

Common mental disorders in India are on the rise and are adding to the national burden of mental health care on a day-to-day basis. The demand for treatment of mental illnesses has risen considerably, though there is a shortage of mental health professionals who can deliver counseling services. The Indian government has made efforts to improve the scalability of services by training lay health counselors to diagnose and conduct brief counseling with the mentally ill and those involved with their care. Despite efforts to scale up services, the treatment gap still exists, as mental health services are not uniformly distributed. …

Insights Into The Lived Experiences Of English Language Learners, Rina Kassem

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine how schools can provide special language instruction to meet the increase in the numbers of English language learners (ELLs) and its effect on educators as well as students. This is a descriptive single case study that is focused on a public school, prekindergarten through fifth-grade located in a middle class suburb in a big metropolitan area in the Midwest. This study addresses the commonality problems that face a school system include academic performance, different cultural backgrounds, communication issues, professional development, and funding. To address these issues it is necessary to understand how …

Clinical Trainees' Experience Of Burnout And Its Relationship To Supervision, Amanda Weaver

Dissertations

Burnout is a phenomenon that has recently gotten a lot of attention in research and media, but there is still a need to understand burnout among clinical trainees. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, a sense of cynicism, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. This qualitative study attempted to understand clinical trainees’ experience of burnout, the factors they believed were contributing factors to their burnout, and how supervision impacted this experience. The participants included six trainees who were enrolled in a clinical or counseling doctorate program, have experienced or are currently experiencing burnout, and had at least six months …

A Mixed-Method Study Analyzing The Impact Of Continuing Education On K-12 Educators, Jennifer Sue Edler

Dissertations

Teachers are consistently developing learners that independently seek to gain knowledge and skills throughout life (Blaschke, 2012). Educators must desire to learn new and improved skills to gain knowledge. The new regulations and qualifications, and standards surrounding a career in education require teachers to become continual learners. Professional development is the practice of teachers continuing to grow in their fields and varies depending on personal preference, personal interests, and professional history, as well as addresses issues present in their district or school (Day, 1999). Educational policies and laws outline the need for high-quality professional development for teachers. However, little evidence …

Study Of Preservice Teachers’ Preparation For Di: Investigating Data For Secondary Teacher Candidates In One Research University, Matthew Trp Dittrich

Dissertations

This dissertation, A Study of Preservice Teachers’ Preparation for DI: Investigating Data for Secondary Teacher Candidates in One Research University, was a mixed methods study of secondary data that analyzed the results of undergraduate and graduate teacher candidate scores on the three different instruments, which were used by a midwestern university in their teacher preparation program for state teacher certification. The purpose of this study was to examine if graduate preservice teacher candidates and undergraduate preservice teacher candidates were equally prepared in the area of differentiated instruction. The study also included an examination of preservice training among these teacher candidates. …

The Current Status Of Physical Assessment Skills In Baccalaureate And Associate Degree Nursing Schools And Its Congruence With Hospital Expectations, Diana D. Hankes

Dissertations

Before this study, no definition of the status of physical assessment skills content existed in the two entry-level curricula in nursing and in the hospitals' expectations of the nurses they employed. This study is a nationwide survey of randomly sampled baccalaureate and associate degree nursing schools and hospitals. The survey questioned (1) the importance of the physical assessment skills in the curricula and in the hospitals, and (2) the use of these skills as provided by the schools or expected by the hospitals.

The Relationships Of Nurses' Critical Thinking Ability And Patients' Self-Disclosure To Accuracy In Nursing Assessment Of Depression In Elderly Medical Patients, Elizabeth W. Gonzalez

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationships of nurses' critical thinking ability and patients' self-disclosure to accuracy in nursing assessment of depression in elderly medical patients.

Self-Efficacy For Childbirth: A Qualitative Study Of Pregnant Women Planning Homebirth, Anne Bienvenu Broussard

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify recurring themes in the lives of pregnant women with self-efficacy for childbirth, and to propose relationships between these recurring themes and the development of self-efficacy for childbirth.

Analysis And Observation Of The Concept Of Community Health, Mary Jo Baisch

Dissertations

The concept of community health has varying meanings for those in different professional disciplines and for community residents. The aim of this study was to analyze this concept using Rodger's Evolutionary Method of Concept Analysis (2000). The study design included three phases. In Phase I, the attributes of community health, the sociocultural context surrounding its use, and related concepts were identified in professional literature sources. In Phase II, the Phase I results were compared with the attributes of the concept identified in six community health assessment instruments. The findings of the first two phases were then compared with the perceptions …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Power And Empathy In Nurse Executives, Patricia J. Moulton

Dissertations

Changes in the health care delivery system have presented new challenges for the nursing profession. Nurse executives are faced with the responsibility for managing people, resources, and change within an environment that demands quality and cost containment. To meet these challenges, nurse executives must become active and knowledgeable players in the dynamic energy field of the health care environment. A descriptive correlational design was used to investigate the relationship of power and empathy in nurse executives within the context of the Science of Unitary Human Beings (M. Rogers, 1990). Power was defined as the ability to participate knowingly in change …

The Impact Of Job Satisfaction, Stress And Career Needs On Navy Nurses Intent To Stay On Active Duty, Claire M. Pagliara-Miller

Dissertations

The nursing profession is experiencing a shortage of registered nurses that is only expected to escalate. The Navy Nurse Corps (NC) takes the shortage seriously and would like to prevent a shortage from occurring in the Navy. Beginning in 1998 and continuing annually an Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (OAQ) is mailed to a random sample of Navy Medical Department personnel. The OAQ addresses several variables that could be related to intent to stay on active duty. The purpose of this study was to use the OAQ data to examine the levels of job satisfaction, job stress, and career needs, including the …

The Relationship Between Patients' Perceived Quality Of Life, Expectations Of Nursing Care, And Level Of Satisfaction With Nursing Care, Lois L. Kercher

Dissertations

The objective of this research was to identify the relationship between preadmission patient characteristics and patient satisfaction with nursing care. The two characteristics studied were perceived quality of life and expectations of nursing care. Nurses need to understand the phenomena of satisfaction as a key indicator of patients' evaluation of nursing care quality. Unfortunately, research on theories of satisfaction has not yet explained the determinants to enable predictive modeling. Patient satisfaction with care has been linked to characteristics of the patients, clinicians, and facilities. A prospective correlational design was used to study relationships among the variables. A qualitative approach was …

Self-Transcendence: A Phenomenological Perspective Of The Mother's Experience Of Having A Child With A Disability, Joyce F. Wright

Dissertations

Having a child with a disability is experienced as the loss of the illusion or ";perfect"; child and has a powerful and continued impact upon the mother. This interpretative phenomenological research guided by Patricia Benner's (1994) methodology, and a philosophical perspective of feminism, explored the world of mothers caring for children with disabilities. The research question was "What is the nature of having a child with a disability for the mother?"

Effects Of Conflict Types And Power Style Use Among Health Professionals In Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration, Deborah B. Gardner

Dissertations

This research examined the effects of perceived conflict and power style use on interdisciplinary collaboration outcomes in an academic health sciences education project. Fifty-one nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students and first and second year medical students and 16 faculty who participated in the education program, Interdisciplinary Student Community Patient Education Service (ISCOPES) were studied.

The Process Of Recovering In Women Who Have Been Depressed, Ann R. Peden

Dissertations

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and one woman in four is likely to suffer from a serious depressive episode at some time in her life (Wood, 1989). Literature abounds on the treatment of depression in women. The majority of the studies are quantitative in nature, and treatment methods have been examined using experimental methods. Wellness or recovery has been measured by a score on a depression scale. This view of recovery does not take into consideration the individual's environment, inner strengths, personal definition of health, or the process of recovering. Lacking from the literature …

The Lived Experience Of Homeless Women With Preschool Children, Sandra S. Averitt

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of being a homeless woman with preschool children living in a temporary shelter. Six focus groups were conducted, in which 29 women from two shelters participated. An interpretive phenomenological approach to data analysis was used. Themes and exemplars were identified. Several strategies were used to assure the trustworthiness of the analysis: the use of a research assistant experienced in group process for debriefing after each focus group; the use of a computer data management program to assure that recurrent themes were identified; and the use of extensive notes with …

The Lived Experience Of Choosing Among Life Goals: A Phenomenological Study, Donna M. Costello Nickitas

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological investigation was to uncover the meaning of the lived experience of choosing among life goals. Seven married female administrators between the ages of 27-37 who were in middle management positions in two New York City metropolitan hospitals were invited to participate in the study. Subjects signed a consent form, filled in demographic data and were asked to provide a written description of a situation in which they found themselves choosing among life goals. No names were placed on the subjects' written descriptions. The written descriptions were returned directly to the investigator. Giorgi's (1975) qualitative structural …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Lightwaves And Cardiac Rate, Tara S. Cortes

Dissertations

Man and his environment interact continually through changing energy patterns. One of the energy patterns with which man interacts is light, or more specifically, the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This paper deals with changing patterns of man as seen through cardiac rate changes as the organism interacts with visible light of different colors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to planned environmental visual stimulation, in the form of colored light, and heart rate response.

Psychophysiological Recovery After Acute Myocardial Infarction, Lynne M. Buchanan

Dissertations

This research describes the physiological and cognitive/affective responses of twenty-one physiologically stable adult males within five days of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The relationships between physiological and cognitive/affective variables were explored focusing on them as manifestations of autonomic nervous system (ANS) imbalance. Physiologic responses of heart rate variability (HRV) and complex ventricular arrhythmias (CVA) were measured using Space Lab ambulatory monitors. The R to R interval data was used to calculate four non-invasive indicators of ANS imbalance: Kleiger global standard deviation (GSD), Magid number, SDANN index and BB50A index. A severity rating of CVA was calculated using Lown's grading criteria …

A Quantification Model For Home Health Care Nursing Visits, Judith I. Storfjell

Dissertations

Home care managers are faced with an unprecedented challenge to provide quality care at reduced costs at the same time that their case mix is becoming more complex. Since the major expense in home care is nursing labor, improving nursing productivity is a primary method of reducing costs. However, the elements of a home visit have never been defined in such a way that they could be priced appropriately or so that productivity could be measured more precisely than identifying the number of home visits made per day or calculating the average cost per visit. This exploratory study was designed …

Grow Your Own Teacher Programs: A Qualitative Study Of Best Practices To Address The Teacher Shortage, Jack August Harris

Dissertations

Teacher shortages have motivated school districts and state educational agencies to focus on targeted teacher recruitment strategies as a means to mitigate the crisis (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016). One specific strategy, Grow Your Own Teacher programs, involves recruiting and developing future teachers from within the local community (MODESE, 2019). While a significant body of research exists about this topic, many districts and state organizations are left to determine what specific program practices best meet their needs. This qualitative study included an analysis of the perceptions of participants and key personnel of Grow Your Own Teacher programs to determine best …

Improving Resource Access And Implementation For Informal Cancer Caregivers In A Clinic At An Outpatient Cancer Center, Marie Milton

Dissertations

Cancer caregivers are at risk for distress from lack in caregiver support. Caregivers were not screened for distress in a cancer clinic and ineffective caregiver support was identified.

Purpose: To improve resource access and implementation in caregiver support and thereby reduce caregiver distress levels.

Finding Support: Evaluating The Use Of A Virtual Dnp Final Project Peer Support Community In A Limited-Residency Program, Pamela Simon-Card

Dissertations

The high number of doctoral students leaving their studies before completion of their degree is a concern of both students and educational institutions. Identification of barriers to DNP student persistence is needed, along with the development of strategies to address them.

The primary aim of the project is to determine the effect of a virtual DNP Final Project Peer Support Community with Final Project Resources Toolkit on students' perception of connectedness, peer community and perceived stress regarding their DNP final project experience in a limited residency program.

Improving Transitional Care In Rural Health Using A Standardized Discharge Time-Out Process, Lori Koethe

Dissertations

The process for transitioning patients from hospital to home is complex and fraught with opportunity for error. Increasingly, hospitals are tasked with regulatory, safety, and public expectation burdens to ensure that safe, effective transitions from hospital are well-planned, well-communicated and collaborative.

Transitional care processes are well documented in large, academic medical centers. Little evidence exists within the rural healthcare community. We sought to determine if the implementation of a discharge time-out could improve patient satisfaction and identify and correct errors prior to discharge.

Participation In Sporting Activities As A Mechanism For Enhancing Science Instruction, Erin Roades

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

After students have taken years of science classes, they still believe science content is disconnected to the “real” world or to their lives. Teaching without attention to relevance results in decreased motivation for learning and negative attitudes toward science. An instructional method incorporating physical, sport-related activities was used to develop relevance and enhance achievement in science compared to typical/traditional science instructional methods. In the typical method, science lessons consisted of front-loading science content through direct instruction followed by a laboratory activity to confirm lesson content. The experimental teaching strategy used was “Relevance Integration for Teaching Science using Sports Exploration” …

Patient-Consumer Perceptions And Responses To Professional Nursing Care: Instrument Development, Mary B. Killeen

Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to develop instruments to assist nurse researchers and nurse managers in the measurement of patient satisfaction with nursing care. The final instrument differs from existing instruments in three important ways: (1) includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of attitude formation, (2) focuses on the profession's view of nurses' roles as seen by the patient-consumer and (3) is conceptually based using theory derivation within King's (1981) systems framework.

Synchronous Support, Congruent Coping, Or A Good Marriage: Which Is More Important To The Wife's Perception Of Her Husband's Helpfulness In Dealing With Her Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain?, Sharon W. Dowdy

Dissertations

Living with a chronic illness requires adaptations for the individual and the entire family. The effects of stressors on individual health outcomes have been extensively studied. However, the effects of spousal interactions on the chronically ill individual's health have not been fully explored. This study explores three processes that may add to the understanding of when the behaviors of a husband are perceived to be helpful by his wife when dealing with the pain of RA. Is it when the support offered by the husband is that which the wife desired and/or received, and/or when the support received was that …

The Health Beliefs Of Papua New Guinea Nursing Students, Michael Beebe

Dissertations

The present study was conducted to determine if a Western theoretical model, developed to explain the abstract structure of health beliefs, would provide appropriate guidelines to construct an instrument to assess health beliefs of individuals in a non-Western society. The Health Belief Model (HBM) as originally described by Rosenstock (1966) and altered by Becker, et al., (1974a,b) was the theoretical model used.