Digital Commons Network^™

Co-Rumination In The Friendships Of Black And White Adolescents, Andrea Renee Gourdine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Co-rumination is the process of friends discussing challenges via a problem-focused dialogue that is excessive and involves dwelling on negative emotions. Co-rumination is related to higher friendship quality but also depression. The adjustment consequences of co-rumination have been studied, but racial differences in co-rumination have yet to be studied. The purpose of this non-experimental, correlational, quantitative study was to examine co-rumination among Black and White adolescents. Theoretical frameworks included the response styles theory and Africentric theory. Research questions included whether there were racial differences in the degree to which adolescents co-ruminate and in the relations of co-rumination with friendship quality …

Psychological Manipulation And Cluster-B Personality Traits Of Cult Leaders, Jennifer Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cults, thousands of which exist in the United States, present a societal problem due to their ability to rob followers of free will, sever familial ties, and even incite violence, such as the case of the Manson Family. Their leaders' manipulation of followers can be dangerous, resulting in emotional and physical abuse. There is a lack of meaningful literature on how personality traits may affect cult leaders’ abilities to recruit and maintain members. The purpose of this study was to examine how Cluster-B personality traits (narcissism, borderline, antisocial, and histrionic) relate to cult leaders’ abilities to manipulate. The qualitative case …

Nonprofit Business And Management Challenges Encountered When Delivering Services And Fulfilling Organizational Missions, Becky A. Hammer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) causes negative impacts to community service users and the NPO workforce. Although the impact of NPO failure has been researched, a comprehensive understanding of business and organizational challenges from the NPO leaders’ perspective was not well documented. Learning more about these challenges may assist with understanding how to best support and solve them. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the business and management-related barriers and challenges NPO leaders encounter when delivering services and fulfilling organizational missions in the Greater Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area in Texas. The conceptual model included the …

Testimonios From Latinas In Community College Administration In Nuestra Comunidad, Yessika Milines Garcia-Guzman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is not known why Latina community college administrators are disproportionally underrepresented in higher education. Of all full-time faculty in postsecondary institutions, 3% are Hispanic females; 1% or less of full-time professors are Hispanic females, and 3% are full-time assistant professors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of Latina community college administrators in their journey as college students and how these experiences informed their understanding of the academic and student support systems that either hinder or support Latinas. Phinney’s theory of racial and ethnic development was the theoretical foundation for the study. The research questions …

Dietary Changes In Preventing Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus Among Young Hispanic Adults, Taiwo Onipede

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes mellitus continues to be a major chronic disease affecting the global population today with more prevalence amongst minority groups in the United States. The genetic susceptibility to obesity and higher insulin resistance seen in the Hispanic population puts them at the highest risk for development of Type II Diabetes (T2DM). The alarming increase in young adult T2DM diagnosis led to the project question: How can teaching on dietary changes affect Type II Diabetes diagnosis in predisposed young Hispanic adults? The purpose of this project is to accomplish the goal of Healthy People 2020 towards improving the quality of life …

Impact Of Resilience On Quality Of Life In Spinal Cord Injured Clients, Crystal D. Glover

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Impact of Resilience on Quality of Life in Spinal Cord Injured Clients by Crystal D. Glover

MSM, Troy University, 2006BSN, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1995

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health

Walden University August 2023

K-3 Teacher Perspectives Regarding Herzberg’S Factors That Affect Teacher Retention, Leann Laury

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract In the United States teacher retention in K-3 classrooms has declined, and so has the retention rate for the charter elementary school located in the study state. The problem is teacher retention rates in K-3 schools have declined in the U.S. The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to explore teachers’ perspectives regarding factors that affect teacher retention. Factors were Herzberg et al.’s motivation (satisfaction) and hygiene (dissatisfaction), which was used as the conceptual framework to address teachers’ perspectives about why they choose to remain in a school with low retention rates. This study involved using semistructured …

Exemplary High School Teachers’ Practice Of Embedding Career Exploration In Stem Curricula, Cara Pekarcik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of individuals entering the workforce with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers is low across the United States. Although exposure to STEM careers through the intentional integration of career exploration can positively influence career choice, most student exposure to STEM career exploration occurs in after-school programs and dedicated summer programs but is limited in the general education curricula. The purpose of this study was to understand how and why high school STEM teachers embed career exploration into curricula even though local and national standards do not include these objectives. The conceptual framework for this …

Ambiguous Loss Feelings Amongst Caregivers Of Operation Enduring Freedom Veterans, Stephanie T. Spann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study compares the possible relationship between ambiguous loss and the stress level of caregivers of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans who served in combat. Injured servicemembers need caregivers to assist them in caring for their physical and mental health needs. This study examined whether there is a relationship between the perceived ambiguous loss among caregivers of OEF injured veterans and the stress level experienced by caregivers. The theoretical framework for this study is the ambiguous loss theory. The methodology used to test the hypothesis is a quantitative correlational design to compare ambiguous loss variables amongst caregivers of injured …

Clinical Vaccination Education Guideline For The African American Community, Margaret Chinedum Nwoji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractVaccination hesitancy is high among African Americans and other people of color. The practice gap addressed in this project was the lack of a culturally sensitive clinical guideline for vaccination education relevant to the African American community. The practice-focused question was answered by developing an evidence-based Clinical Vaccination Education Guideline for the African American Community (CVEGAAC) that was validated by a group of four content experts using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research, and Evaluation tool. The content experts scored each of the domains above 90%, implying that the CVEGAAC is of high quality and ready for implementation. The end users …

The Disaster Health System: Built For Collaboration And Coordination In A Complex Environment, Leslie E. Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study examined patient distribution and coordination during complex, rapidly changing, uncertain emergencies or disasters. The study explored how Washington State’s Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NHRN) uses the state’s patient tracking system, WaTrac, as a collaboration tool for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF 8) and public health emergency operations. This study used complexity theory to address a gap in the literature, acknowledging the importance of relationships among members of the NHRN and how the patient tracking system could enhance positive patient outcomes. This study included nine healthcare response participants; all were members of the NHRN healthcare coalition serving …

African American Women’S Experiences Of Self-Care And Recidivism, Sandra Louise Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women face some of the highest incarceration and recidivism rates among their female counterparts within the United States. The purpose of this generic qualitative research was to explore African American women’s experiences of self-care amid multiple recidivism incidents and related health and psychosocial environmental challenges. The theoretical frameworks of Orem’s self-care and Gorski’s post incarceration syndrome theories were used for this study. Data were collected using semi structured phone interviews. The study participants included 16 formerly incarcerated African American women, ages 18 years and older, recruited through social media via Facebook postings. Data analysis included interview transcriptions, sentence …

Examining The U.S. Disaster Management Program: A Case Study Of The U.S. Virgin Islands Hurricanes Irma And Maria Evacuation, Victoria F. Vachon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWhether from natural or human causes, every global community is at risk for overwhelming, destabilizing incidents. Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands in late August and early September 2017, necessitating the urgent evacuation of hemodialysis patients over 1000 miles to the U.S. mainland. Because the damage and response to the U.S. territory were unprecedented, the public health implications of the government’s strategies on the evacuated population subset were unexplored. However, available information suggested that some evacuees sustained avoidable harm while in the protracted care and custody of the government. This qualitative case study, conceptually framed by Bronfenbrenner’s …

Lived Experiences Of Non-Licensed African American Pastors Providing Counseling For Race-Related Mental Health Issues To Their Parishioners, Brian Sutton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is important to understand treatment practices of clergy members due to their influence on the treatment seeking behavior for professional counseling services among African American parishioners. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe African American pastors’ experiences of providing counseling for race-related mental health issues to their parishioners. The conceptual framework for this study was critical race theory. The research design included a descriptive phenomenological study with semi structured interviews with five non-licensed pastors and clergy members. The results of data analysis revealed three main themes and nine subthemes related to the participants’ experiences. The …

Relationship Between Perceived Language Proficiency And Economic Life Satisfaction For Migrants, John Ndunduma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States needs migrant workers to fill the labor market gap because baby boomers are retiring from the US workforce in large numbers beginning in 2020. Approximately 2.1 million migrants came from Africa to fill the U.S. labor shortage. Many of these African migrants faced challenges with English language proficiency. There are benefits to the United States involved with increasing the economic wellbeing of migrants, such as reducing remigration, increasing the high-skilled labor force, and increasing cultural diversity. This study used Maslow’s motivational theory to test significant relationships between perceptions of English language proficiency (PELP) and economic life satisfaction …

Factors Associated With Intent To Quit Smoking Among U.S. Adult Smokers, Patrese Ann Nesbitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Smoking and tobacco use continue to be a public health issue for over 40 million Americans, which explains the appropriateness and abundance of smoking cessation programs throughout the United States. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the associations between independent variables of marital status, advice from a medical clinician, and use of community smoking cessation resources and the dependent variable of intent to quit smoking, controlling for race, ethnicity, gender, and age. The theory of reasoned action was used to guide the study. Data from the National Adult Tobacco Survey (N = 12,357) were analyzed using …

The Lived Experiences Of Stress For People With Alcoholism Striving Toward Recovery, Gerald Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recovery from alcohol is an individualized process, therefore, effective treatment necessitates an understanding of the phenomenon from the perspective of individuals in recovery. This study involved an exploration of the lived experiences of stress of 10 individuals with alcoholism in their first year recovery journey, particularly with respect to access resources (e.g., helpfulness and availability). Pearlin et al.'s stress process theory and Bandura's social learning theory constituted the study's theoretical foundation; the key concepts of social stress and social learning informed the development of the research questions and the analysis of data. The major themes that emerged were spirituality, hitting …

Development Of A Standardized Novice Neonatal Nurse Orientation Program, Joanne Rau Pasinski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are fast-paced units requiring skilled nurses to care for a unique patient population. Orientation of new nurses to the NICU can be challenging for both the orientee and the preceptor. Offering an evidence-based practice orientation program by an accredited organization that is specific to NICU can be a valuable tool for both the preceptor and the orientee as well as enhance nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes. The project question explored if use of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) 15-module nursing orientation program for RNs in a NICU increased their …

Money Laundering And Terrorist Financing Typologies That Reduce Financial Crime Risks, Sina Vinod Patel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased concerns over money laundering and terrorist financing and their impacts on societies and the world’s finance and economic systems. Some financial institutions are failing to detect and track new emerging financial crime threats. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to identify predicate offense typologies that U.S. banking and financial services company compliance managers use to reduce the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing. To understand the concepts of predicate offense and financial crime risks, Gary Becker’s economic theory of criminal behavior was the conceptual framework that grounded this study. The population …

Examining Help-Seeking Intentions Among Female Veterans With Military Sexual Trauma, Elizabeth Pirone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 38.4% of military women have experienced military sexual trauma (MST) at some point in their careers. Because MST experiences can be confounding, navigating beliefs toward treatment resources and seeking help can be challenging. The problem under study was that no literature examined multiple constructs of the health belief model (HBM) together as a foundational tool to identify perceptions of help-seeking intentions among female veterans with MST experiences. Guided by the HBM, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health motives, perceived severity of emotional or nervous problems, perceived benefits of getting help for emotional …

Technological And Pedagogical Challenges For Teachers During Covid-19, Suzanne Reaid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractImplementation of a national contingency plan to mitigate the effects of a natural disaster or major health crisis for schools in the United States has been a focus of scholars since the polio epidemic in 1916. While examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the United States, researchers demonstrated that online remote instruction was adopted as a temporary answer to school closures, yet teachers were not prepared for this type of teaching. Researchers had yet to identify the technological and pedagogical challenges for teachers who taught remotely during the crises with little distance education experience. The purpose …

Perceptions And Experiences Of The Benefits Of Premarital Counseling Among African American Couples, Evelyn N. Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have conducted studies on the benefits of premarital counseling. However, little was known about the experiences of African American couples. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore African American couples’ perceptions and experiences concerning the benefits of premarital counseling. Social learning theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight heterosexual African American couples. Colaizzi’s seven-step method of coding was used to analyze participants’ responses. Four themes emerged: couples’ expectations of premarital counseling, influences regarding participation, quality and structure of sessions, and overall experience. Findings could impact social change by …

Nursing Graduates' Strategies For Success On The Nclex-Rn, Karla Lashonda Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA nursing program has had difficulty from the years 2015-2022 consistently meeting the national pass rate requirement during students’ first attempts taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of recent traditional and nontraditional nursing school graduates regarding which evidence-based learning strategies and resources were most effective in leading students to be successful during their first NCLEX-RN attempt. Knowles’ theory of andragogy was the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions involved traditional and nontraditional nursing graduates’ perceptions of which evidence-based strategies were successful for them. Using a …

Leading A Motivated Home Healthcare Company, Jekea Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of employee engagement and increase in employee turnover adversely affect the healthcare industry’s business outcomes. Home healthcare leaders need engagement strategies to retain experienced employees as failure to engage employees results in decreased productivity and increased expenses associated with recruiting and training new hires. Grounded in Blau’s social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that home healthcare leaders use to increase employee engagement and decrease employee turnover. The participants comprised eight current and former leaders and employees of home healthcare companies in Charlotte, North Carolina. The data collection processes included …

Implementing Music Therapy Into Behavioral Healthcare To Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder, Arthur George Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis study explored how best to implement Music Therapy (MT) in any hospital setting when working with autistic children, teenagers, and adults. Baldrige’s theory and concepts were used as a benchmark to facilitate all findings through the research conducted. Multiple factors affect the workforce and the existing staff at a large medical facility in the Western United States. The methodology employed included interviews with two behavioral health leaders using structured questions. This was an ideal research setting given that over fifty providers, including doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists, who work daily with the ASD population. Key findings included MT treatments at …

Professional Counselor Identity Development Relative To Professional Recognition, Brandon Shurn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This descriptive phenomenological study was conducted to explore how professional counselors described their professional identity development and if professional recognition from psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and other professional organizations contributed to professional identity development. Phenomenology was developed by Edmund Husserl and explores insights from others based on their experiences. Licensed clinical professional counselors in Maryland formed the purposive sample that included six participants; each participated in a semi-structured interview. Thematic coding highlighted themes that emerged and included (a) the importance of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), (b) licensure as a stressful process, (c) professional …

Medication Versus Mindfulness Meditation On Symptoms Of Adhd In Adult Women, Maria Skoulidas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA recent spike has occurred in women diagnosed with less common and often overlooked ADHD symptoms. Using the mindfulness to meaning theory as the foundation, this study was conducted to explore how mindfulness meditation (MM) and medication affected three related factors commonly found in women with ADHD, self-concept, risky behaviors, and familial relationships. The research questions were formulated to determine if there was a difference in subscale scores of each variable based on the type of treatment the participant was using, either mindfulness meditation (MM) or prescription medication, to deal with ADHD symptoms. A pre-experimental static group comparison design was …

Black/African American Men’S Lived Experiences Of Workplace Colorism Bullying, Dr. Benjamin K. Spady Ph.D

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying in the U.S. workplace is an ongoing issue that transcends industry boundaries due to perpetrators’ ineffectiveness in viewing all coworkers as equals. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis study was to explore the lived experiences of Black/African American men who endure workplace colorism bullying. Critical race theory provided the conceptual framework, which labeled racism as an omnipresent systemic force. Semistructured interview data were collected from six Black/African American men who resided in the United States and who were bullied in the workplace within the past 20 years. Data were coded via open coding to discover themes. The …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Strategies For Reading, Erin Sponaugle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this study was decreasing annual reading proficiency among students in intermediate elementary grades (Grades 3-5). Deficiencies in reading proficiency can negatively impact overall student achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate intermediate elementary teachers’ perceptions of their instructional strategies to improve students’ reading proficiency and potentially increase Generalized Summative Assessment scores. The conceptual framework was Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development theory. The key research questions were about elementary reading teachers’ perceptions of effective instructional practices used to increase students’ reading proficiency and elementary reading teachers’ perceptions about teachers’ instructional strengths and challenges associated with …

Clinical Research Principal Investigators’ Perspectives Of Improving The Diversity Of Clinical Research Participants, Nadine Hyacinth Spring

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical trials are needed to make new medications, devices, and diagnostic tools available. Participants in these clinical trials have historically come from a homogeneous group, and there is a recognized need for increased diversity and representation in these clinical research studies. The absence of diversity in clinical trials makes it difficult for clinicians and researchers to know which medications and devices are safe and effective for specific populations. This basic qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the experiences of clinical research principal investigators regarding diversity in clinical research studies and how to improve it. The theoretical framework for this …