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Demographics, Naloxone Accessibility, And Repeat Opioid Overdose In The United States, Craig Hamp Booker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 2.1 million people in the United States suffer from opioid use disorder, and over 47,600 people die from opioid-related overdoses each year. Opioid overdose is often treated with naloxone, a quick-acting medication that counteracts the effects of an overdose. This quantitative, correlational study was conducted to determine whether demographics (gender, age, and race) and naloxone accessibility were predictors of repeat opioid overdose in a Tennessee county in the United States. The study was developed and conducted using principles of the diffusion of innovations theory. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using secondary, county-level data (n = 967) from emergency …

Relationship Between Correctional Support Programs And Incarceration Rates In A Southeast U.S. State, Laverne Jane Knight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Released prisoners continue to relapse into criminal behavior resulting in high incarceration rates. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between incarceration rates and program support types in a Southeast U.S. correctional institution. Maslow’s theory of human motivation provided the framework for the study. The research question addressed whether a correctional center’s programs (general education development and vocational certificates) predict its incarceration rates. Secondary data from the correctional center’s website were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Findings indicated that GED was not significantly related to incarceration rates, but vocational certificates showed a significant relationship to …

Strategies Road Freight Transport Leaders Use To Increase Driver Retention, Johnny Mumphrey Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover of skilled over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers in the road freight transportation (RFT) industry results in significant yearly financial losses to organizations across the United States. Leaders in the industry continue to struggle to develop successful strategies for retaining these drivers. Grounded in the motivation hygiene theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies 5 transformational leaders from two RFT firms in North Texas used to improve OTR driver retention. Data collection included semi structured face-to-face interviews, a review of company webpages, and an assessment of company documents (e.g., employee handbooks, training manuals, and vision …

High School Principals' Instructional Leadership Practices To Reduce School Violence, Linda Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the constant increase of school violence, there is a need to prepare leaders how to best protect the school. However, high school principals may be inconsistently implementing instructional leadership practices that have been shown to reduce school violence. The purpose of this basic qualitative research design was to examine how high school principals were implementing instructional leadership practices to reduce school violence. The conceptual framework was Bandura's social learning theory, which posits that people can learn by observing the behavior of others, and Hallinger's and Murphy's theory of instructional leadership regarding andragogy. A purposive sampling was used to select …

Self-Efficacy Of Registered Nurse Faculty To Facilitate A Flipped Classroom Pedagogy, Sharmeta L. Gibbon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse educators struggle with developing innovative teaching strategies that improve learners’ critical thinking, sound clinical judgment, and ability to provide safe patient care. In the local setting, nurse educators relied on passive teaching strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of nursing faculty members concerning their self-efficacy with implementation of a flipped classroom. The conceptual framework was transformative learning theory. The research question explored how nurse educators described their self-efficacy with implementing student-centered, active teaching methods. Participants included 9 experienced nursing faculty members at the local setting from the Associate Science of Nursing program. Data were …

Mathematics Cognitive And Content Abilities Across The Vincentian Student Population, Brendalee Rorena Cato

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mathematics achievement is a key component of student overall academic achievement. However, many students from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Vincentian students) continue to perform poorly on the regional Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) mathematics examination. This poor mathematics performance is a concern for education stakeholders. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to explore the extent to which the CSEC mathematics scores of high-scoring Vincentian students versus low-scoring Vincentian students in the cognitive domains of knowledge, comprehension, and reasoning differ across the content domains of algebra; geometry; measurement; statistics; and relations, functions, and graphs (RFG). The theoretical foundation …

Association Between Mentoring Interventions And Drug Abuse Among African Americans Aged 10-24 Years, Anthonia Ifeyinwa Dunkwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Drug abuse represents a significant public health problem worldwide, with socioeconomic consequences shaped by a cluster of behavioral, cognitive, and physiological phenomena and serious social, physical, emotional problems. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between mentoring interventions and drug abuse among African American young people. The health belief model was the theoretical framework. The secondary data analysis was done using the data set from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The dependent variable was drug abuse, while the independent variable was mentoring interventions. The Chi-square analysis revealed an association between participation in school-based …

Public Stigma, Familiarity With Mental Illness, And Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, Eugenia Combie-Knowles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public stigma and adverse beliefs and attitudes toward individuals with mental illness can negatively influence help seeking. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to assess associations and the effect of stigmatized attitudes toward mental illness and familiarity with mental illness on help-seeking attitudes in three community health clinics in the Bahamas. Attribution theory and theory of planned behavior provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 366 individuals who completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic questions, the Attribution Questionnaire that assessed stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs toward individuals with mental illness, and …

Newly Licensed Registered Nurse Generation Cohorts And Retention In First Registered Nurse Positions, Elizabeth S. Gizenski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the association between newly licensed registered nurses (NLRN) generational cohorts and NLRN who plan to leave or have left their first nursing position. The research problem focused on the generational cohorts of NLRN and retention. The research questions addressed different generations of NLRN, their intent to stay in their first job, and whether poor orientation was a factor for those who already left their first nursing position. The theoretical foundation was Strauss–Howe’s generational theory explaining how each generation views the world based on what they experienced in their lifetime. Data retrieved …

Pressure Injury Prevention In An Urban Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Kayma P. Ricks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) affect approximately 2.5 million patients in the

United States, annually. Prevention requires surgical intensive care unit (SICU) nursing staff to

effectively use evidence-based risk assessment measures to appropriately identify patients at risk

for developing HAPIs and to prevent poor patient outcomes. The Braden Scale risk assessment

tool has demonstrated reliability and validity in the prediction and assessment of patients at risk

for the development of HAPIs. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project

was to improve nurses’ knowledge of the appropriate use of the Braden Scale risk assessment

tool in the SICU of …

Relationship Of Complementary Modes Of Agency In The Self-Management Of Diabetes, Andrew Romo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective control of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is essential for minimizing the likelihood of developing comorbidities that result from poor glycemic control. Extensive self-management considerations are required of people with DM because they must actively participate in their own care and engage with other socially-based sources of self-management support. The purposes of this quantitative study were to determine if there is an association between (a) the extent that the individual mode of human agency is employed and quality of diabetes control among adults who have been diagnosed with DM2 for at least one year and (b) the extent that the …

Relationship Between Clostridium Difficile Testing Method, Antibiotic Treatment, And Clinical Symptoms, Jennifer L. Sanguinet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, making the infection a top public health priority. Early and accurate identification of disease is a critical factor in successful management, including clinical symptomology. The testing methods for C. difficile have improved in efficiency and sensitivity, which potentially causes over- or underprescribing behavior. Guided by the symbolic theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between C. difficile testing method by case year (2015 and 2018) and antibiotic treatment with the potential moderation of clinical symptoms. The secondary correlational analysis …

Nursing Students' Perceptions About Membership In Professional Organizations, Kimberly Ann Seaman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of developing professionalism in the new nursing graduate has been discussed in the nursing literature and identified as a goal in the Future of Nursing competencies. However, the understanding of undergraduate nursing students'perceptions of membership in professional organizations is unknown. This study was conducted to better understand nursing students' views of membership. Social identity theory was used to explain how membership in a professional organization promotes exposure and adaptation of preferred professional behaviors. Novice-to-expert theory was selected to explain the maturation process of professionalism in the new graduate. Twelve nursing students enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program participated …

How Feminist Beliefs Relate To Self-Objectification In African American Females, Ashton Shelby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual objectification has consistently been found to significantly influence self-objectification in women. Self-objectification has been linked to a number of adverse effects in women including depression, sexual dysfunction, and disordered eating. All females are vulnerable to sexually objectifying experiences and thus, developing self-objectifying behaviors and issues. Although extensive research explores both forms of objectification with Caucasian females, less is known about females in minority groups. In addition, little research has explored potential moderating variables. In other research related to investigating women’s mental health, feminism is one variable that has been found to have a positive effect on women’s issues. This …

Inpatient Stays Involving Mental Illness And Substance Use Disorders, Latonya Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly one-third of Americans suffer from a mental illness. Twenty-three million people are affected by substance use or a dependency issue and the length of stay for patients enrolled in treatment services is rising. Mental health issues and substance use are rising within the United States and are associated with increased healthcare costs and the need for healthcare services. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the association between inpatient services, residential, outpatient, age, and payer source on substance use and mental health services using the 2017 Substance Abuse and National Mental Health Services Administration survey. The Donadebian …

Strategies For Reducing Civil Servant Turnover Within The U.S. Federal Government, Tewanda Leshae Wooten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Voluntary turnover has increased in the United States federal government in recent decades. Employees are voluntarily leaving organizations sooner than expected, leaving the remaining employees to complete their tasks and posing a possible loss of revenue until the employee is replaced or retrained. The purpose of this study was to understand the reasoning behind the upward trend in turnover rates within the federal government and assist with strategies to retain government employees in the future. Herzberg’s two-factor theory was used as the theoretical framework to heighten understanding of the high levels of turnovers within the federal government. The primary research …

Child Marriage: Parents' Lived Experience Of Decision-Making Processes And Consequential Health Effects, Hadiza Yakub

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child or early marriage is increasingly recognized as a public health concern that poses significant health challenges for a young bride. This qualitative research explored child marriage among Hausa-Fulani ethnolinguistic communities in Northeastern Nigeria. Qualitative interviews were conducted with parents who married off their underage children. The central research questions relied on a theoretical foundation of social values theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study results provide an in-depth understanding of the child marriage phenomenon by exploring parents' lived experiences and the role of a child bride's health in the decision-making process and illustrates how social values and norms drive …

Strategies To Retain Mental Health Workers In Community Mental Health Clinics, Debbie L. Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2017, the United States employee turnover rate for mental health workers with 2 or more years of experience was more than 50%. High turnover rates among these mental health workers are associated with inadequate quality of care for patients with mental health issues in community mental health clinics. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore retention strategies used by health care administrators to retain their mental health workers with more than 2 years of experience. The participants consisted of 6 health care administrators who successfully implemented strategies to minimize high …

Teachers’ Perspectives Of Preschool Reading Fadeout And Strategies To Prevent It In Low-Performing Schools, Jacquelyn Blanton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Third-grade reading scores on some U.S. state tests revealed that children who attended a state-funded preschool program were not proficient readers. Reading gains made in preschool faded by the time the children reached third grade. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine teachers’ perspectives regarding the causes of preschool reading fadeout and the strategies they used to prevent preschool reading fadeout in low-performing schools. The conceptual framework included the dynamic skill-building theory and skill formation theory to examine the development of reading skills. Nine state-certified teachers who taught reading in preschool through third grade shared their perspectives …

Teacher Preparedness, Stress, And Subjective Well-Being In Alternative And Traditional Certification Route Teachers, Shuchemia Nicole Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many educators who enter the teaching profession via the traditional route leave the profession early. As a result, many school districts rely on alternative certification programs to fill the teacher shortage. Though the traditional route of teacher certification contains instruction parallel to pedagogical theories and produces candidates with the opportunity to gain experience through practicums, the alternative route allows candidates to move directly into the classroom to fill teacher vacancies. The purpose of this study was to examine possible differences in teacher job-related stress and teacher subjective well-being as a function of teacher certification route. In addition, possible differences in …

Eating Disorders And The Gap Of Education, Sara Jane Camden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Eating disorders are described as excessive dieting, limiting food intake, and withholding of food. Over 30 million people suffer from eating disorders. Some people may also have preconceived notions that this disease is easily fixable and that eating more and stopping dieting will solve the problem. Registered nurses struggle with having preconceived ideas, a lack of confidence in their assessment skills, and fear of using the eating disorder diagnosis. Barriers that have surrounded the eating disorder mental health disease need to be addressed. The staff development project was based on the question if nursing knowledge would improve on eating disorders …

Therapeutic Communication Skills For Nurses Working With People Living With Hiv, Charaine Ferguson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Internalized stigma experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) has been associated with numerous untoward health outcomes. Nurses' and healthcare professionals’ ability to effectively communicate can significantly affect the experience of stigma in PLWH. The practice-focused question was whether an interactive educational project could improve the knowledge and intent to use collective communication skills in nurses. This project uses concepts from Peplau's interpersonal relationship theory, principles of therapeutic communication, and unconscious bias. Online training content included patient testimonials related to stigma, discussions of unconscious bias by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Mayo Clinic professionals, review of Harvard University’s Implicit …

Leadership Strategies To Maintain Hospital Business Office Productivity During A Merger, Scott Alan Hughes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2017, healthcare system mergers in the United States set a record with 115 deals made and 11 involved sellers with net revenue of at least $1 billion; however, it is common for hospital business office productivity to suffer during a merger. Grounded in the theory of business process re-engineering, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies hospital leaders in the southeastern United States used to maintain business office productivity as they completed a merger. A review of documentation from archival records supplemented in-depth interviews with 7 purposively selected hospital leaders. Yin’s 5-step analysis guided …

Supply Chain Leaders’ Strategies For Selecting Performance Measures, Elizabeth Brush Nohe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a performance gap between supply chain leaders versus laggards in critical areas such as service and shareholder value. Although research indicates that the reasons for the performance differences are choosing the wrong performance measures and setting goals too low, there remains a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding the decision-making strategies used by supply chain leaders in selecting key performance measures and goals for their respective organizations. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to improve the understanding of the decision-making strategies used by supply chain leaders in their selection of key performance measures and associated goals. …

Ethics Of Collection And Use Of Consumer Information On The Internet, Thanh M. Pham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer online activities can generate massive volumes of data that private companies may collect and use for business purposes. Consumer personal data need to be protected from unauthorized access and misuse. The specific problem is that consumers have little control regarding their data being collected and used by private companies. The purpose of this qualitative archival research was to explore business practices involving collection and use of consumer data without an individual’s consent. This study used the big data ethical conceptual framework to focus on various privacy issues, including those related to ownership, transparency, ethics, and consumer privacy laws. Archival …

Coping And Support Strategies Portrayed In Rheumatoid Arthritis Illness Blogs, Folasade Bolanle Alagbada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), such as pain, fatigue, stiffness, and inflammation, limit individuals’ abilities to care for themselves, participate in social events, and complete tasks associated with gender norms. RA is a chronic and debilitating disease that people struggle to cope with physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and financially, but many have not established effective coping and support strategies. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study guided by a combination of Orem’s theory of self-care and Watson’s theory of the human caring was to explore the coping mechanisms and support strategies of women and men with RA as …

Experiences Of Parents Interacting In An Urban Preschool Outreach Program, Sonya Renee Baines-Corey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractParental engagement supports children academically. However, African American parents engage at lower levels than other parents. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand the experiences of urban preschool parents in a blended parental engagement program. A combination of critical race theory, experiential learning, social learning theory, and andragogy served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through semi structured face-to-face interviews with eight African American parents, observational field notes, and an archival review of preschool documents in a Southeast U.S. state’s innovative parental engagement program that incorporates technology. Findings from inductive thematic analysis indicated three major themes. …

Relationship Between Hospital Performance And Medicare Reimbursement Penalties, Ashley Bays

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medicare reimbursement penalties are a financial concern for health care leaders when hospitals underperform in the specific measures of hospital performance defined by the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. Grounded in the general contingency theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine the relationship between the measures of hospital performance, clinical care, person and community engagement, safety, efficiency and cost reduction, and Medicare reimbursement penalties. Secondary data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were collected from 420 acute care urban hospitals designated as teaching facilities with a bed size between 100–299 beds for the fiscal year 2019. …

Environmental Barriers To Accessing Tertiary Prevention Among Hispanics Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes, Stella B. Biira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, Hispanics diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have not accessed tertiary level prevention, which is critical in diabetes management and the prevention of further complications. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association between neighborhood crime, the absence of community health centers, the lack of culturally competent providers, the lack of public transportation, the residential setting, the distance to T2DM education classes, and access to tertiary prevention among Hispanics diagnosed with T2DM. The research was guided by the Andersen behavioral model. A sample size of N = 4,977 was used in the study, …

Technology Business Leaders' Strategies To Increase Employees' Engagement, Desmond J. L. Browne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEmployee disengagement is costly and reduces an organization's ability to meet its full potential to produce business results. Technology business leaders who have engaged employees can positively alter the company's rapid transformation to be more competitive. Grounded by the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies 6 technology leaders in the Atlanta metropolitan area use to engage employees. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step data analysis process. Three themes emerged: communicate with transparency, provide offerings for training and rewards, and identify and implement …