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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Relationship Between Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Inflammatory Biomarkers, And Hospital Length Of Stay Among Covid-19 Patients., Alice Aghamie Osuji Apr 2025

Relationship Between Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Inflammatory Biomarkers, And Hospital Length Of Stay Among Covid-19 Patients., Alice Aghamie Osuji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

COVID-19 has put immense pressure on healthcare facilities, especially in managing patients with comorbidity. This study addressed the association between two important coinfections, congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and their effect on hospital length of stay (LOS) among COVID-19 patients. The study also explored the predictive role of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) in prolonged hospitalization, also considering the influence of age and race. This study applied the Biopsychosocial Model and Chronic Care Model (CCM) to examine health outcomes and resource use. A retrospective cohort research design was used to examine medical records of …


Examining School Counselors’ Lived Experiences Of Relational Aggression In African American Girls, Crystal Holt Apr 2025

Examining School Counselors’ Lived Experiences Of Relational Aggression In African American Girls, Crystal Holt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the early 1990s, there have been examinations of the predictors of Relational Aggression (RA) in girls, but many questions remain unanswered that contribute to the lived experiences of school counselors addressing RA. RA is best defined as behavior that is deliberate and unfriendly, with the intent to cause harm to others through verbal, social, and emotional control. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of school counselors addressing RA in African American girls. A hermeneutic phenomenological lens was used to examine the individual perceptions of eight school counselors. Semistructured interviews were used to gather the …


An Investigative Analysis Into The Correlation Between Police Department Budgets And Violent Crime Rates., Julie Schwartz Apr 2025

An Investigative Analysis Into The Correlation Between Police Department Budgets And Violent Crime Rates., Julie Schwartz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Criminal justice reform and calls to defund the police have become more prevalent since the unrest that occurred in 2020. Research to date has looked at criminal justice reform, crime causation, and discussions surrounding defunding the police. Previous research has looked at police funding conceptually but not from a quantitative lens. The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to provide an investigative analysis into police department funding and the effect of the funding on violent crime rates using strain theory as its foundation. The research question addressed the relationship between police department budgets, specifically the criminal investigations unit, and …


The Association Of Sleep Quality And Depression On Having Three Vs. All Five Diagnostic Criteria Of Metabolic Syndrome, Nina Pollard Apr 2025

The Association Of Sleep Quality And Depression On Having Three Vs. All Five Diagnostic Criteria Of Metabolic Syndrome, Nina Pollard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Metabolic syndrome is increasing in prevalence in the United States. To be diagnosed, three of the five diagnostic criteria must be met. There is a higher risk of metabolic syndrome due to lifestyle and social factors, with increased criteria occurring as an individual has unmet social determinants of health. This quantitative quasi-experimental/quasi-comparative study examined the association between education level, with sleep quality and depression as moderators, on a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome with all five criteria versus three criteria using a binary logistic regression while controlling for age, race, gender, income, employment, and marital status. Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological theory served …


Strategies To Improve Higher Education Institutional Performance Through Predictive Analytics Implementation, Laxshaa Nadpurajah Apr 2025

Strategies To Improve Higher Education Institutional Performance Through Predictive Analytics Implementation, Laxshaa Nadpurajah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education institutions face challenges in integrating predictive analytics due to data silos and resistance to adoption, limiting their ability to improve student outcomes and operational efficiency. This issue concerns institutional leaders, as ineffective data use can lead to declining retention rates, financial strain, and missed opportunities for growth. Grounded in the composite conceptual framework of the technology acceptance model and the diffusion of innovations theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore effective strategies to implement predictive analytics tools to reduce costs and improve student outcomes. The study included three higher education leaders in Ontario …


An Exploration Of The Intersection Of Religious And Sexual Identities Among Millennials Who Have Left The Evangelical Church, Mishell Lopez Apr 2025

An Exploration Of The Intersection Of Religious And Sexual Identities Among Millennials Who Have Left The Evangelical Church, Mishell Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Church attendance rates have decreased for evangelical churches over the last decade, with the most notable decline among millennials. This decline is attributed to millennial shifts away from traditional views and new understandings of identity. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how millennials who have left evangelical churches describe their sexual and religious identities. Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory and Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory, focusing on an individual’s identity and the groups to which they belong, informed its theoretical framework. These theories offered perspective on the experiences of those who carry intersecting identities within churches that …


Successful Leadership Strategies For Reducing Staff Turnover In Clinical Research Organizations, Tamala Burden Apr 2025

Successful Leadership Strategies For Reducing Staff Turnover In Clinical Research Organizations, Tamala Burden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover in clinical research organizations (CROs) disrupts research continuity, increases operational costs, and threatens the timely execution of clinical trials. High employee turnover is a critical concern to CRO leaders, as excessive employee attrition can delay developing and delivering new patient therapies and threaten organizational performance. Grounded in social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore employee-focused strategies that CRO leaders use to reduce employee turnover successfully. Data collection included semistructured interviews with six purposively selected CRO leaders, supplemented by publicly available records to triangulate findings. Following Braun and Clarke’s 6-step …


Perceptions Of Campus Safety And Campus Carry Among Student Veterans, Kerwin J. Flaherty Apr 2025

Perceptions Of Campus Safety And Campus Carry Among Student Veterans, Kerwin J. Flaherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student veterans are an essential population for research but remain consistently underexamined in the literature. Similarly, veterans carrying firearms are an essential but under-examined topic in the literature. This study sought to address gaps in both domains by investigating student veterans’ perspectives on safety and firearms on campus, or “campus carry”. Campus carry refers to a set of policies that vary by jurisdiction but generally allow individuals to legally carry concealed firearms on all or some parts of a public university or college campus. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how student veterans in Texas perceive campus safety and how these …


Acculturation, Social Support, And Immigration-Related Stressors: Impact On Depression Among Single Mother Immigrants In The United States, Comfort Payne Apr 2025

Acculturation, Social Support, And Immigration-Related Stressors: Impact On Depression Among Single Mother Immigrants In The United States, Comfort Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that disproportionately affects immigrant single mothers in the United States, whose risk is heightened by unique vulnerabilities. The interplay between acculturation, social support, and economic burden in this population is underexplored. This quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the relationship between various factors and depression using 2020–2022 National Health Interview Survey data. Inclusion criteria were single immigrant mothers aged 19–60 years, who had lived in the U.S. for at least one year, had one or more dependent children, and self-reported depression status. The socioecological model provided a lens for identifying how individual, interpersonal, and structural …


Exploring The Impact Of Internalized Negative Stereotypes On Black Women's Identity Development, Mental Health, And Resilience, Angela Nicole Clarke Apr 2025

Exploring The Impact Of Internalized Negative Stereotypes On Black Women's Identity Development, Mental Health, And Resilience, Angela Nicole Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stereotypes affect Black women’s self-concept, psychological well-being, and overall mental health, influencing how they perceive themselves and are perceived by others. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women who have internalized negative stereotypes, such as the angry Black woman and strong Black woman, and explored their impact on identity development and mental health. Intersectionality theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 15 Black women from the Southeast and Southwest United States. Thematic analysis revealed key patterns of resilience such as community support, code-switching, and self-affirmation. Findings also highlighted the …


Emergency Operations Plan To Sufficiently Support Prison Disaster Preparedness, Nyhrie Love Chapman Apr 2025

Emergency Operations Plan To Sufficiently Support Prison Disaster Preparedness, Nyhrie Love Chapman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency management in correctional facilities is a critical aspect of institutional safety and security. Natural disasters and public health crises have exposed significant gaps in preparedness, leaving incarcerated individuals and staff vulnerable during emergencies. This qualitative study was conducted to examine prison staff members’ perspectives on the effectiveness of emergency operations plans (EOPs) in responding to natural and human-made disasters. Guided by social vulnerability theory and policy implementation and effectiveness theory, this study employed a phenomenological approach to explore staff experiences. Through 12 in-depth interviews, participants described challenges related to resource limitations, training deficiencies, and breakdowns in communication between agencies. …


Medical Social Workers’ Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Managing Patients With Chronic Pain And Opioid Use Disorder, Alexis Ware Apr 2025

Medical Social Workers’ Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Managing Patients With Chronic Pain And Opioid Use Disorder, Alexis Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social work is a complex field, with the roles and responsibilities of social workers often unclear. This ambiguity can lead to low self-efficacy and hinder effective collaboration with other disciplines, which can negatively impact patient care. The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the relationship between the occupational self-efficacy of medical social workers, level of experience and social workers’ perceptions of interdisciplinary collaboration when managing patients with co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder. The theoretical framework that guided this study is Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The conceptual framework for this research is Bronstein’s model of interdisciplinary collaboration. The …


Lived Experiences Of Seropositive Msm Who Face Intersectional Stigma Regarding Hiv-Prevention And Care In California, Sagar Bedi Apr 2025

Lived Experiences Of Seropositive Msm Who Face Intersectional Stigma Regarding Hiv-Prevention And Care In California, Sagar Bedi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals who are positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and identify as MSM (men who have sex with men), a population disproportionately affected by this disease, face complex struggles due to interplay between multiple forms of stigma, disclosure, and HIV risk behaviors. This results in delayed testing, poor treatment adherence, and decreased engagement in care. Despite the growing body of research on HIV among MSM, very few studies have explored the complex ways in which multiple forms of stigma intersect and impact the lives of Seropositive MSM. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perception and lived …


Development Of End-Of-Life Educational Module For Nurses, Kari Mcclain Apr 2025

Development Of End-Of-Life Educational Module For Nurses, Kari Mcclain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

End-of-life (EOL) care is given to patients and their families near the end of the patient’s life or when a patient or family member chooses to stop any treatment they are receiving to either cure or control their disease process. Having discussions regarding end-of-life and dying has proven to be difficult and uncomfortable for most healthcare professionals, whether they are providers or nurses at the bedside. Part of the reason for the discomfort in having these discussions is twofold. First, healthcare professionals are trained to do what they can to save a person's life. Therefore, there is a lack of …


Effective Engagement Strategies For Management To Increase Job Satisfaction Within Virtual Teams, Judy R. Ramphal Apr 2025

Effective Engagement Strategies For Management To Increase Job Satisfaction Within Virtual Teams, Judy R. Ramphal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction within virtual teams is a significant challenge for many corporations, affecting goal achievement, retention, and performance. Some managers of medium to large companies lack strategies for the engagement of virtual team members to ensure job satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore effective engagement strategies that some managers of medium and large companies use to increase job satisfaction within virtual teams. Participants included five upper-level managers from five companies who were successful in managing engagement strategies in virtual teams. Thematic analysis revealed three major themes: continuous communication with …


The Lived Experience Of Immigrant Parents Raising First-Generation Adolescents In The United States, Hala Mohamed Hassan Apr 2025

The Lived Experience Of Immigrant Parents Raising First-Generation Adolescents In The United States, Hala Mohamed Hassan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrant parents experience challenges raising adolescent children, including cultural adaptation, language barriers, and generational differences, and how these impact adolescent development in bicultural contexts. Relatively little is understood about immigrant parents raising first-generation adolescents. The purpose of this study, grounded in Baumrind’s parenting style theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, was to explore the lived experiences of immigrant parents raising first-generation adolescents in the United States using a qualitative phenomenological approach. This study employed semistructured interviews with 12 immigrant parents of first-generation teenagers aged 13-19, with data analyzed thematically to identify patterns and themes in participants’ experiences. Key findings revealed the …


Perspectives Of Probation Officers On Training To Support Women Who Commit Co-Occurring Crimes, Cynthia Stephens Apr 2025

Perspectives Of Probation Officers On Training To Support Women Who Commit Co-Occurring Crimes, Cynthia Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of understanding about probation officers’ (POs’) training views, especially concerning female offenders, reduces training and reentry effectiveness for female criminals. This study investigated POs’ perspectives on their training to assist women with co-occurring offenses by developing a practical intervention framework to improve reentry outcomes. The labeling and dual-role relationship theories served as the theoretical foundation to answer the research question, which involved identifying the perspectives of POs on training to support women with co-occurring crimes. A phenomenological design and in-depth face-to-face PO interviews were appropriate to answer the research question. Thematic analysis occurred to identify key concepts revealed …


Narratives Of Black College Students With Disabilities: Experiences With Disability Services Attending Predominately White Institutions (Pwis), Sade Beaulieu Apr 2025

Narratives Of Black College Students With Disabilities: Experiences With Disability Services Attending Predominately White Institutions (Pwis), Sade Beaulieu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Literature exploring the stories of Black college students with disabilities is sparse. Given the lack of this population’s storied experiences, disability counselors on college campuses may not be effectively accommodating, integrating, and engaging these students, providing adequate and necessary support to them. The purpose of this Qualitative study was to give a voice to marginalized Black college students with disabilities who have been underrepresented in the literature. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and narrative inquiry (NI) served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to guide this study. The research question focused on how Black college students with disabilities describe their experience …


Formative Research For A Family Counseling-Special Education Advocacy Intervention, Rosalind C. Ceasar Apr 2025

Formative Research For A Family Counseling-Special Education Advocacy Intervention, Rosalind C. Ceasar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Families of children with disabilities may face challenges with their children’s education which increases their risk of mental health problems. This formative, qualitative research was to explore the practices of mental health counselors who incorporate special education advocacy into counseling, to advise the development of a family counseling-special education advocacy program. The research question was: what are the special education advocacy practices of mental health counselors when they work with students who require special education and related services and their families, and how can the practices inform the formal development of a family counseling-special education advocacy intervention? Bartholemew et al.’s …


Social Support And Treatment Outcomes Among Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis And Persons Living With Hiv In Nigeria, Abiodun Olusegun Hassan Apr 2025

Social Support And Treatment Outcomes Among Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis And Persons Living With Hiv In Nigeria, Abiodun Olusegun Hassan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 40% of people with tuberculosis (TB) are missed due to underdiagnosis, and among those previously treated TB cases, about a quarter develop drug-resistant TB in Nigeria. The emergence of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is stalling the effort towards TB’s control and eradication. Few studies have examined the impact of the psychosocial effect and support systems for TB, particularly for MDR-TB. In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, the predictive relationship between social support given to MDR-TB patients and their treatment outcomes was examined using secondary data of 594 MDR-TB cases enrolled between January 2018 and December 2021. The theoretical framework for …


Staff Education To Improve Hand Hygiene Among Inpatient Behavioral Health Staff., Folashade Abosede Fadairo Apr 2025

Staff Education To Improve Hand Hygiene Among Inpatient Behavioral Health Staff., Folashade Abosede Fadairo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this staff education project, I addressed the critical need to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in behavioral health settings. Poor adherence to hand hygiene protocols is directly linked to increased healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), patient morbidity, and higher healthcare costs in behavioral health environments. The practice-focused question was: How does a hand hygiene intervention program, grounded in the theoretical domains framework, impact hand hygiene compliance among behavioral healthcare workers in inpatient psychiatric units? The purpose of the project was to evaluate the effect of a hand hygiene intervention program on compliance rates among behavioral healthcare workers in inpatient …


A Qualitative Examination Of Probationary Police Candidate Success And Attrition, Joseph Eugene Roy Apr 2025

A Qualitative Examination Of Probationary Police Candidate Success And Attrition, Joseph Eugene Roy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement has undergone significant changes, requiring modern officers to embody a complex blend of traditional values and adaptive capabilities. Despite rigorous selection and training processes, some police recruits leave the profession prematurely, often during their probationary or field training phases. This early attrition represents a costly challenge for law enforcement agencies, with training expenses sometimes exceeding $200,000 per recruit. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of police recruits who successfully completed field training and compared them to the observations of FTOs who trained recruits who left law enforcement early. The research used Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory and …


The Lived Experiences Of Rural Nurses In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Amy Schultes Apr 2025

The Lived Experiences Of Rural Nurses In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Amy Schultes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 60 million people, or one in five Americans, live in rural areas across the United States. Despite this, there is a lack of information about the experiences of critical access nurses working in rural hospitals that serve small towns and rural areas. The goal with this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of rural nurses in the post-COVID-19 era. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and rural nursing theory, the lived experiences of eight nurses working in critical access hospitals in Iowa were explored through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed using the hermeneutic circle for phenomenological …


Successful Leadership Strategies Hotel Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Sean Reid Apr 2025

Successful Leadership Strategies Hotel Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Sean Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover remains a significant challenge in the hotel industry, impacting service quality and increasing operational costs. Hotel managers are particularly concerned with this issue as it affects their ability to maintain a financially sustainable business. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful leadership strategies hotel managers use to reduce employee turnover. The participants comprised four hotel managers from four different hotels in the Caribbean. Data were gathered from semistructured interviews, interview notes, and a review of documents provided by the participants. Four themes emerged from the use of …


The Impact Of Ai Adoption In Protecting Patient’S Information In The Healthcare Industry, Israel Balogun Apr 2025

The Impact Of Ai Adoption In Protecting Patient’S Information In The Healthcare Industry, Israel Balogun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data breaches are a critical concern in healthcare settings. Protecting patient information is a major priority for healthcare providers, information technology (IT) security teams, policymakers, and patients in the United States (U.S.) healthcare system. Failure to address this issue may lead to legal penalties, financial losses, and diminished patient trust. Grounded in technology threat avoidance theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies healthcare IT security managers employ to protect patient information when adopting artificial intelligence (AI). The participants were six IT security managers and employees who successfully implemented strategies to protect patient information when …


Police Officers’ Use Of Force In The Low Country Of South Carolina, Mariah Roy Apr 2025

Police Officers’ Use Of Force In The Low Country Of South Carolina, Mariah Roy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

United States police officers' use of force is an ongoing concern of many community members. As these encounters continue to occur, lawmakers in states, including South Carolina (SC), have revitalized or implemented statutes addressing the use of force. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the use of force in law enforcement from the perspectives of community members in the Low Country region of SC. The rational model and contact hypothesis served as the study’s foundation. Data were collected from interviews with 10 participants over the age of 18 from Charleston, SC, a city within the …


The Association Between Maternal Nutrition, Perinatal Mental Health, And Birth Outcomes In Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Women, Kimberly Terrisa Ieasha Dudley Apr 2025

The Association Between Maternal Nutrition, Perinatal Mental Health, And Birth Outcomes In Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Women, Kimberly Terrisa Ieasha Dudley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent studies, disparities in the United States indicated a prevalence of adverse outcomes associated with maternal nutrition and perinatal mental health among women facing socioeconomic challenges. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between maternal nutrition, perinatal mental health, and birth outcomes with a focus on women facing socioeconomic challenges. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the socioecological model. The research design involved using secondary data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and employing multiple regression analysis. Key findings revealed significant associations between maternal nutrition, perinatal mental health, and birth …


Commanders’ Perspectives On Training, Intervention, And Identity Adjustment For Reintegration, Chelsea Jones Apr 2025

Commanders’ Perspectives On Training, Intervention, And Identity Adjustment For Reintegration, Chelsea Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military reintegration presents significant challenges for service members returning home to civilian life. Previous research has indicated many reintegration challenges, including reintegration preparation, identity adjustment, and proactive intervention; however, there remains an essential gap in the literature regarding training for military commanders and how they can be updated to help better facilitate service members’ reintegration. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to ask about the lived experiences of military commanders on reintegration preparation training, regarding proactive intervention during deployment, and about identity adjustment issues upon reintegration. The participants comprised six active and retired military …


Social Workers Impact On Behavioral Health Patients In The Emergency Department, Hannah Grumbein Apr 2025

Social Workers Impact On Behavioral Health Patients In The Emergency Department, Hannah Grumbein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The emergency department is designed to treat emergency medical conditions, stabilize the patients, and transition them to the next appropriate level of care. The social issue that prompted the search in current literature is increased readmissions to the emergency department for many at-risk populations, including mental health patients. The research problem addressed through this quantitative study was the increasing readmission rates in emergency departments for the mental health population for non-emergent needs. The purpose of the study was to determine whether having social work involvement with adult mental health patients in the emergency department would lead to more services at …


Forging Sustainable Retention Strategies For Medical-Surgical Registered Nurses In Rural Texas Hospitals, Yvette Eartha Stephenson Apr 2025

Forging Sustainable Retention Strategies For Medical-Surgical Registered Nurses In Rural Texas Hospitals, Yvette Eartha Stephenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Background: Health care delivery in rural medical-surgical units is significantly hindered by nurse shortages, particularly in underserved areas. While various approaches to retention have been studied, there remains a lack of focus on sustainable strategies explicitly tailored for rural settings. Purpose: In this integrative review, guided by the situational leadership theory (SLT) framework, sustainable nurse retention strategies for rural medical-surgical units were investigated. The SLT emphasizes four leadership components, supporting, delegating, directing, and coaching, which were the foundation for categorizing themes and subthemes in this analysis. Method: A review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2019 and 2024 was conducted while …