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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Staff Education To Prevent Falls Among Older Adults In Primary Care, Chioma Nwosu Feb 2026

Staff Education To Prevent Falls Among Older Adults In Primary Care, Chioma Nwosu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Falls are a significant health concern for the elderly population and a major cause of injury and functional decline among older adults, yet fall prevention practices are inconsistently applied in primary care. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of staff education on fall risk screening and prevention for adults aged 65 years and older using the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) framework. This project employs a pre–post quality improvement design in a primary care clinic. Clinical staff received education on STEADI-based fall risk assessment, documentation, and evidence-based interventions. Data were collected through chart …


Perceptions Of Former Inmates’ Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Received During Incarceration, Garla Kathleen Snapp-Hart Feb 2026

Perceptions Of Former Inmates’ Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Received During Incarceration, Garla Kathleen Snapp-Hart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to effective behavioral treatment is critical for the imprisoned population and newly released individuals to reduce reentry into the penitentiary system. Social workers within correctional facilities can determine the need for treatment, how often treatment is required, what specific treatment is necessary, and what resources will be needed to provide those treatments. A qualitative exploratory design was used in this study. I explored the quality of behavioral health treatment provided to the incarcerated population. Systems theory was used as the theoretical framework this study. There were 17 participants in this study who had been incarcerated in a Kentucky prison …


Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Mental Health Professionals Providing Animal Assisted Play Therapy® To Adults In An Outpatient Setting, Kelsey Unger Feb 2026

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Mental Health Professionals Providing Animal Assisted Play Therapy® To Adults In An Outpatient Setting, Kelsey Unger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Animal Assisted Play Therapy® (AAPT) is a growing therapeutic approach that incorporates a therapy animal into therapy while utilizing the therapeutic powers of play. There is a lack of research on using AAPT with adult clients in an outpatient setting. This needs to be explored so best practices can be developed to ensure that counselors are using AAPT with adults in a safe and ethical manner for both clients and animals. I sought to understand the lived experiences of mental health professionals providing AAPT to adult clients in an outpatient setting through hermeneutic phenomenology. The data were collected through semi-structured …


Exploring The Experiences Of Cit Officers And Their Perceptions Of The Programs Effectiveness, Arkeshia Dominique Ware Feb 2026

Exploring The Experiences Of Cit Officers And Their Perceptions Of The Programs Effectiveness, Arkeshia Dominique Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers across the United States frequently respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises, yet many lack specialized training to manage these encounters effectively. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model was developed to improve law enforcement responses through collaboration with mental health professionals and an emphasis on de-escalation. Although prior research has examined measurable outcomes associated with CIT programs, limited qualitative research has explored CIT-trained officers’ lived experiences and perceptions of effectiveness. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how CIT-trained officers use their skills to reduce arrest, officer and citizen injury, and use of force …


A Nurse-Led Staff Education Program To Prevent And Detect Elder Abuse By Caregivers In The Home, Nicola Violet Brown-Walters Feb 2026

A Nurse-Led Staff Education Program To Prevent And Detect Elder Abuse By Caregivers In The Home, Nicola Violet Brown-Walters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a nurse-led, evidence-based staff education initiative designed to improve the prevention and detection of elder abuse in the home by caregivers within an outpatient primary care setting. Elder abuse places older adults at risk for physical harm, neglect, medication mismanagement, and violations of autonomy and patient rights. Elder abuse remains a pervasive and underrecognized problem in nursing practice, often resulting from limited staff education, inconsistent screening practices, and uncertainty regarding mandatory reporting requirements. The practice-focused question examined whether implementing a nurse-led targeted education program guided by the ADDIE instructional design model and …


Preferred Social Support Systems Of Black Women With Fibromyalgia Syndrome And Mood Disorders, Briana Beverly Feb 2026

Preferred Social Support Systems Of Black Women With Fibromyalgia Syndrome And Mood Disorders, Briana Beverly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black women managing Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and mood disorders navigate complex health care experiences within systems that often fail to recognize their needs. Health care disparities, cultural expectations, and systemic barriers create distinct interpretive contexts for this population, who often encounter delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, and dismissal of their symptoms despite often reporting higher levels of pain severity. Using the biopsychosocial model as a conceptual framework, this qualitative study utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore how Black women make sense of their experiences across physical, psychological, and social dimensions. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with six participants. Key findings …


The Impact Of Cultural Competence On Patient Outcomes In The Bahamas, Erinique Denise E. Ingraham Feb 2026

The Impact Of Cultural Competence On Patient Outcomes In The Bahamas, Erinique Denise E. Ingraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In The Bahamas, the quality of care received by culturally diverse patients remains generally poor, highlighting an inability to adapt to the changing climate and adopt culturally responsive practices. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the relationship between perceived cultural competence of healthcare providers in The Bahamas and its impact on patient outcomes for the non-Bahamian patients they treat. The tripartite model of cultural competence grounded this study. The participants comprised 49 non-Bahamian patients from the public and private sectors. They completed the patient-reported physician cultural competency measure, self-efficacy for managing medications and treatments, and the …


School Administrators’ Perspective On Juvenile Delinquency, Ebonee Thomas Feb 2026

School Administrators’ Perspective On Juvenile Delinquency, Ebonee Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of school administrators in Maryland public schools regarding the implementation of discipline policies and their impact on juvenile delinquency. Prompted by rising concerns about delinquent behavior and inconsistent consequences for students, the research investigated how administrators perceive and navigate the challenges of enforcing discipline and the strategies they employ to foster safe, positive school environments. Grounded in defiance theory and social learning theory, the study used open-ended surveys to gather insights from 16 retired and current principals and assistant principals in Maryland public school systems. The findings reveal that while discipline policies provide …


Educator Retention And Director Practices In Early Childhood Education Settings, Katherine Williams Feb 2026

Educator Retention And Director Practices In Early Childhood Education Settings, Katherine Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education (ECE) educators leave their profession at a rate 14% higher than K-12 educators, resulting in multisystemic issues that affect children, families, staff, and the ECE industry. Research has shown a connection between leadership practices and ECE educator turnover intentions; however, there is limited research on the relationship between the servant-leadership (SL) practices of ECE directors and ECE educators’ turnover intentions. Grounded in Greenleaf’s theory of servant-leadership, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between ECE director SL practices and its seven dimensions, measured using the SL scale, and ECE educator turnover intentions, measured …


Staff Education Project Staff Education On Medication Adherence, Blessing Nwoke Feb 2026

Staff Education Project Staff Education On Medication Adherence, Blessing Nwoke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication adherence is a critical component of effective psychiatric treatment, yet staff understanding and consistent reinforcement of adherence strategies are often limited in outpatient behavioral health settings. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project implemented a staff education initiative to improve knowledge and awareness of medication adherence using the ESPACOMP Medication Adherence Reporting Guideline (EMERGE) as the foundational framework. The program was conducted in an outpatient psychiatric facility and aimed to align staff knowledge with evidence-based standards for monitoring and supporting adherence. Educational sessions were delivered to clinical staff, incorporating key components of EMERGE to clarify terminology, enhance consistency in …


Improving Clinical Staff Competence In Depression Screening Using Phq Tools: A Staff Education Initiative, Mwandu Chisanga Feb 2026

Improving Clinical Staff Competence In Depression Screening Using Phq Tools: A Staff Education Initiative, Mwandu Chisanga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctoral Project was an educational project designed to improve standardized depression screening processes among the clinical staff of a behavioral health agency. This project addressed the gap of irregular implementation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and PHQ-9 at this facility. The clinical practice issue being addressed by this project was, "Among clinical workers conducting depression screening, how does having a staff education program influence knowledge, confidence, and screening accuracy of the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9. Instructional intervention was developed based on the (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate (ADDIE) model of instructional design. The program was delivered through standardized in-person …


Leadership Styles And Safety Climate In An Integrated Healthcare System In Northern California, Darshan Kaur Grewal Feb 2026

Leadership Styles And Safety Climate In An Integrated Healthcare System In Northern California, Darshan Kaur Grewal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preventable medical errors continue to challenge healthcare systems and highlight the critical role of leadership in shaping organizational safety climates. Healthcare leaders need to understand this dynamic as a primary indicator affecting patient outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and the safety climate within an integrated healthcare system in Northern California. Avolio and Bass’s full range leadership model and Neal and Griffin’s organizational safety climate theory grounded this study. The participants comprised 2,352 clinical and nonclinical staff who completed the safety attitudes questionnaire and the …


Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiences With Secondary Traumatic Stress And Coping While Working With Child Molesters, Aaliyah Blanding Feb 2026

Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiences With Secondary Traumatic Stress And Coping While Working With Child Molesters, Aaliyah Blanding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was focused on law enforcement officers’ experiences with secondary traumatic stress and coping while working with child molesters. Lazarus and Folkman’s cognitive model of stress and coping were used to examine how law enforcement officers manage stress, focusing on their cognitive processes and thought patterns. Using a basic qualitative approach, eight law enforcement officers who work with child molesters in the state of South Carolina were interviewed to hear their personal experiences. Interviews were semi-structured interview questions via a video-conferencing platform. The data were analyzed and coded using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. The study’s findings confirmed …


The Effectiveness Of Rehabilitative Activities In Social Reintegration Of Ex-Parolees Into Guyanese Society, La-Toya Lucrisha Arthur-Tucker Feb 2026

The Effectiveness Of Rehabilitative Activities In Social Reintegration Of Ex-Parolees Into Guyanese Society, La-Toya Lucrisha Arthur-Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many parolees struggle with successful reintegration into society. Further research was needed to assess the benefits of parole for both parolees and former parolees in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. The insights of ex-parolees may make the country’s parole process more meaningful to offenders’ rehabilitative experience and overall social reintegration. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the effectiveness of rehabilitative activities in the social reintegration of ex-parolees into Guyanese society. The risk–need–responsivity model, general strain theory, and social support theories provided a framework for the investigation. The focus was on ex-parolees who had been …


Colorism And The Black Family: Effects Of Colorist Messages Among Black Women, Carolyn Frink Feb 2026

Colorism And The Black Family: Effects Of Colorist Messages Among Black Women, Carolyn Frink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem examined in this study is how colorism affects Black families. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women and the colorist messages they received from family members, how those messages were internalized, and the messages perceived effects. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the colorist-historical trauma framework, and data were obtained through individual interviews with Black women ages 22–70, from various socioeconomic backgrounds and selected through purposeful sampling. A multiple case study approach was used to examine similarities and differences among the participants. A thematic analysis was …


Strategies To Recruit And Retain Imaging Ancillary Staff For Healthcare Organizations, Stephania Poveromo Feb 2026

Strategies To Recruit And Retain Imaging Ancillary Staff For Healthcare Organizations, Stephania Poveromo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospitals and healthcare facilities in the United States continue to face persistent shortages of ancillary imaging technologists, creating significant challenges for hospital administrators. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify effective strategies for recruiting and retaining imaging staff in hospitals. The review question concerned what best practices and strategies healthcare administrators can use to improve the recruitment and retention of ancillary imaging staff. The theoretical frameworks for this research, strategic human resource development and Maslow’s theory of human motivation, provided a lens for understanding organizational enhancement and employee engagement, respectively. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, …


Secondary Students’ Mental Health And Absenteeism Post-Covid-19: School Social Workers’ Perspectives, Tiffany Hines Sutton Feb 2026

Secondary Students’ Mental Health And Absenteeism Post-Covid-19: School Social Workers’ Perspectives, Tiffany Hines Sutton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School social workers practice in a post-COVID-19 educational context where anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation are closely associated with chronic absenteeism among middle school students. This practice problem is central to clinical social work because distress-based avoidance is often misinterpreted as defiance, resulting in punitive responses that intensify disengagement. The purpose of this doctoral project was to explore how school social workers perceive and respond to the interconnected dynamics of student mental health and chronic absenteeism following COVID-19. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory guided the inquiry. A qualitative descriptive design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 10 middle school social workers …


Impact Of Suicide Literacy In Hispanic/Latinx Communities, Denisse Centeno Lamas Feb 2026

Impact Of Suicide Literacy In Hispanic/Latinx Communities, Denisse Centeno Lamas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.


The Relationship Between Social Determinants And Primary Care Utilization Among Medicaid Recipients In A Managed Care Community Health Worker Program, Rachel Elaine Rosensteel Feb 2026

The Relationship Between Social Determinants And Primary Care Utilization Among Medicaid Recipients In A Managed Care Community Health Worker Program, Rachel Elaine Rosensteel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community health worker (CHW) programs are an increasingly important strategy for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) within Medicaid systems. However, evidence on how specific SDOH impact healthcare utilization remains limited. In this quantitative, correlational study, the relationship between SDOH factors like housing instability, food insecurity, and transportation barriers, and primary care utilization among adult Medicaid recipients aged 18–65 who participated in a Medicaid managed care organization’s CHW program in Clark County, Nevada, during 2023 were examined. Retrospective administrative data from 441 participants were analyzed using negative binomial regression to assess associations between SDOH factors and postintervention primary care visits …


Financial Stability Success Strategies For Nursing Homes, Jennifer Helene Garrison Feb 2026

Financial Stability Success Strategies For Nursing Homes, Jennifer Helene Garrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective regulatory strategies can lead to reduced financial stability. Nursing home leaders who wrestle to improve regulatory practices may find their business facing reduced financial sustainability. Grounded in management by objectives theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research project was to identify and explore the effective strategies nursing home leaders used to implement regulatory compliance practices that increase financial sustainability. The participants were nine nursing home leaders who had successfully implemented regulatory compliance strategies within their organizations. Data was collected through semistructured interviews, public websites, and current and archival public documents. Through thematic analysis, three themes were identified: …


Mitigating Vicarious Traumatization From Exposure To Human Trafficking For Human Services Professionals, Andrea T. Charles-Alleyne Feb 2026

Mitigating Vicarious Traumatization From Exposure To Human Trafficking For Human Services Professionals, Andrea T. Charles-Alleyne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking is a devastating form of exploitation that not only has detrimental impacts to its victims but also the human services practitioners charged with and committed to their service provision. The secondary impact for professionals is not to be underestimated, as repeated exposure to the traumatic experiences of their clients can potentially lead to physical as well as emotional symptoms such as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Often, practitioners prioritize the needs of their clients with a relentless focus on advocacy and the overall well-being of those they serve. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was …


Enhancing Training For Law Enforcement In Mental Health Responses In The Community, Tiffany Raines Feb 2026

Enhancing Training For Law Enforcement In Mental Health Responses In The Community, Tiffany Raines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant issue in human services practice in Macon, Georgia, is law enforcement officers’ responding to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in public. Many police officers are not equipped to handle situations involving individuals experiencing mental health events, leading to possible adverse outcomes such as injury, incarceration, or even fatalities. There are increasing rates of mental illness disorders, and therefore, the need for compassionate, informed approaches for human service professionals to respond to those in crisis. More training to improve responses can lead to better outcomes for individuals in crisis, foster community trust in law enforcement, and enhance overall …


Clinical Practice Guideline For Universal Anxiety Screening For Advanced Practice Providers, Kelechi Blanton Feb 2026

Clinical Practice Guideline For Universal Anxiety Screening For Advanced Practice Providers, Kelechi Blanton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project was a clinical practice guideline (CPG) focused on anxiety screening in a primary care setting using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) screening tool. The practice problem addressed general anxiety disorder and the need for standardized assessments for risk, as recently been recommended by the U.S. Prevention Service Task Force (USPSTF). Anxiety disorder is common but frequently untreated, due in part to low rates of screening. Lack of an evidence-based guideline for anxiety screening may contribute to delayed diagnosis and inconsistencies. The practice-focused question was, Does the evidence support development of an evidence-based CPG for universal anxiety screening in …


Experiences Of Loneliness And Belonging Among U.S.-Born Women During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Germany, Anna Sizorina Feb 2026

Experiences Of Loneliness And Belonging Among U.S.-Born Women During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Germany, Anna Sizorina

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing literature indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased levels of loneliness, particularly among individuals with transnational ties. Travel and entry bans, along with social distancing, led to separation from family abroad and from people and communities in the countries of new residence. In this qualitative phenomenological study, experiences of loneliness and belonging among U.S.-born women during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany were explored. The transaction theory of stress guided the scientific enquiry, and the evolutionary theory of loneliness served as a conceptual framework for examining loneliness in the given context. Six adult female participants, born in the United …


Work-Life Balance And Occupational Stress: Moderating Factors Among African American Telecommunication Workers, Robert Charity Feb 2026

Work-Life Balance And Occupational Stress: Moderating Factors Among African American Telecommunication Workers, Robert Charity

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After the COVID-19 pandemic, remote call center employees faced intensified challenges in maintaining work-life balance (WLB) while experiencing elevated occupational stress (OS) levels. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between WLB and OS among African American (AA) call center professionals employed in the telecommunications industry, moderated by resilience (RS), gender, and generational age (GenAge). The theoretical framework included boundary theory, the job demands-control model, and resilience theory. The participants comprised 103 AA telecommunications call center professionals aged 28 to 65 in the southwestern United States. They completed the work-life balance scale, perceived occupational stress …


Staff Education Using A Workplace Violence Reduction Bundle, Julla Panneh Feb 2026

Staff Education Using A Workplace Violence Reduction Bundle, Julla Panneh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project addressed the ongoing issue of workplace violence (WPV) among medical-surgical nurses in an acute care setting. WPV poses significant risks to staff safety, psychological well-being, and the overall care environment. Guided by current evidence and professional guidelines, the project implemented a structured educational intervention focused on the Workplace Violence Reduction Bundle, incorporating the Broset Violence Checklist (BVC) and evidence-based de-escalation strategies. Medical-surgical nursing staff participated in tailored educational sessions; knowledge was assessed through pre- and post-intervention surveys, and program acceptability was evaluated through staff feedback. Data analysis revealed modest improvements in …


Impact Of Workplace Ostracism, Moderated By Personality Traits On Psychological Safety, Aniko Rastovac Feb 2026

Impact Of Workplace Ostracism, Moderated By Personality Traits On Psychological Safety, Aniko Rastovac

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychological safety, an essential element for fostering collaboration, trust, and innovation, can be undermined by negative interactions in the workplace. Most importantly, a lack of psychological safety is a barrier to individual and organizational growth, development, and innovation, which is necessary for gaining a competitive organizational advantage. The present study examines the concept of workplace ostracism as a negative interaction in the workplace that affects psychological safety. Using the big five personality traits framework, Edmondson’s (1999) concept of psychological safety, and Tett et al.’s (2021) trait activation theory, this quantitative study examined how individual differences moderate the impact of workplace …


Staff Education To Nurses To Lmprove Routine Foot Examinations For Diabetic Patients, Sarah Abrefi Feb 2026

Staff Education To Nurses To Lmprove Routine Foot Examinations For Diabetic Patients, Sarah Abrefi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes-related foot complications remain a significant cause of morbidity, hospitalization, and lower-extremity amputation, despite strong evidence supporting routine preventive assessments. In many outpatient settings, variability in nursing knowledge, skill, and documentation practices contributes to inconsistent implementation of comprehensive diabetic foot examinations. The purpose of this practice-focused quality improvement project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured staff education program designed to improve nurses’ knowledge and competency in performing comprehensive diabetic foot assessments in an outpatient diabetes clinic.A pretest–posttest evaluative design was used to measure changes in knowledge following the educational intervention. Ten registered nurses participated in a structured educational …


Strategies To Engage Physicians In Reforming Healthcare Administrative Policies And Processes, Sara Hunt Feb 2026

Strategies To Engage Physicians In Reforming Healthcare Administrative Policies And Processes, Sara Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of physician engagement in healthcare reform initiatives is a persistent problem that can negatively affect hospital performance and patient care outcomes. Hospital leaders and healthcare administrators are concerned with low levels of physician engagement because of its association with reduced organizational effectiveness and quality of care. Grounded in the distributed leadership framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies hospital leaders used to engage physicians in reforming administrative policies and processes to improve patient service delivery. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five hospital leaders from one hospital in the southeastern United States who …


Depression, Education, And Quality Of Life In Women With Endometriosis, Ria N. Gajar Feb 2026

Depression, Education, And Quality Of Life In Women With Endometriosis, Ria N. Gajar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic condition associated with substantial physical, psychological, and social burden, and depressive symptoms are consistently linked to poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among affected women. However, limited population-based research has examined how depressive symptoms intersect with social factors. Guided by Engel’s biopsychosocial model, nationally representative data from the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)—the most recent cycle to include an item on endometriosis diagnosis—were analyzed among U.S. women with self-reported endometriosis (N = 4,137). Complex samples logistic regression models were used to examine associations between depressive symptoms and HRQoL across general, physical, and …