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Hopelessness Depression As A Predictive Risk Factor For Recidivism And Survival Time Among Juvenile Offenders, Todd Milton Mcginnis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, there is a high incidence of recidivism among juvenile offenders with mental health disorders. This is a critical social issue facing the public and the Department of Juvenile Justice Administration today. However, research is not clear on the role of psychological factors in recidivism frequency and survival time. The purpose of this study was to examine whether hopelessness depression, as measured by suicidal-ideation, depression-anxiety, anger-irritation, and alcohol-drug use, and offense type, were predictors of recidivism frequency and survival time when controlling for age, gender, and race. The total sample consisted of archival data from 404 juvenile …

Servant Leadership Dimensions Of Bahamian Hotel Industry Front-Line Workers, Stuart Mitchell Bowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The tourism industry dominates the Bahamian national economy. While seaport visitor arrivals continue to rise, stopover visitor arrivals continue to decline due to a recurring theme of negative front-line hotel staff attitudes. Eliminating negative staff attitudes toward stopover visitors is important for hoteliers, the government, and all stakeholders of the Bahamian tourism industry. Guided by servant leadership theory, the purpose of this research was to investigate the servant leadership dimensions that motivate Bahamian front-line hotel workers. This quantitative cross-sectional study involved the use of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) developed by Dierendonck and Nuijten. There were 8 specific servant leadership …

Examining The Behavioral Intention Of Individuals' Compliance With Information Security Policies, David A. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Target Corporation experienced an information security breach resulting in compromising customers' financial information. Management is responsible for implementing adequate information security policies that protect corporate data and minimize financial losses. The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the effect of a fear appeal communication on an individual's information security policy behavioral intention. The sample population involved information technology professionals randomly selected from the SurveyMonkey audience. A research model, developed using constructs from deterrence theory and protection motivation theory, became the structural model used for partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of the survey response data, which indicated …

Race, Age, Gender, Income, And The Experience Of Adult Intimate Partner Violence, Jacquelynn Melnita Hairston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem that affects approximately 2.4 million individuals in the United States each year. Race, age, gender, and household income are established correlates of criminal victimization and diverge across various victimization experiences for these individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between IPV victimization and the demographic variables of race, age, gender, and household income using race, class, and gender theory as a framework. Logistic regression analyses on data from 3,492 adult male and 3,637 adult female IPV victims obtained from the 2013 National Crime Victimization Survey showed that …

Retention Strategies Of Labor Union Membership, Nina W. Hatcher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Labor union membership decline spans more than 4 decades since 1954. In 2012, union membership decreased from 14.1% to 11.3%, which is the lowest since the post-Second World War Era. Union membership decline leads to the inability of some union leaders to retain union members, resulting in a loss of profitability. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies union leaders use in improving membership retention. Twenty union, former union, and nonunion participants from governmental and industrial firms of Jefferson County, Alabama participated in the study offering their lived experiences in industries with active union environments. …

Exploring The Merging Of Two Divergent Behavioral Support Systems In Juvenile Justice, Linda Susan Spaulding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2016, over 47,000 youths in the state of Florida were served by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation services. While on probation, these youths were exposed to 2 different, and potentially conflicting disciplinary management systems. Youth are under the authority of juvenile probation officers (JPOs), who are bound to a consequence-based management approach. This approach is guided by negative reinforcement. The youths are simultaneously engaged with staff from diversion programs, many of which are strengths-based and guided by positive reinforcement. According to the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict, exposure to incongruent systems can have negative effects such as …

Security Strategies For Hosting Sensitive Information In The Commercial Cloud, Edward Steven Forde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

IT experts often struggle to find strategies to secure data on the cloud. Although current security standards might provide cloud compliance, they fail to offer guarantees of security assurance. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the strategies used by IT security managers to host sensitive information in the commercial cloud. The study's population consisted of information security managers from a government agency in the eastern region of the United States. The routine active theory, developed by Cohen and Felson, was used as the conceptual framework for the study. The data collection process included IT security manager …

Strategies That Logistics Leaders Use For Achieving Successful Process Improvement, Henry Childs Childs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The successful implementation of process improvement (PI) could reduce operating costs of the Department of Defense, which could lessen the impact of budget reductions and the mounting costs of the expanding global mission requirements. Organizations fail to achieve the return on investment for PI and expected savings because of leaders' inabilities and experiences in integrating critical success factors into PI to improve processes. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that logistics leaders use to implement PI in the military aviation industry. Six purposively selected group and squadron civilian leaders with over 10 years of …

Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders increasingly grapple with longer and more complex supply chain nodes wrought by the globalization of corporate manufacturing processes. The flow of outsourced materials is also more vulnerable to high-profile product-harm crises, sabotage, product defect, and recall problems. The purpose of this single case study was to explore manufacturing strategies used by business leaders of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the United States to minimize the defects in offshore-outsourced products. The sample was 2 OEM business leaders who have successfully reduced the defects in offshore-manufactured products in their Michigan facility. The conceptual framework was agency theory. Data were …

Official And Unofficial Mentorship By Generational Cohorts Of State Teachers Of The Year, Angelica Jordan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some school districts are exploring mentorship to help teachers enact more effective classroom practices that lead to higher student outcomes. The Good to Great study, by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year outlined the professional growth opportunities that state teachers of the year (STOYs) perceived as contributing to their success in the classroom. Although the STOYs noted that mentorship was a key factor, the original study did not examine how different generations of educators may respond differently to mentorship based on their generational cohort identity. The purpose of this nonexperimental, causal-comparative study using Good to Great data …

Factors Affecting Student Loan Default In Proprietary Non-Degree Granting Colleges, Samuel Hanson Kelley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The significant problem addressed in this research was the increasing default rate among federal student loan borrowers who attended non-degree-granting proprietary colleges in Florida (i.e., career and technical colleges). The purpose of this study was to identify, better understand, and predict which borrower characteristics increased the likelihood of student loan default at proprietary non-degree-granting colleges. The research was based on the structural-functional and planned behavior theories and utilized a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between academic success, age, college graduation status, ethnicity, gender, high school class ranking, and federal student loan default. Self-reported data were obtained from …

Understanding The Impact Of Foreclosed Homes In Charlotte Neighborhoods, Justice Uche Uche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Following the increase in foreclosures across the United States from 2007 to 2009, there was concern that foreclosed homes could lead to higher rates of crime in certain neighborhoods. Using social disorganization theory, the purpose of this difference-in-difference research design was to study the link between foreclosure levels, and crime rates in neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina. Propensity score matching was used to examine whether neighborhood foreclosure rates have an impact on neighborhood crime level while controlling for neighborhood conditions. Data were acquired from Charlotte Neighborhood Quality of Life Studies, conducted biannually in 173 neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina. …

Professionals' Perspective On Mental Health Courts, Martha M. Amos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the percentage of incarcerated individuals with mental illness has dramatically increased. It is very hard to provide treatment and care for these defendants in jails or prisons. Currently, there are more mentally ill individuals incarcerated than in psychiatric hospitals. Furthermore, as budget cuts are being decided, urban and rural communities in America are looking at ways to help the mentally ill by initiating a mental health court (MHC) or continuing to fund an already existing MHC. Guided by the therapeutic jurisprudence theory, the purpose of this study was to elicit the opinions from MHC professionals regarding the …

How Women Experience And Respond To Singlism: Stereotyping And Discrimination Of Singles, Lisa Lynn Hancock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Society views and treats women who are single differently than women who are not single. This practice of stereotyping and discrimination towards singles is called singlism. The purpose of this qualitative study was to use grounded theory methodology to explore and explain how women experience singlism and what explains how women experience singlism. Social constructionism, cognitive dissonance theory, and social identity theory were used as conceptual foundations in explaining how society constructs the status of single women, how single women are viewed and treated, and how single women manage their single social identity. The participants of the study included women …

Using Music Intervention To Reduce Anxiety And Agitation For Dementia Residents In Long Term Setting, Sonia Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Dementia is one of the degenerative conditions that present in old age with a decline in cognitive function resulting in changes in personality and the ability to carry out activities of daily living and social functions. Dementia is usually associated with behavioral disturbances that include anxiety and agitation that pose a challenge for family members or caregivers in an alternate home or care-related facility. The purpose of this project was to design and implement a quality improvement program to evaluate music therapy intervention for residents in a long-term care who have dementia. The aim was to evaluate if music …

Active Shooter Event Severity, Media Reporting, Offender Age And Location, Philip Joshua Swift

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, it was hypothesized that offenders used knowledge gained from news media reports about previous events to plan mass shootings. Although researchers have studied active shooter events, little research has been conducted on the factors that influence an active shooter's decision and ability to carry out such events. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the rate of news media reporting about an active shooter event and the casualty rate of the ensuing event in the United States. The bracketed time of this assessment was between April 20, 1999, and …

Identifying Stressors Experienced By Single Fathers Who Are Parenting In New York City, Stacey Theresa Melhado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fathers face difficulties when taking on the single parent role, including having to prove their ability to care for their children alone. Existing research does not address issues concerning single fathers and the stressors they experience in raising their children. This study addresses these issues and helps researchers understand single fathers by using a qualitative approach to understand their perception of parenting. Fourteen participants from New York City participated in semi-structured interviews to elicit information about this phenomenon. This study focused on experiences the men have while being a single parent, the impact of living in New York City on …

Team Member Selection Strategies, Robert Carl Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business teams have been losing millions of dollars every year in cost and schedule over-runs from incomplete or failed projects. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that business managers use to determine team fit when selecting employees for assignment to cross-functional project teams. The participants for this study were 3 senior management personnel and a 6-member employee focus group, all from midsized, nonprofit organizations located within 200 miles of the tri-state region of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The conceptual framework for this study was Werbel and Gilliland's theory of person-group fit, McCrae's and John's …

Senescence Disorder Literacy Among Prelingual/Culturally Deaf Individuals Age 50 And Older, J. Delores Hart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The preferred method of communication for most prelingual/culturally Deaf individuals is American Sign Language (ASL), and members of this linguistic/cultural minority community are often not recognized as being bilingual. Many prelingually/culturally Deaf individuals have limitations and deficits in English proficiency; which can lead to deficits in general knowledge of health-related terminology. Current projections are that older adults are expected to live longer, and will also experience the development of, increases in and more extended periods of living with senescence/age-related health disorders, also includes prelingual/culturally Deaf individuals. This quantitative research project, utilizing the theoretical framework of health literacy and a modified …

Effective Communication And Teamwork Improve Patient Safety, Helene M. Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work environment influences the effectiveness of care for patients in any healthcare setting. It is even more important in settings such as the neonatal ICU (NICU) where this project took place. When the environment is not healthy, communication may suffer and result in poor patient outcomes and, family, patient, and staff dissatisfaction. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to understand how the implementation of the TeamSTEPPS program, for nurses in the NICU, could impact the safety culture as measured by the AACN Healthy Work Environment (HWE) tool. Lewin's professional practice change theory and the AHRQ change model were …

Black Male Probationers' Perceptions Of Juvenile Probation Officers' Role In Reducing Recidivism, Fern H. Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high recidivism rate of Black male juvenile offenders is a problem in the United States that continues to be of great concern. Probation has gained popularity as being a means of addressing and reducing the high recidivism rates of juvenile offenders. However, there is a lack of research regarding Black male juvenile probationers' perceptions of their probation officers' role in reducing their recidivism. This study examined the following: a) the predictive relationships between Black male probationers' perceptions of their probation officers, their perceptions of the probation officers' job, and their recidivism within 3 years of being place on probation; …

Nonresidential Fathers Parenting Their Children Residing In Shelters: A Phenomenological Study, Karen Denise Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the parenting role of nonresidential fathers of children living in shelters. Special attention was paid to the perceived contributions of these fathers to the overall health and general well-being of their children residing in shelters. Often separations of nonresidential fathers from their children in shelters decreased their contributions to their children's health and well-being. Increased knowledge of these parental roles and contributions can enhance programs and policies to support these fathers in improving the health and well-being of their children. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 demographically diverse nonresidential fathers living in Philadelphia. The …

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive's Perspectives Of Hope Theory In Executive Coaching, Steven Hodlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The executive coaching and positive psychology fields are growing; however, minimal research exists regarding the coaching experiences of executive coachees with the various approaches a coach can utilize. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of research on consistent standards regarding how executive coaching should be conducted. The primary purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of executives who have been coached using approaches based on Snyder's hope theory, Buckingham and Clifton's theories of strength-based approaches to leadership, and the theories of positive psychology advanced by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi. The participants in this …

Effect Of Self-Determination, Motivation, And Dispositional Optimism With Physical Therapy In Geriatric Patients, Leslie Yaneth Urias-Bodnar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older people are frequently faced with physical conditions that require treatment. A better understanding of the components of engagement relating to the outcomes of treatment was the focus of the study. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether there was an association between the independent variables of optimism, pessimism, motivation, and self-determination and their impact on the dependent variable of achieving physical activity goals in 86 geriatric patients, ages 65 to 80 receiving physical therapy services. The theoretical framework of self-determination, motivation, optimism, and pessimism was assessed by using two self-report questionnaires, The Self-Determination Scale and The …

Diabetes Self-Management Problems Of Older, Low-Income African American Women, Pearlean Day Day

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects low-income African American women, age 50 years and older: 30% to 40% of this population has this chronic disease. Two significant factors affecting poor diabetes practice adherence are food insecurity and depression; another is obesity. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if either food insecurity or depression significantly affect Type 2 diabetes self-management practices; and/or if food insecurity significantly influences practice adherence indirectly, through the mediator of depression, while controlling for obesity. The research questions were aligned with the theoretical pathways posited in Matthews's reserve capacity model (RCM) and used the …

Pathopoiesis Mechanism Of Smoking And Shared Genes In Pancreatic Cancer, Ulysses Labilles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a significant, unresolved issue because of its complex genetic blueprint and lack of reliable detection markers. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible correlation between tobacco use, gender, and age in the etiopathogenesis of PC and other cancer types with a shared-gene association (CTSG-A). The unified paradigm of cancer causation was used to understand the pathopoiesis mechanism of smoking and shared genes in PC. A cross-sectional study was performed using secondary data from the cancer survivorship module of the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Results of ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated …

Servant Leadership And Humility In Police Promotional Practices, Kevin C. Barker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The improper promotion of police officers who lack effective police management skills results in poor supervisor/employee relationships and could have a further negative effect on the relationships between officers and citizens. Yet, few police departments utilize leadership testing in making promotional decisions. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to explore whether servant leadership, from the perspective of police officers, is viewed as an effective leadership strategy. In particular, the focus of this study was on the element of humility as part of servant leadership theory. Data were collected by distributing the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) to 2,794 police …

Functional And Dysfunctional Themes In Successful Peace Agreements Arising From Intractable Conflicts, Sharon Ryan Ryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An important challenge facing humanity today is to determine how to resolve intractable conflicts. Intractable conflicts are intensely violent conflicts that are difficult to resolve and last at least one generation. The purpose of this study was to explore the themes leaders used in resolving intractable conflicts by writing peace agreements, which achieved at least a ninety percent implementation rating by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The research questions focused on the distribution of societal themes defined by Bar-Tal as present within societies experiencing an intractable conflict. This study used a multicase …

Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Fall Risk In The Snf, Ramona C. Lancaster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residents who fall in SNF either sustain significant decline to quality of life or die from their injuries. The average fall costs about $34,000 per incident. On average, 19.8% of residents fall at least once per month. The purpose of this project was to assess, identify, and advance nursing practice to decrease falls by evaluating current facility standard of practice, fall policy, procedures, and protocol. The objective was to create actions that would close the communication gap between clinicians and residents. This project encourages clinicians to intertwine resident feedback and strategies into the plan of care to help reduce fall …

The Lack Of African American Women Ceos In Corporate America: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rosalind D. Sawyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the number of African American women filling executive level positions in Fortune 500 companies in America has improved, there is still a need for significant improvements in increasing their access to corporate chief executive officer (CEO) positions. African American women occupy only 11.7% of the board seats, and their representation as CEOs has steadily declined. Throughout the history of Fortune 500 companies, there have been only 14 African American men with CEO titles. As of January 2017, there are no African American women CEOs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of …