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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Successful Cybersecurity Strategies For Protecting Consumer Data, Zylia Ortiz Oct 2025

Successful Cybersecurity Strategies For Protecting Consumer Data, Zylia Ortiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The continued advancement of information technology, although extraordinary and innovative, may have a profoundly negative impact on the adequate protection of consumer information. Consumers and organizational stakeholders alike are increasingly concerned about the risk of data ending up in the hands of cybercriminals. Grounded in the routine activity theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research project was to identify and explore the strategies information technology leaders use to protect customer data from security breaches. The participants were eight information technology leaders in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland area. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and public websites. …


Identifying Motivators For Retention Of Service Workers In Youth Group Care Programs, Michelle Lynn Briegel Oct 2025

Identifying Motivators For Retention Of Service Workers In Youth Group Care Programs, Michelle Lynn Briegel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residential group care programs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada face challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified human service workers. This workforce retention issue affects the quality of care provided to vulnerable children and youth, as well as the overall stability of residential group care. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore why service workers in front-line jobs choose to stay in their positions in youth-serving residential group care programs, guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation. Nine participants were recruited through purposeful sampling via social media and email, with the criterion that they had been employed at …


Utilizing An Evidence-Based Educational Intervention To Assess Health Care Provider Knowledge And Confidence Of Weight Management Strategies In A Primary Care Setting, Fanny Ngwa Shu Oct 2025

Utilizing An Evidence-Based Educational Intervention To Assess Health Care Provider Knowledge And Confidence Of Weight Management Strategies In A Primary Care Setting, Fanny Ngwa Shu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to address a clinical gap in primary care by enhancing provider and staff knowledge and confidence in delivering weight management counseling. Despite the high prevalence of overweight and obesity, many healthcare providers feel inadequately prepared to initiate weight-related discussions due to factors such as limited training, cultural barriers, and a lack of understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH) that influence patient behaviors. This gap in care can hinder the effective management of chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: Can an educational session …


Relationship Of Job Demands And Perceived Usefulness Of Virtual Nursing Technology Among Bedside Nurses In Acute Care Settings, Oluponle Olubajo Oct 2025

Relationship Of Job Demands And Perceived Usefulness Of Virtual Nursing Technology Among Bedside Nurses In Acute Care Settings, Oluponle Olubajo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bedside nurses in acute care settings face intensified job demands amid persistent low nursing staff census and rising patient acuity. The purpose of the study, guided by the job demands–resources (JD-R) model, was to examine the relationship between job demands, years of nursing experience, and perceived usefulness of virtual nursing technology among bedside nurses in acute care settings. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to bedside registered nurses (N = 102) currently using virtual nursing technology. Measures included the Intensification of Job Demands Scale and the Perceived Usefulness Scale. Data analyses indicated that the multiple regression was not statistically significant, …


Exploring Challenges Of Parents With Disabilities Affecting Custody Of The Children, Kendyll King Oct 2025

Exploring Challenges Of Parents With Disabilities Affecting Custody Of The Children, Kendyll King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 promoting equality for people with disabilities, parents with developmental and intellectual disabilities experience high rates of involvement with child welfare services due to outdated terminology, information about disabilities, and policies. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges of parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and determine if they differ from those of parents without a disability. This was a generic qualitative study grounded in intersectionality theory. Education, employment, health and safety concerns, independence, assistive technology, social services involvement, and supports or resources were examined through the perspective of the …


School Counselors Lived Experiences With Executing Child-Centered Play Therapy In High-Diversity Elementary Schools, Ruth Devito Oct 2025

School Counselors Lived Experiences With Executing Child-Centered Play Therapy In High-Diversity Elementary Schools, Ruth Devito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority students are often omitted from social, economic, cultural, and political life due to ethnicity or poverty, which increases their risk of adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or neglect, and increases their likelihood of discrimination that can obstruct their normal childhood development, including academic performance. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a multiculturally appropriate approach that creates a safe and nonjudgmental environment, supporting adjustment and coping. However, many school counselors are not using CCPT. The research question was as follows: What are the lived experiences of school counselors who use CCPT in their work at high-diversity elementary schools? This study …


Community College Students’ Perceptions Of Access And Barriers To Mental Health Supports, Kevin Paul Kuntz Oct 2025

Community College Students’ Perceptions Of Access And Barriers To Mental Health Supports, Kevin Paul Kuntz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this project study was that community college students are graduating at lower rates than the national average, despite the on-campus mental health services in place in the Midwestern United States. Grounded in Tronto’s framework of institutional ethic of care, the purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of their access to and barriers to receiving mental health support in community colleges. For this basic qualitative design, 10 students who attended at least one semester at one community college were interviewed. The semistructured interviews were coded and thematically analyzed with the following themes emerging: Students …


The Relationship Between Income And Race With The Utilization Of Oral Health Services Among Older Adults, Mishael Smith Oct 2025

The Relationship Between Income And Race With The Utilization Of Oral Health Services Among Older Adults, Mishael Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oral health disparities continue to present a significant public health challenge for older adults in the United States, particularly among racial minority and low-income populations. Despite national discussions around healthcare equity, there remains limited empirical insight into how race and income influence dental service utilization among Medicare beneficiaries. In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, the extent to which these demographic factors predicted oral healthcare utilization, using nationally representative data from the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, was assessed. Guided by the social determinants of health framework, chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and negative binomial regression were performed to analyze the data. …


Mitigating Nurse Burnout In Alabama’S Largest Hospital To Improve Staff Retention And Well-Being, Dorathy Udosen Ubiam Oct 2025

Mitigating Nurse Burnout In Alabama’S Largest Hospital To Improve Staff Retention And Well-Being, Dorathy Udosen Ubiam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse burnout has emerged as a critical issue, impacting staff retention, job satisfaction, and the quality of patient care. The focus of this integrative review was to evaluate available literature to determine strategies that can be implemented to mitigate nurse burnout and improve nurse well-being in a large urban hospital. This integrative review is based on 20 articles published within the past 5 years related to comprehensive strategies aimed at mitigating burnout, enhancing nurse well-being, and improving retention rates. The integrative review was guided by Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. The key constructs of this theory include assessing the prevalence of nursing …


Exploring The Black Woman Experience Related To Sexual Practice, Sexual Identity, And Sexual Expression: A Qualitative Study, Ashley V. Rodriguez Oct 2025

Exploring The Black Woman Experience Related To Sexual Practice, Sexual Identity, And Sexual Expression: A Qualitative Study, Ashley V. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study revealed the complex interplay between personal identities and social constructs, focusing on Black-identifying women and their lived experiences with sex, sexuality, and sexual expression. Over centuries, societal influences depicted Black women as hypersexual, simultaneously exposing them to criticism, shame, and judgment for their sexual expression and meaning-making related to sex and sexuality. Consequently, Black women remain a high-risk demographic for unsafe sexual practices and sexually transmitted infections. Using intersectionality theory and Black feminist theory, this study explored how Black-identifying women give meaning to sex, sexuality, and sexual expression as they shape the Black feminine experience. I sought to …


Leadership Behaviors And Practices That Enhance Middle Managers’ Leadership Skills To Be Highly Engaged, Mr. Meredith Rudolph Payne Oct 2025

Leadership Behaviors And Practices That Enhance Middle Managers’ Leadership Skills To Be Highly Engaged, Mr. Meredith Rudolph Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Middle managers, who serve as conduits between the senior leadership and frontline employees, may lack the leadership behaviors and practices necessary to maintain high engagement levels. Financial services company leaders need to understand what causes middle managers to be highly engaged and motivated to provide them with the leadership skills necessary for better organizational alignment. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experience and leadership behaviors and practices that middle managers use to enable them to be highly engaged in financial services companies in the United States. …


Association Between Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Obesity, And Diagnosis Of Covid-19 In Puerto Rico, Julian Rene Rivera Rodriguez Oct 2025

Association Between Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Obesity, And Diagnosis Of Covid-19 In Puerto Rico, Julian Rene Rivera Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The population of Puerto Rico has been heavily affected by chronic diseases; however, data remains limited on the influence of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and obesity on the probability of COVID-19 diagnosis. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the association between non-communicable diseases that included DM, obesity, hypertension, and COVID-19 diagnosis, controlling for age and sex and person exposure in Puerto Rico. The sample consisted of 1,463 participants who underwent a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. Results from adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses established that obesity OR …


Educating About Military Culture: Lived Experiences Of Nurse Educators, Jennifer C. Dodge Oct 2025

Educating About Military Culture: Lived Experiences Of Nurse Educators, Jennifer C. Dodge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite national initiatives designed to expand healthcare programs and resources for veterans, there is a lack of knowledge about military culture and health problems specific to this demographic among registered nurses who serve in a role to impact the suicide rate among the veteran population. The purpose of this qualitative study, guided by Leininger’s culture care theory and Benner’s novice to expert model, was to understand the lived experiences of associate degree in nursing (ADN) nurse educators in non-Veterans Health Administration-affiliated programs regarding teaching undergraduate nursing students about military veteran culture. Fifteen ADN nurse educators, selected through purposeful sampling, participated …


Home Health Agency Ownership As A Predictor Of 30-Day Readmissions In Illinois, Tonya Gray Oct 2025

Home Health Agency Ownership As A Predictor Of 30-Day Readmissions In Illinois, Tonya Gray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The health outcome of reducing 30-day Medicare readmissions continues to be a constant measurement of quality patient care. Post-acute services, like home health care, play a vital role in national efforts to improve patient care, contributing to cost reductions. This quantitative study explored the relationship between home health agency (HHA) ownership (for-profit vs. nonprofit) and Medicare 30-day readmissions by race, age, and gender. The three research questions addressed the independent variable, type of HHA ownership (for-profit vs. nonprofit), and the impact on the dependent variables, 30-day Medicare readmissions by race, age, and gender in Illinois. Binomial logistic regression was used …


Strategies For Recruitment And Retention Of Mental Health Providers In The Military Health System, Christopher J. Chase Oct 2025

Strategies For Recruitment And Retention Of Mental Health Providers In The Military Health System, Christopher J. Chase

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recruitment and retention of mental health professionals are critical challenges for the Military Health System (MHS), affecting timely access to behavioral health care, workforce stability, and mission readiness. Persistent shortages threaten the well-being of service members and increase reliance on the resilience of overburdened staff, particularly in rural and underserved areas. This integrative review aimed to identify and synthesize best practices to improve recruitment and retention of mental health providers within the MHS. Using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model, a systematic literature search and thematic analysis were conducted on 27 high-quality research and non-research articles. The Affective, Continuance, …


Influence Of High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Availability On Aggregate Academic Outcome Measures For Washington State High Schools, Jessie A. Tanksley Oct 2025

Influence Of High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Availability On Aggregate Academic Outcome Measures For Washington State High Schools, Jessie A. Tanksley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited research has been conducted about the potential influence of high-speed broadband infrastructure availability in rural and urban communities on high school academic outcome measures in Washington state. Guided by Siemens’s theory of connectivism and van Dijk’s digital divide theory, the purpose of this quasi-experimental, causal-comparative, quantitative study was to determine whether significant differences in high school academic performance, measured by graduation rates and standardized test scores, exist between urban and rural communities with and without access to high-speed broadband internet infrastructure in Washington state. Three research questions were developed to examine differences in graduation rates, 10th-grade English Language Arts …


Trauma As A Predictor Of Engagement Among Former Foster Youth Parents Involved With Child Welfare, Sarah Gordon Oct 2025

Trauma As A Predictor Of Engagement Among Former Foster Youth Parents Involved With Child Welfare, Sarah Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The specific research problem addressed in this study is that the relationship between parent engagement with child safety personnel and the trauma histories of parents with transgenerational child welfare involvement is not well understood. Parent engagement is a critical component of child safety family outcomes. Although past research recognizes lower engagement for former foster youth (FFY) parents with child safety systems and the negative effects of trauma throughout a person’s life, there is no prior research that examines how trauma affects FFY parent engagement with child safety systems. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional …


System Barriers To Brokering School-Based Versus Community-Based Therapeutic Services From The Perceptions Of School Social Workers In Georgia, Jessica Ochei-Gilliam Oct 2025

System Barriers To Brokering School-Based Versus Community-Based Therapeutic Services From The Perceptions Of School Social Workers In Georgia, Jessica Ochei-Gilliam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Barriers to brokering therapeutic services cause challenges for school social workers to address their students’ mental health needs, especially in Georgia, where students’ mental health needs are high. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore school social workers’ perceptions of the system barriers related to brokering these services. The research questions explored school social workers’ perceptions of brokering on-site versus community-based therapeutic services in the state of Georgia. In addition, this study inquired about the system barriers that school social workers face when brokering these services. This study was grounded in the ecological systems theory, which argues that …


The Exploration Of The Housing Exclusion Impact Among Michigan Ex-Offenders, Jackie Adam Harris Oct 2025

The Exploration Of The Housing Exclusion Impact Among Michigan Ex-Offenders, Jackie Adam Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ex-offenders possibly felt excluded when private landlords or property managers conducted background checks and decided to immediately deny ex-offenders housing opportunities. The problem this study addressed was how landlords and property managers’ exclusion of ex-offenders impacted reentry post-incarceration. There was a gap regarding how Michigan private landlords impacted ex-offenders’ success factor in securing safe housing upon reentry back to society. The key findings related to the literature in ways that showed how landlords acknowledged outside biases, yet described ex-offender tenants as appreciative, positive, and respectful. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore how state and federal policies …


Towards A Standard Assessment And Treatment Protocol For Firefighters: A Delphi Study, Amy K Gearhard Oct 2025

Towards A Standard Assessment And Treatment Protocol For Firefighters: A Delphi Study, Amy K Gearhard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Firefighters are 5 times more likely than civilians to experience depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Firefighters have suicidal ideation and attempt rates that are 2 to 3 times higher than the general population, yet most do not seek treatment. The purpose of this qualitative Delphi study was to develop an expert consensus on psychological assessment and treatment practices with firefighters through the lens of an expert panel of 19 psychologists who work with this population. Siebert’s normative theory was used with the assumption that the panelists would provide feedback based on their clients’ best interests. The expert panel was recruited …


Clinicians’ Perceptions Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resiliency, And Treatment Engagement With Criminal Offenders, Aaron Pena Oct 2025

Clinicians’ Perceptions Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resiliency, And Treatment Engagement With Criminal Offenders, Aaron Pena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated the pervasive impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on clinicians, particularly those who provide services to criminal offenders. ACEs contribute to a range of mental and physical health issues that can extend into adulthood, affecting not only individuals who experienced these adversities, but also clinicians who treat them. Despite the growing body of research on the consequences of ACEs, there remained a significant gap in terms of understanding how clinicians’ own histories influence their professional resilience and treatment efficacy. Garmezy’s resiliency theory, the framework for the study, emphasizes the role of positive contextual, social, and individual factors …


Lived Experiences Of Postdoctoral And Licensed Psychologists Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder In Adolescents, Kim Colleen Anaya Oct 2025

Lived Experiences Of Postdoctoral And Licensed Psychologists Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder In Adolescents, Kim Colleen Anaya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted to explore the lived experiences of licensed psychologists in diagnosing adolescents with bipolar disorder, aiming to answer two key questions: How do psychologists make sense of diagnosing bipolar disorder in adolescents? And do they rely on their education and lived experience in the diagnostic process? Drawing from developmental psychology, clinical decision-making theories, and ethical considerations, the study highlights the complexities and challenges of diagnosing bipolar disorder in youth. Semi-structured interviews with four psychologists were transcribed and analyzed to identify recurring themes, which emphasized the importance of collateral information, developmental context, and professional judgment. …


Civic Engagement Among African American Women And The 2024 Presidential Election, Arquena Dailey Oct 2025

Civic Engagement Among African American Women And The 2024 Presidential Election, Arquena Dailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although election data exists on the importance of African American women for the Democratic Party, a gap remains in the literature regarding the influences of African American women who participated in the Democratic Party civic engagement during the 2024 presidential election. Key findings from existing literature included the tension between hope and burnout and the reliance on faith-based and peer networks to sustain motivation. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences responsible for African American women’s civic engagement in the 2024 presidential election. This authentic narrative qualitative study’s conceptual framework was grounded in the digital peer influence …


The Motivating Factors Of Volunteer Engagement: A Study Of Youth Sports Organizations, Autumn L. Tomas Oct 2025

The Motivating Factors Of Volunteer Engagement: A Study Of Youth Sports Organizations, Autumn L. Tomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decline in volunteer engagement within nonprofit organizations poses a significant challenge, particularly in youth sports where volunteer support is essential to program success. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the organizational factors that influenced volunteer motivation and satisfaction in a youth sports nonprofit. The practice focused research question for the study was: what factors within the organization either motivate or demotivate current individuals to volunteer in youth sports? Guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory and self-determination theory, the study utilized the Modified Volunteer Functions Inventory for Sports survey to collect responses from 21 coaches and board members. …


Reintegration Experiences Of Male Victims Of Human Trafficking, Thomas Brooks Oct 2025

Reintegration Experiences Of Male Victims Of Human Trafficking, Thomas Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking continues to be a world-wide problem, despite attempts to mitigate it. Many human trafficking victims are saved each year, but many more do not make it out. When rescued, the victims of human trafficking need to be reintegrated back into society. Research on human trafficking survivors is mostly focused on female victims; there is little research focused on male victims. Due to this, the purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of men who have been through the reintegration process as children in America after they have been rescued from human trafficking. A phenomenological approach was …


Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of In-Person Professional Development On Technological Self-Efficacy, Spencer James Kiper Oct 2025

Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of In-Person Professional Development On Technological Self-Efficacy, Spencer James Kiper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that prompted this study was the lack of professional development opportunities that address novice K–12 teachers’ technological self-efficacy. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of novice K–12 teachers in a large urban school district in Louisiana regarding professional development opportunities for technological self-efficacy. The conceptual framework for this study was composed of Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. Ten novice teachers with fewer than 5 years of teaching experience participated in semistructured interviews. Data analysis procedures included descriptive coding, axial coding, and thematic analysis. Results revealed …


The Relationship Between Telehealth And In-Person Visits And Patient Experience In Connecticut In 2021–2022, Lisa M. Roth Oct 2025

The Relationship Between Telehealth And In-Person Visits And Patient Experience In Connecticut In 2021–2022, Lisa M. Roth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the healthcare landscape continues to shift, so does the delivery of healthcare services. Health systems now offer in-person and telehealth visits to meet the consumer’s needs. Healthcare stakeholders have been tasked with improving the quality of care and the patient’s experience during their healthcare visits. The purpose of this retrospective quantitative study was to explore the relationship between telehealth and in-person visits and patient experiences. The theoretical framework used in this study was the Donabedian model. For the purpose of this study, the structure was the hospital setting for in-person visits and use of a computer or a device …


Educational Experiences Of Traditional And Online Learning Graduate Students, Beverly Crawford Williams Oct 2025

Educational Experiences Of Traditional And Online Learning Graduate Students, Beverly Crawford Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how graduate-level human services students who have attended both traditional and online courses describe their educational experiences, particularly in terms of engagement, knowledge application, and peer connections. Semistructured interviews were conducted among 12 graduate-level, human services students who had experience in both learning environments. Social learning theory was the theoretical foundation used in the study. Thematic analysis, revealed four major themes describing distinct learning experiences across modalities. First, online and traditional learning involve different forms of engagement. Second, relational engagement in academic environments is important. Third, constraints on engagement across learning …


Effective Strategies To Integrate Social Media Influencers In Marketing Frameworks, Vanessa R. Alexander Oct 2025

Effective Strategies To Integrate Social Media Influencers In Marketing Frameworks, Vanessa R. Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media dominates modern marketing, yet many retail businesses struggle to integrate social media influence into their business marketing frameworks. This problem is important to retail marketing leaders because unsuccessful integration influence can weaken brand credibility and reduce revenue. Grounded in Cialdini’s theory of social influence and the electronic word-of-mouth model, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore effective strategies that retail industry marketing leaders on the East Coast of the United States used to integrate social media influencers. The participants were eight retail industry marketing leaders on the East Coast of the United States. …


Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Teaching Effectiveness When Working With Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Ernest J. Fruge Oct 2025

Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Teaching Effectiveness When Working With Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Ernest J. Fruge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study examined how special education teachers perceived their teaching effectiveness in supporting students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The study addressed a gap in the literature by examining the factors that influence special educators’ sense of self-efficacy when working with this population. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy served as the conceptual framework. A generic qualitative research design was employed, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight participants from two central Texas school districts. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis guided the coding and interpretation process, supported by MAXQDA software. Analysis of the data revealed seven key …