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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Associations Between Daytime Sleepiness, Obesity, And Sleep Apnea Severity Among Caribbean Women, Melaine F. Mcleod Jun 2025

Associations Between Daytime Sleepiness, Obesity, And Sleep Apnea Severity Among Caribbean Women, Melaine F. Mcleod

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a global health epidemic that is associated with the obesity pandemic and daytime sleepiness. This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine associations between daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, obesity measured by body mass index (BMI), and severity of OSA measured by the apnea-hypopnea index among Caribbean women residing in the Cayman Islands. The health belief model served as the theoretical framework to guide this research. Daytime sleepiness and obesity were independent variables; the dependent variable was the severity of OSA, …


Provision Of Transportation To Psychiatric Follow-Up Appointments, Eliane Sandrine Tueche Fankam Jun 2025

Provision Of Transportation To Psychiatric Follow-Up Appointments, Eliane Sandrine Tueche Fankam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quality improvement initiative is focused on the lack of transportation as a significant barrier to obtaining health care services for patients with severe psychiatric disorders. Transportation issues remain an important factor that hinders the attainment of health care services by the members of this population. Transportation challenges should be addressed as much as possible for improving healthcare accessibility and providing timely care. Prior to the implementation of the transportation service, only 30% of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) attended their scheduled appointments, demonstrating the need for intervention. This project focused on whether providing transportation services would improve compliance …


Cultural And Structural Barriers Influencing The Mental-Health-Seeking Behaviors Of South Asians In Dallas, Texas, Judith Jose Jun 2025

Cultural And Structural Barriers Influencing The Mental-Health-Seeking Behaviors Of South Asians In Dallas, Texas, Judith Jose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite being one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States, South Asians experience disproportionately high rates of untreated mental health conditions while reporting low utilization of professional mental health services. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the cultural and structural barriers that influence mental-health-seeking behaviors among South Asians residing in Dallas, Texas. Guided by the health belief model and principles of cultural competency, this research investigated how perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy intersect with cultural stigma, religious beliefs, generational dynamics, and systemic obstacles. Semistructured interviews with 12 South Asian adults revealed seven major …


Examination Of Evidence-Based Practices Implementation And Perceived Job Satisfaction With Mental Health Providers, Rafael Montoya Jun 2025

Examination Of Evidence-Based Practices Implementation And Perceived Job Satisfaction With Mental Health Providers, Rafael Montoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among mental health providers continues to be an important area of inquiry, particularly in relation to professional development and training. However, limited studies have evaluated whether training in evidence-based practices (EBPs) is associated with different levels of job satisfaction compared to traditional training models. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to examine whether a statistically significant difference in job satisfaction exists between mental health providers trained in EBPs and those trained using traditional approaches. The study was guided by Spector’s multidimensional job satisfaction model, which categorizes job satisfaction into nine key domains. Data from 81 mental …


Effective Strategies To Leverage Organizational Culture To Enhance Employee Retention, Tavares E. Scott Jun 2025

Effective Strategies To Leverage Organizational Culture To Enhance Employee Retention, Tavares E. Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention is a critical issue for healthcare organizations, with the average tenure in the U.S. being only 3.8 years. High turnover contributes to staffing shortages, increased costs, and compromised patient care. Hospital administrators and healthcare leaders are particularly concerned, as sustained turnover threatens organizational sustainability, care quality, and long-term profitability. Identifying strategies to retain employees is essential to improving workforce stability, maintaining service excellence, and securing financial viability. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies healthcare managers in private medical healthcare systems used to leverage organizational culture to enhance employee …


Staff Education To Educate Healthcare Providers On Effective Communication And Support Strategies For Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Njideka Ajemba Jun 2025

Staff Education To Educate Healthcare Providers On Effective Communication And Support Strategies For Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Njideka Ajemba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With this project, I sought to enhance the quality of care provided to child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors by improving healthcare providers’ skills in trauma-informed communication and support strategies. The project was undertaken at a large, private behavioral health facility located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, where an assessment of the practice environment revealed a critical gap in provider training. This gap often resulted in missed indicators of abuse, limited emotional support, and poor therapeutic outcomes for children affected by sexual abuse-related trauma. To address this, the project implemented a targeted educational intervention grounded in current evidence …


Hypotension-Specific Rapid Response Team Nurse-Geared Protocol, Quennie Xserenity Jun 2025

Hypotension-Specific Rapid Response Team Nurse-Geared Protocol, Quennie Xserenity

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctor of nursing practice (DNP) project was conducted to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG) to address a gap at a southeastern hospital where frontline nurses often call rapid response teams for severe hypotension without a standard guideline for necessary interventions. Therefore, the practice gap identified at the project site was the lack of a CPG geared for rapid response nurses (RRNs) to use when responding to a call to intervene on a patient with hypotension. RRNs are nurses with advanced clinical training who provide immediate medical care to rapidly hemodynamically declining patients. The guiding question for this DNP …


Strategies To Improve Nurse Staffing And Workforce Management In Home Health Agencies, Kelechi Lillian Wabeke Jun 2025

Strategies To Improve Nurse Staffing And Workforce Management In Home Health Agencies, Kelechi Lillian Wabeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Home health agencies continue to grapple with challenges in nurse staffing and workforce management. This integrative review explored effective strategies to address these challenges and improve operational efficiency. The review focused on identifying best practices for enhancing nurse recruitment, retention, and scheduling processes within home health settings. Guided by the transformational leadership framework, the study examined 30 empirical and theoretical articles published over the past 5 years. The selected articles were further assessed for relevance and quality using the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model. Through an in-depth thematic analysis, five primary themes and 10 supporting subthemes emerged. The key themes …


Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions About Antipolice Sentiment And Social Media As A Force Multiplier, Edward Peter Pope Jun 2025

Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions About Antipolice Sentiment And Social Media As A Force Multiplier, Edward Peter Pope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a newly emergent form of mass communication, social media platforms can act as a force multiplier in fomenting negative and critical attitudes or viewpoints toward law enforcement officers and agencies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of law enforcement officers about antipolice sentiment and social media as a force multiplier. Amid growing concerns regarding public opinion and the impact of social media on law enforcement practices, more research was needed on how officers navigate and interpret these challenges. Data from in-depth interviews with 10 law enforcement officers were thematically analyzed to …


Probation Officers’ Perspectives Of Outside Services In Reducing Recidivism, Karla Murguia Jun 2025

Probation Officers’ Perspectives Of Outside Services In Reducing Recidivism, Karla Murguia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has underscored the critical role of probation officers in improving rates of recidivism. However, the literature on the comprehensive impact of outside services on recidivism was sparse and underdeveloped. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how probation officers in court services and a community corrections agency in Garden City, Kansas perceived the utility of outside services in reducing adult recidivism for probationers. Ecological systems theory was used to guide the study. Eight probation officers recruited via purposive sampling participated in semistructured interviews. Transcribed data were analyzed using a six-step thematic analysis protocol. Findings revealed that probationers …


Predictive Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Care And Professional Quality Of Life Among Licensed Counselors Impacted By Covid-19, Maria G. Billings Jun 2025

Predictive Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Care And Professional Quality Of Life Among Licensed Counselors Impacted By Covid-19, Maria G. Billings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for mental health professionals, significantly increasing burnout and secondary traumatic stress while reducing available resources and limiting opportunities for compassion satisfaction. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative survey study was to determine whether self-care engagement predicts levels of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction among counselors. Grounded in Stamm’s theoretical framework on compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, the Self-Care Assessment Worksheet (SCAW) was used to measure self-care engagement, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V) was used to assess burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. The sample included 59 licensed …


Novice Early Childcare Educators’ Experiences Applying Pre-Service Education Knowledge And Theories In Practice At Childcare Centers, Jodi Mcbride Jun 2025

Novice Early Childcare Educators’ Experiences Applying Pre-Service Education Knowledge And Theories In Practice At Childcare Centers, Jodi Mcbride

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some novice early childhood educators (ECEs) experience barriers to applying knowledge gained during their pre-service education in practice and experimenting with their roles at childcare centers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore novice ECEs’ experiences of barriers to applying knowledge gained during their pre-service education in practice at childcare centers. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory grounded this study by describing adult learners’ personal transformation from obtaining and understanding new knowledge to applying it in practice. For this study, eight adult learners who completed an early childhood education program, had up to 5 years’ experience, held a current …


Identifying And Exploring Successful Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Jennifer Triggs Rickerson Jun 2025

Identifying And Exploring Successful Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Jennifer Triggs Rickerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse turnover has become a critical concern in healthcare, as low retention rates lead to decreased patient care quality and increased operational costs. A critical issue for hospital stakeholders is that many nursing leaders lack strategies to improve nursing retention. Grounded in the leader-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore successful leadership strategies used by nurse managers in the Pacific South region of the United States to improve nurse retention. The study included interviews with six nurse managers who successfully implemented retention strategies. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and publicly available …


Staff Education Project On Genetic Testing In A Psychiatric Facility, Chinenye Vivian Akpuaka Jun 2025

Staff Education Project On Genetic Testing In A Psychiatric Facility, Chinenye Vivian Akpuaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The project was an educational DNP project that aimed to improve staff knowledge on genetic testing. The practice focused question was “Will an education module on best practices for genetic testing increase self-reported knowledge among health care professionals in a mental health clinic?” The purposes of genetic testing in psychiatry are to improve pharmacological therapy through better prescription of the right medications (Pinzón-Espinosa et al., 2022). The implementation of genetic testing at the project site is limited due to gaps in knowledge and attitudes as well as efficacy of this intervention. The leaders at the practicum site supported the potential …


Lived Experiences Of Black African Non-Denominational Pastor’S Perceptions, Attitudes, And Beliefs Of Mental Health, And Their Referral Practice In The United States, Esther Paul Jun 2025

Lived Experiences Of Black African Non-Denominational Pastor’S Perceptions, Attitudes, And Beliefs Of Mental Health, And Their Referral Practice In The United States, Esther Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high frequency of mental health issues within the Black African Christians communities and the insufficient use of mental health resources, was the driving forces for this study. This qualitative study aimed to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and lived experiences of non-denominational Black African pastors on mental health and identified potential barriers to mental health care and create culturally appropriate solutions by investigating their experiences. The theoretical basis of this study was centered on Goffman’s social stigma theory, which was created by Erwin Goffman, the social identity theory (SIT), and the role identity theory, the latter which served as the …


Effective Strategies For Empowering Women In Aerospace: Shaping The Future Of Leadership, Mariel R. Forster Jun 2025

Effective Strategies For Empowering Women In Aerospace: Shaping The Future Of Leadership, Mariel R. Forster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some aerospace leaders face challenges in implementing effective strategies to advance women in leadership roles in the industry. Executive leaders are concerned with the lack of strategies to retain women, which contributes to their underrepresentation in aerospace leadership. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies aerospace leaders use to advance women in aerospace leadership. The participants were seven aerospace leaders from the Southeastern United States who had implemented successful retention strategies. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of public documents. Through thematic analysis eight themes were identified: …


Exploring Strategies In Manufacturing To Reduce Loss Of Workers And The Costs Associated With Turnover, Aaron Sterrett Jun 2025

Exploring Strategies In Manufacturing To Reduce Loss Of Workers And The Costs Associated With Turnover, Aaron Sterrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover rates in the U.S. manufacturing firms create significant operational and financial challenges. Leaders of U.S. manufacturing firms seek to address employee turnover, which threatens productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability. Grounded in the competing values framework, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project aimed to identify and explore manufacturers' efficient management strategies to reduce employee turnover. The participants were five individuals who work in different management roles within the manufacturing industry and have assisted in developing successful employee retention strategies. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational information. Four themes were identified during qualitative coding analysis: …


Impact Of Military-Related Moves On Spousal Perinatal Depression Screening And Mental Health Services, Chambraia Jones Jun 2025

Impact Of Military-Related Moves On Spousal Perinatal Depression Screening And Mental Health Services, Chambraia Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal depression, including perinatal depression (PND), poses significant public health risks to women, infants, and families. Although routine PND screening is recommended, limited research has examined screening and referrals among military spouses, an underserved population affected by frequent relocations and deployments. This study examined how permanent change of station (PCS) frequency affects PND screening and referrals to mental health services. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model and the CDC’s social ecological model of health, eight research questions explored associations between PCS frequency, PND screening, referrals, and the moderating roles of military branch and deployment status. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used …


Understanding The Perspectives Of African American Women Towards Initiating A Fitness Program, Clarissa Sheneka Davis Best Jun 2025

Understanding The Perspectives Of African American Women Towards Initiating A Fitness Program, Clarissa Sheneka Davis Best

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women residing in rural communities have seen substantial increases in preventable diseases resulting from obesity. The research problem addressed in this study surrounded the perspectives that African American women have towards initiating a fitness program. The purpose of this study was to explore those perspectives utilizing a sample population of African American women living in Salisbury, North Carolina. This study embraced the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) created by Prachaseree et al., (2021) and the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1991) as the conceptual frameworks. Three research questions guiding this study were: What specific barriers do African American …


Respite Care Services And The Experiences Of Unpaid Adult Child Alzheimer’S Caregivers, Juanita Serena Elliott Jun 2025

Respite Care Services And The Experiences Of Unpaid Adult Child Alzheimer’S Caregivers, Juanita Serena Elliott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Primary unpaid family caregivers of Alzheimer’s care recipients endure physical fatigue, emotional stress, psychological pressures, and health issues that could hinder their capacity to deliver consistent care. Respite care services can help reduce caregiver burden and enhance health outcomes; therefore, examining and evaluating their effectiveness is beneficial in meeting the needs of primary unpaid family caregivers. This study was conducted to address a lack of information in the literature and to evaluate the efficacy of respite care services for primary unpaid family caregivers of Alzheimer’s care recipients in Alaska and their caregivers’ awareness of and motivation to utilize these services …


Social Determinants, Covid-19, And Geographic Disparities In African American Mental Health Access, Jennifer Marie Washington Jun 2025

Social Determinants, Covid-19, And Geographic Disparities In African American Mental Health Access, Jennifer Marie Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparities in service use of mental health care persist in the United States, and African Americans have been disproportionately affected. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened these disparities, increasing barriers such as stigma, lack of culturally appropriate care, distance, and affordability. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, and correlational study was to examine the relationships between sociodemographic factors and the use of mental health counseling or therapy services. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was applied to examine how the systemic factors in the mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem work together to influence care availability. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between race, income, education, …


Perspectives Regarding Creating A Community Of Inquiry In Online Versions Of Lab Courses, Yuna Buhrman Jun 2025

Perspectives Regarding Creating A Community Of Inquiry In Online Versions Of Lab Courses, Yuna Buhrman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college labs due to the restricted physical access to resources. The problem that was addressed in this study was that there is a lack of understanding of how the three presences of the community of inquiry were implemented by STEM lab instructors when developing online lab courses during emergency remote teaching (ERT). The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore perspectives of college STEM lab instructors regarding social, teaching, and cognitive presences in online versions of their lab courses during ERT. Data were collected using semistructured interviews …


Disability And Leadership: Barriers And Business Culture Perspectives, Ernest Edward Garrett Jun 2025

Disability And Leadership: Barriers And Business Culture Perspectives, Ernest Edward Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Persistent disparities in employment rates between people with disabilities (PWDs) and people without disabilities (PWODs) indicate that PWDs continue to face barriers and challenges to employment opportunities. The research problem is the underrepresentation of PWDs in leadership positions within business cultures and persistent barriers and challenges faced by human resource managers (HRMs) and leaders concerning their hiring and retention. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the varying perspectives of business leaders with disabilities (LWDs) and HRMs concerning the barriers and challenges associated with hiring and retaining PWDs for leadership roles. Critical realism, universal design, and human …


Maintaining Number Sense Mastery In Urban Primary Grades, Colese Brown Jun 2025

Maintaining Number Sense Mastery In Urban Primary Grades, Colese Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was that urban kindergarten to third grade students demonstrated decreased levels of number sense mastery on state-mandated assessments as they matriculated across grade levels. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore school-based educators’ perceptions on what they believe are the reasons urban students demonstrated decreased levels of number sense mastery, and to identify what improvements are needed to support teachers in determining students’ zone of proximal development (ZPD) while scaffolding students towards number sense mastery. The conceptual framework comprised Bruner’s theory of instruction and Vygotsky’s ZPD. A purposeful sample of six …


Effective Employee Retention Strategies Used By U.S. Hotel Organizations, Marian Yvette Woods Jun 2025

Effective Employee Retention Strategies Used By U.S. Hotel Organizations, Marian Yvette Woods

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover rates continue to represent a significant challenge for U.S. hotel organizations, impacting operational efficiency. Hotel leaders are concerned that turnover negatively affects profitability and organizational viability, making retention strategies critical for competitiveness. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to identify and explore effective strategies that some business leaders in U.S. hotel organizations use to enhance employee retention. The participants were eight leaders who have implemented effective employee retention strategies in U.S. hotel organizations in Georgia. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, company website information, and publicly available documents. …


Clinical Practice Guideline: Appropriate Selection Of Mental Health Conditions For Telepsychiatry Visits, Oluwatoyin Sowunmi Jun 2025

Clinical Practice Guideline: Appropriate Selection Of Mental Health Conditions For Telepsychiatry Visits, Oluwatoyin Sowunmi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project was a clinical practice guideline (CPG) aimed at addressing the practice problem of inappropriate selection of patients for telepsychiatry visits. The issue is significant in nursing practice, as the misalignment between patient needs and telehealth capabilities often results in appointment cancellations. The practice focus question guiding this project was “Does the evidence support development and expert panel validation via the Appraisal of Guideline for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) of a CPG for appropriate selection of mental health conditions for telepsychiatry visits that is also approved for use in practice by end users?” The project successfully …


Reducing Readmission Rates In A Mental Health Hospital, Zamzam Mohamed Jun 2025

Reducing Readmission Rates In A Mental Health Hospital, Zamzam Mohamed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary I designed this clinical practice guideline (CPG) doctoral project to address the critical practice problem of high readmission rates in a mental health unit at a large academic medical center. This quality improvement initiative focused on developing and evaluating CPG to improve discharge planning. I aimed to address gaps in continuity of care, inadequate discharge education, and limited post discharge follow-up, which had been identified as contributing factors to early psychiatric readmissions. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: What evidence supports the development of a discharge planning CPG designed to reduce readmission rates in a mental health unit? …


Staff Education On Improving Staff Knowledge Of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Management In Psychiatric Outpatients, Adetona Odunuga Jun 2025

Staff Education On Improving Staff Knowledge Of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Management In Psychiatric Outpatients, Adetona Odunuga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This staff education initiative was designed to improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge of managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in individuals with psychiatric disorders. This population faced a significantly higher prevalence of T2DM and experienced poorer health outcomes due to fragmented and inadequate care. The practice problem was a staff knowledge deficit in managing patients with T2DM. The practice-focused question that guided the project was: How can an educational intervention enhance nursing staff’s knowledge in managing T2DM in patients with psychiatric disorders? The primary purpose was implementing an evidence-based training program to improve staff knowledge. The project was implemented using …


Educating Staff On Using Medication-Assisted Treatment (Mat) In Opioid Use Disorder (Oud), Demie Alaekwe Jun 2025

Educating Staff On Using Medication-Assisted Treatment (Mat) In Opioid Use Disorder (Oud), Demie Alaekwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs, especially those led by providers, can expand access to care for persons with opioid use disorder (OUD). The gap in practice at the site was the insufficient knowledge among nurses on how to effectively use MAT in treating OUD. The purpose of this staff educational project was to design and implement a training module to educate mental health providers on the principles and interventions of MAT. The practice-focused question was: Does educating nurses on MAT principles while incorporating evidence from the literature improve their knowledge as measured by pre- and post-test? The ADDIE pedagogy model was …


Sustainability Of Private Historically Black Colleges Or Universities, Herbert A. Stewart Jun 2025

Sustainability Of Private Historically Black Colleges Or Universities, Herbert A. Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, private Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been declining in enrollment, revenues, and profitability, and many have closed permanently. The problem, which is important to HBCU leaders, is the lack effective strategies for sustainability. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this pragmatic inquiry research project was to explore the successful strategies some successful HBCU leaders have used to increase enrollment and maintain profitability for sustainability. Data were collected through personal interviews and publicly available documents or documents provided by participants. Yin’s 5-step process was used for data analysis, which …