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Supporting Children's Mental Health Through Early Prevention: The Role Of Human Service Professionals, Antwan Kimmons

Master of Arts in Human Services

The mental health of children is a growing concern around the world. According to the World Health Organization (2025), mental health conditions affect approximately one in seven adolescents aged 10–19 years; however, many of these young people do not get the help they need. Mental health problems can affect a child’s ability to learn, manage emotions, develop relationships and cope with stress at home, school and in the community. This review of the literature speaks to the promise of early prevention, early intervention, and trauma-informed care to support children’s mental health before issues develop into more serious levels. It also …

The Cost Of Caring: Understanding Compassion Fatigue In First Responders, Jonathon O. Santiago

Master of Arts in Human Services

First responders are regularly exposed to trauma, crisis, death, injury, and human suffering, which may contribute to compassion fatigue. This capstone examined compassion fatigue among law enforcement officers, emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, and other emergency-service professionals. The paper reviewed peer-reviewed research on symptomatology, occupational risk factors, protective factors, compassion satisfaction, emotional labor, stigma, help-seeking barriers, and organizational influences. Attention was given to the overlap between compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma, as inconsistent definitions may make the issue harder to identify, measure, and address. The research also explored how repeated trauma exposure, confidentiality concerns, workplace culture, …

The Underlying Connections Between Drug Abuse And Criminal Involvement, Jessica Sedor

Master of Arts in Human Services

In this composition, an analysis about the relationship between substance abuse and criminal engagement within specific types of crimes is explored. While examining this relationship, the importance of forensic rehabilitation within the criminal justice system is approached through advocacy of identifying risk factors and intergenerational patterns amongst the youth to reduce the abusive cycle of crime and addiction. This paper reflects the evident significance that it is imperative that human services professionals are aware of this relationship and how it can influence and impact one’s judgment, personality, decision making, and other criminogenic behaviors and attitudes. It is critical that the …

Breaking The Cycle: From Victimization To Offending Through The Lens Of Human Services, Colette R. Penalosa

Master of Arts in Human Services

The victim-offender overlap challenges the common view that victims and offenders are separately labeled by recognizing that both groups have experienced significant childhood trauma, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Current research implies these experiences can increase the risk of offending as they all influence cognitive and behavioral development while leaving criminal behavior undetermined. The purpose of this capstone is to analyze the relationship between childhood victimization and offending from a human service perspective; analyzing the pathways a victim takes on the road to offending. Research conducted will focus on exploring the victim-offender overlap, …

How Non-Secular Leaders In Culturally Homogeneous Faith-Based Organizations Understand And Experience Cultural Intelligence Training, Marlon Anthony Ayers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past five decades, shifts in U.S. immigration policy, demographic change, and civil rights reforms have increased cultural diversity across the U.S. workforce, while many faith based leaders lack the cultural intelligence (CQ) needed to navigate diverse interactions effectively. Non secular leaders in culturally homogeneous faith based organizations (FBOs) need to understand this concern as a leading indicator of challenges associated with cross-cultural engagement, organizational effectiveness, and community inclusion. The specific research problem is that it is unknown how non-secular leaders in culturally homogeneous FBOs understand and experience the challenges of managing cultural diversity in the absence of CQ …

Fabrication Of Objectives For Imaging Ultracold Lithium, Danelle Akanova

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis develops a documented, reproducible procedure for building diffraction-limited microscope objectives entirely from catalog singlets, for imaging ultracold 6Li atoms in a ring-trap experiment. The objectives must resolve micron-scale features through a 5 mm fused-silica vacuum window, operate at multiple wavelengths, fit inside a 48 mm magnet bore, and contain no conductive or magnetic material, because the surrounding coils switch 0.1 T fields on microsecond timescales. Commercial long-working-distance objectives are universally housed in metal, which the eddy-current constraint rules out, and custom fabrication of a suitable non-conductive matched pair is estimated at nearly $200k.

The procedure is developed and …

Mentor Evaluation Of A Black Male Youth Mentoring Program, Kenneth Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an exploration of how Black male mentors perceived organizational practices, culturally responsive mentoring, relational safety, and systems level barriers shaping their effectiveness and continued participation. The purpose was to examine early mentor-mentee match dissolution and low mentor retention in a nonprofit youth mentoring through the lens of the ecological systems theory and program evaluation framework. The practice-focused research questions were: How do volunteer mentors and program staff perceive the organizational practices and culturally responsive strategies that influence mentor effectiveness and retention in youth mentoring programs, and what organizational and systemic challenges do Black male mentors encounter in …

The Effects Of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring And Hospital Readmission For Hypertensive Patients, Danielle Alston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within this executive summary, the type of project discussed is an organization change project to address a health issue in chronic disease management, which is hypertension. Nearly 116 million American adults are affected by hypertension, which remains a leading force for preventable hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and cardiovascular-related mortality in the United States. Unexpected readmissions due to hypertension create system-wide strains, increased financial burden and decreased patient satisfaction. Hence, the question: In adults with hypertension, does remote home blood pressure monitoring, compared with standard office-based follow-up, reduce the rate of urgent care visits and hospital admissions over a 30-day period? …

The Individual And Combined Effects Of Individualism-Collectivism Orientation And Mental Health Stigma On Perceived Social Support In Firefighters, Emma Schafer Schutte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Repetitive trauma exposure predisposes firefighters to a variety of mental health issues. Despite efforts to expand mental health resources and peer support, stigma remains a significant barrier to formal (professional) and informal (peer) support-seeking within the fire service. According to social influence theory, firefighters may avoid using available support services because they perceive support-seeking as stigmatized by their peers and feel compelled to conform. Research across cultural groups suggests that individualism-collectivism orientation, which defines how individuals assign value to individual or group needs, has nuanced effects on perceptions of social support. However, the interplay of individualism-collectivism orientation, stigma, and perceived …

Inclusive Leadership And Employee Engagement In Multigenerational Nigeria’S Public Sector, Monday Kohwo Unurhiere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership continues to engender disengaged employees whose work ethics contribute to inefficient and ineffective public service delivery across several African countries. The specific research problem is the inadequacy of knowledge about leadership behaviors that foster a sense of being valued among employees of different generational cohorts, leading to intellectual, social, and emotional engagement at work. The purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to investigate the influence of inclusive leadership (openness, availability, and accessibility) on employee engagement (intellectual, social, and affective) in the multigenerational Nigerian public sector. The theoretical framework included the constructs of inclusive leadership, employee engagement, …

Are Individual Mental Health Issues Treated Fairly By The Criminal Justice System?, Taylor Anderson

Master of Arts in Human Services

The intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system is a critical area of inquiry that highlights the complexities of addressing psychological disorders within our legal frameworks. This paper explores the prevalence of mental health issues among incarcerated individuals and examines how systemic deficiencies contribute to a cycle of recidivism and inadequate treatment. By analyzing the existing literature, the research aims to illuminate the pressing need for a reform in the handling of mentally ill offenders, advocating for a shift towards more rehabilitative approaches rather than punitive measures. The implications of those findings extend beyond individual cases to societal …

Restorative Practices And Resilience Among Trauma-Impacted Elementary Students, Rose E. Ostenson

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper examined how restorative practices may promote resilience among trauma-impacted elementary school students. Fifteen peer-reviewed studies were analyzed to address the following research question: How do restorative practices promote resilience among trauma-impacted students in elementary schools? Three consistent themes emerged from the literature: relationship building and relational safety, school connectedness and belonging, and emotional regulation and co-regulation. These themes represent crucial protective factors associated with resilience among children who have experienced trauma. Although resilience was not directly measured in most of the studies reviewed, the findings consistently suggested that restorative practices may strengthen the relational, social, and emotional conditions …

Strategies To Enhance Employee Retention Among Leaders In The U.S. Poultry Processing Industry, Gary Dale Sisson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover remains a persistent challenge in the U.S. poultry processing industry. Leaders in the U.S. poultry processing industry are concerned that high employee turnover increases operating costs, disrupts productivity, and contributes to workforce instability. Grounded in organizational support theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research project explored successful strategies that leaders in the U.S. poultry processing industry use to enhance employee retention. The participants were six leaders from poultry processing facilities in the southeastern United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and supplemented with workplace observations and organizational records related to retention initiatives and turnover trends. Data were analyzed …

Staff Education To Improve Staff Knowledge Regarding Candida Auris, Nkechinyere Ejelonu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was a staff education project regarding Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an urgent global health threat due to its high mortality, environmental persistence, and resistance to common disinfectants. Staff play a crucial role in infection prevention; however, limited awareness and inconsistent knowledge of Candida auris contribute to potential transmission in skilled nursing home settings. The project question was as follows: Among staff members in a skilled nursing facility, does an evidence-based educational intervention improve knowledge of Candida auris infection prevention as compared pre- …

Staff Members And Students’ Perceptions On Retention In A Trio Student Support Services Program, Gregoire N. Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study was the low retention rates and consequent low completion rates of students who are low-income, first-generation, and/or disabled who did not participate in a TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program at Urban University. Grounded in Tinto’s student integration theory, Dweck’s mindset theory, and Duckworth’s grit theory, the purpose of this study was to determine staff members and students’ perceptions on the helpfulness of the TRIO SSS program in improving retention from Year 1 to Year 2 at Urban University. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews with nine students and four staff …

Spatial Reconstructability Analysis: Information-Theoretic Modeling Of Categorical Raster Data, David Percy

Dissertations and Theses

This research focuses on the application of Reconstructability Analysis (RA), an information-theoretic machine learning (ML) methodology, to categorical spatial data in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). RA was developed in the systems community with applications including classification, prediction, pattern recognition, and decision analysis. RA is implemented in OCCAM (Organizational Complexity Computation and Modeling), a software suite developed at Portland State University that analyzes discrete data in tabular form, with observations in rows and variables in columns. While RA has been successfully applied to a variety of domains, no systematic application to georeferenced raster data arranged in regular grids has been previously …

Fluency First: Building A Stronger Tier 2 Reading Intervention, Rachel Bernier

Masters Projects

The percentage of fourth grade students reading below grade level is significant and relatively unchanged and Tier 2 fluency intervention could be doing more to target the gaps in at-risk readers’ fluency instruction. This growth could impact their ability to perform across subject areas as it is indicated in research that increasing reading fluency can also improve reading comprehension. This paper examines research through a literature review of theory and journal articles that support that Tier 2 intervention can be effective, when it is aligned with Tier 1 instruction and structured around direct instruction in phonics and word recognition, and …

Embedding Transformative Social Emotional Learning Into Writing Instruction, Kristen Holsomback

Masters Projects

In order for students to succeed in writing tasks they must have social emotional competencies in self-regulation, engagement, and relationship skills. Many teachers are unprepared to teach these SEL competencies embedded in writing instruction. This project explores the need to embed Transformative SEL within writing instruction with a framework in culturally sustaining pedagogies. With a background in sociocognitive theory and sociocultural theory, this project seeks to equip teachers with the skills necessary to address students SEL competencies of: self-regulation, self-awareness, and relationship skills. Self-regulation skills comprise goal setting, self-instructions, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. Self-awareness skills include self-efficacy and student engagement. Relationship …

Correlative In Situ Nonlinear Optical Characteriztion Of Plasmonic Colloidal Nanoparticle Growth Dynamics, Stena C. Peterson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Colloidal noble metal nanoparticles are of extreme interest as nanomaterials and for the wide variety of their possible applications in nanomedicine. The unique linear and nonlinear optical processes associated with these nanomaterials can be studied using a variety of spectroscopic techniques including extinction, second harmonic generation (SHG), and two-photon fluorescence (TPF) spectroscopy. In order to better understand and optimize these nanomaterials for their desired applications, it is important to investigate the growth and photophysical dynamics associated with gold nanoparticles, silver-gold core-shell (Ag-Au CS) nanoparticles, and gold-silver-gold core-shell-shell (Au-Ag-Au CSS) nanoparticles in addition to how their size, surface morphology, composition. and …

Supporting The Humans In Human Services: Understanding The Impacts Of Indirect Trauma Exposures & Promoting Resilience To Bolster Professional Wellbeing And Strengthen Service Provision, Mandy Jr O'Malley

Master of Arts in Human Services

The on-going exposure to the trauma of others that is regularly experienced in the daily work of human service professionals carries with it risks to the wellbeing of the individual professional, the health of the organization in which they work and to the quality of care that they are providing. The scope of the effects that are experienced both acutely and over time include, among others, mental and physical exhaustion, mental health symptoms that mirror those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in those directly impacted by trauma, changes in worldview, and dramatic reductions in empathy. By understanding the consequences of …

Understanding Familicide: Psychosocial, Behavioral, And Mental Health Risk Factors And Implications For Forensic Behavioral Health Professionals, Molly M. Vogl

Master of Arts in Human Services

Familicide is a rare but devastating form of family violence involving the killing of multiple family members by another family member. Although research examining domestic violence, homicide, and homicide-suicide has expanded, familicide remains less understood due to its low occurrence and complex nature. This capstone examined the psychosocial, behavioral, and mental health risk factors commonly associated with familicide perpetrators and explored how forensic behavioral health professionals may use this information to improve violence risk assessment, prevention, and intervention efforts. A review of peer-reviewed research from academic databases and scholarly search engines identified common themes associated with familicide, including relationship conflict, …

Leadership Practices And Their Influence On Employee Retention And Productivity In Group Homes, Tolif Bekele Gemechu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention and workforce productivity have consistently challenged residential group homes serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, reducing continuity of care, increasing costs, and limiting organizational effectiveness. This qualitative case study explored how leadership practices influenced employee retention, workforce productivity, and alignment with the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The study was guided by three research questions addressing leadership practices, employee engagement and retention, workforce productivity, and organizational alignment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 DSPs and leaders and analysis of organizational documents, workforce records, policies, and procedures. Thematic analysis using NVivo software was conducted, with trustworthiness established through …

Registered Nurses’ Perceptions Of Relational Service Behaviors In Nursing Practice, Dadakpoye Tina Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurses play a central role in shaping patient experiences through clinical care and relational service behaviors. However, little is known about registered nurses’ perceptions and experiences of relational service behaviors in contemporary health care settings. The purpose of this interpretive description qualitative study was to explore registered nurses’ perceptions and experiences of relational service behaviors and their role in promoting patient-centered care. Herzberg’s two-factor theory provided the conceptual framework for examining how intrinsic motivators and extrinsic workplace factors influence relational engagement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 registered nurses from diverse clinical practice settings. Interview data were analyzed using Braun …

Unmanned Aerial Support Program In Portland Police Bureau: A Case Study, Eiryn Renouard

Dissertations and Theses

With the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) adopting drone technology in 2024 as a tactical tool, officers have begun to experience change in the way they approach their roles as they learn to work in conjunction with this new technology. Known as the Unmanned Aerial Support program (UAS), this drone program is embedded into PPB's patrol unit. The recency of the program offers an opportunity to examine how a new program using new technology builds its culture and impacts the perspectives and behaviors of its participating officers. By interviewing officers and conducting field observations of the officers and drones in action, …

Staff Education To Improve Healthcare Staff Knowledge Of An Electronic Scheduling System In An Intensive Outpatient Program (Iop), Catherine Kinyili

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice staff education project aimed to improve staff knowledge of the newly implemented electronic scheduling and booking kiosk system. A transition from a paper-based to an electronic scheduling system led to reduced staff efficiency, communication challenges, scheduling errors, and delays in patient care. An evaluation identified inconsistent staff knowledge of the newly implemented electronic scheduling system. The practice-focused question for the project was: Among healthcare staff in an intensive outpatient program, how does a one-time structured education and training session affect staff knowledge of a new electronic scheduling system? The purpose of this project was to …

Strategies For Recruiting Skilled Field Accountants, Gale James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability of accounting leaders to recruit skilled accountants can negatively affect a business's profitability. Chief financial officers and accounting leaders who struggle to recruit accountants are at risk of business instability due to a shortage of skilled applicants. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore successful strategies accounting firm leaders used to recruit skilled accountants in North Carolina. This research project was grounded in transformational leadership framework and the decision field theory. The participants in this study consisted of five chief financial officers working at accounting firms who were able to recruit accountants. Data were collected …

Meaning Of Mentoring For Puerto Rican Diaspora Professionals Seeking Career Advancement, Coralys M. Cedó Negrón

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic/Latino professionals remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions across industries in the United States. Organizational leaders need to understand this concern as a critical indicator of factors that may shape leadership development and career advancement among underrepresented professionals. Grounded in the mentoring model, the purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to understand the meaning of mentoring for Puerto Rican diaspora professionals seeking career advancement in the United States. The participants comprised 10 Puerto Rican professionals living and working in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area who had participated in formal or informal mentoring relationships. Data were collected …

The Ecological Impacts Of Un-Protecting Forests: The Case Of Gold Mining In Ghana, Tate Alexander Barend

Master's Theses

This paper estimates the causal effect of Ghana’s Legislative Instrument 2462 (L.I. 2462) on deforestation in protected areas. The policy redefined the regulatory regime governing small-scale gold mining in protected areas, moving from prohibition to discretionary permitting. I exploit the implementation of L.I. 2462 as a policy shock and apply a difference-in-differences event-study framework to a propensity score–matched sample of pixels derived from high-resolution satellite images. Contrary to widespread concerns that the policy would accelerate deforestation, the results provide no evidence of large-scale vegetation loss in exposed protected areas following the policy change. Instead, protected area pixels located within 5 …

The Dual Impact Of Professional And Community Interventions On Recidivism, Anjelika M. Dillard

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone project evaluates the effectiveness of professional and community interventions in reducing criminal recidivism and facilitating successful community reintegration for justice-involved individuals. Grounded in the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, Desistance Theory, and Trauma-Informed Care frameworks, this study synthesizes contemporary behavioral health and criminological literature to examine how institutional programming and post-release community support interact to foster long-term behavioral change. The findings demonstrate that while evidence-based institutional treatments—such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and targeted vocational training—provide essential foundations for cognitive restructuring and skill acquisition, institutional programming alone is insufficient to prevent re-offending. Long-term desistance depends on an …

Cosmetic Nationalism: Fashion And Feminine Performance In Trump-Aligned America, Nicola Rountree-Williams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This paper examines how fashion, beauty, and feminine presentation operate as political tools within Trump-aligned American culture. Drawing on historical examples from fascist Italy, Francoist Spain, and European aristocratic fashion, it argues that aesthetics have long been used to reinforce nationalism, gender hierarchy, and political authority. The paper analyzes contemporary trends such as “Republican makeup” and “Mar-a-Lago face,” arguing that these hyper-feminine and highly racialized beauty standards function as performances of loyalty, wealth, and traditional femininity within Trump-aligned politics. Through figures such as Kristi Noem, the paper demonstrates how women’s appearances can visually legitimize masculine authority while limiting women’s autonomy …