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2011

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Navy Downsizing And Its Effect On Active Enlisted Navy Personnel, Eden Velasco Castro Jan 2011

Navy Downsizing And Its Effect On Active Enlisted Navy Personnel, Eden Velasco Castro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overall scope of naval missions has remained largely unchanged despite the loss of more than 8,000 naval personnel each year since 2002. The downsized naval workforce experienced an overload in work assignments and an increase of health-related issues resulting in lowered morale, motivation, job satisfaction, and productivity. Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs links personal satisfaction to work productivity, which is critical for naval personnel to protect national security, provide humanitarian services, and respond to international crises effectively. This phenomenological study included semi-structured interviews with military and civilian leaders at naval bases located in San Diego and El Centro, …

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Leadership Styles And Faculty Satisfaction In The State University System Of Florida, Justin Ted Bateh Jan 2011

Leadership Styles And Faculty Satisfaction In The State University System Of Florida, Justin Ted Bateh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Universities must retain satisfied employees to enhance productivity and reduce turnover. Leadership represents one of the fundamental factors in job satisfaction. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived academic administrator leadership styles and the satisfaction of faculty members. The independent variables were the transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership styles of academic administrators as evaluated by faculty members. The dependent variable was job satisfaction of full-time faculty members. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to identify the leadership style of an administrator as perceived by faculty members. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey was used to assess …

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The Impact Of Company Grade Officer Self-Sacrificial Behavior On Subordinate Assessments Of Leader Charisma, Danjel Bout Jan 2011

The Impact Of Company Grade Officer Self-Sacrificial Behavior On Subordinate Assessments Of Leader Charisma, Danjel Bout

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Newly commissioned officers in the U.S. Army are taught to lead their soldiers from the front and to voluntarily make personal sacrifices in the service of the nation. Although this facet of military culture is seen as critical to the integrity of the force, there are few research studies describing the impact of leader self-sacrifice in the U.S. Army. Research evolving from the transformational leadership literature indicates that civilian leaders who engage in self-sacrificial behavior are viewed as more charismatic than their counterparts and that this perception is particularly pronounced in crisis situations. The current study extended this research to …

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The Evolution Of The African American Mother-Daughter Relationship: A Grounded Theory Study, Toneka R. Etienne Jan 2011

The Evolution Of The African American Mother-Daughter Relationship: A Grounded Theory Study, Toneka R. Etienne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The mother-daughter relationship holds a special place in the lives of African American women, given the rich history of women of African descent and the complexities of female relationships. However, few studies have discussed the evolution of this relationship and what it means in the lives of African American mothers and daughters. Using relational-cultural theory (RCT) and Black feminist theory, this qualitative grounded theory study described the experiences and evolution of the African American mother-daughter relationship. A sample of 10 mother-daughter dyads was interviewed together about their relationship. Research questions addressed how African American mothers and daughters define, maintain, and …

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Effect Of Stress, Emotional Lability And Depression On The Development Of Pregnancy Complications, Servitje, Estibalitz Laresgoiti Servitje Jan 2011

Effect Of Stress, Emotional Lability And Depression On The Development Of Pregnancy Complications, Servitje, Estibalitz Laresgoiti Servitje

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic stress and other emotional factors may have relevant impacts on pregnancy outcomes because they are related to neuroendocrine changes that lead to alterations in immunomodulation during pregnancy. In this quantitative prospective cross-sectional study, the relationship of emotional lability, depression, and stress during pregnancy and the development of preterm labor, preeclampsia, placental abruption, and low birth weight for gestational age babies was examined. Additionally, social support scores were compared to levels of stress/anxiety, depression, and emotional lability in pregnant women. Two hundred and forty two pregnant women who received prenatal services at the National Institute of Perinatology in Mexico City …

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A Test Of An Evolutionary Theory Of Adiposity Gain Induced By Long Sleep In Descendants Of European Hunter-Gatherers, Oleksiy Chadyuk Jan 2011

A Test Of An Evolutionary Theory Of Adiposity Gain Induced By Long Sleep In Descendants Of European Hunter-Gatherers, Oleksiy Chadyuk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have identified inadequate sleep duration as one of the factors contributing to global obesity. The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesis deduced from a new sleep-duration-based evolutionary theory claiming that sleep extension in response to lengthening night duration in early fall evolved into a behavioral marker of an approaching winter; this adaptive trait was theorized to produce adiposity gain in White men in response to sleep extension. The hypothesis was that White Americans would show a greater increase in the age-adjusted fat mass index per unit of sleep duration compared to that of Black Americans. Data …

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Enhancing The Ability Of Adults With Mild Mental Retardation To Recognize Facial Expression Of Emotions, Juna Michel Jan 2011

Enhancing The Ability Of Adults With Mild Mental Retardation To Recognize Facial Expression Of Emotions, Juna Michel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A critical element in the development of interpersonal skills is the ability to recognize facial expressions. However, in persons with mild mental retardation (PMR), social interactions based on the recognition of others' emotional states may be compromised. Guided by the theory of mind, which allows one to make inferences on someone's mental states, differentiate facts from friction, and process others' beliefs and intentions, this study determined if emotion training impacted future emotion recognition scores in a PMR population and whether the variables of gender, age, and baseline Facial Expression of Emotions Stimuli and Test (FEEST) scores predicted changes in emotion …

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Adult Outpatients With Major Depressive Disorder Forming Positive Responses During Challenging Events, Michelle Renee Victoria Jan 2011

Adult Outpatients With Major Depressive Disorder Forming Positive Responses During Challenging Events, Michelle Renee Victoria

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous empirical research demonstrated that major depressive disorder (MDD) had a profound impact on adults. What remained unaddressed in the research was the ability of those with MDD to form positive responses during challenging life events. The purpose of this exploratory quantitative study was to examine the cognitive ability of MDD patients to form positive responses on a standardized psychological assessment. This study, guided by Beck's cognitive theory of depression, was designed to determine whether depressed individuals were prone to negativity and had decreased ability to form positive responses to challenging situations. A 2x2 ANOVA was used to analyze 116 …

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Values, Perceptions, Conceptions, And Peacebuilding: A Case Study In A Mexico City Neighborhood, Mauricio Meschoulam Jan 2011

Values, Perceptions, Conceptions, And Peacebuilding: A Case Study In A Mexico City Neighborhood, Mauricio Meschoulam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mexico is not a country at peace. Despite the government's fight to restore stability, violence has erupted since 2006 in several areas of the territory. According to Vygotsky's social constructivism and to Galtung's integral perspective of peace, some elements of peacelessness are informed by values, perceptions, and conceptions about violence and peace. These topics have not been qualitatively investigated in Mexico. The purpose of this case study was to explore the process involving the social construction of values, perceptions, and conceptions in regard to organized criminal violence and peace possibilities in Mexico. Research questions focused on the role of mass …

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Criminal History And Lsi-R Scores Of Rsat Participants In The State Of Massachusetts: Impact Of Offender Age On Program Completion And Rates Of Offender Recidivism, Jewell E. Hankins Jan 2011

Criminal History And Lsi-R Scores Of Rsat Participants In The State Of Massachusetts: Impact Of Offender Age On Program Completion And Rates Of Offender Recidivism, Jewell E. Hankins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand how offender age impacted residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) program success in reducing rates of recidivism for offenders exiting the judicial system. Despite passing legislation in the 1980s and 1990s, which increased the penalties for certain crimes, offender recidivism remains high, with no apparent drop in the number of incarcerations and re-incarcerations, resulting in high costs and threats to the safety and quality of life experienced within communities. Social learning theory, behavioral decision theory, and biologically based theories of behavior were the theoretical foundations. Archival data collected from a RSAT grant program …

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Inquiry-Based Laboratory Investigations And Student Performance On Standardized Tests In Biological Science, Usha Patke Jan 2011

Inquiry-Based Laboratory Investigations And Student Performance On Standardized Tests In Biological Science, Usha Patke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achievement data from the 3rd International Mathematics and Sciences Study and Program for International Student Assessment in science have indicated that Black students from economically disadvantaged families underachieve at alarming rates in comparison to White and economically advantaged peer groups. The study site was a predominately Black, urban school district experiencing underachievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between students' use of inquiry-based laboratory investigations and their performance on the Biology End of Course Test, as well as to examine the relationship while partialling out the effects of student gender. Constructivist theory formed the theoretical …

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Impact Of Nutrition Education On Student Learning, Lydia Singura Jan 2011

Impact Of Nutrition Education On Student Learning, Lydia Singura

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A goal of schools is to provide students with practical nutritional information that will foster healthy lifelong behaviors. Unfortunately, students at one school were found to have difficulty grasping basic nutritional information and practical health-related skills. There remains an important gap in current literature regarding strategies to improve students' understanding of nutrition education material. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of a 4-week nutrition intervention unit in the Foods I classes consisting of 82 male and female students in Grades 9-12. Constructivist teaching methods were implemented to provide students with both information and valuable skills, which …

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The Human-Animal Bond And Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Melissa White Jan 2011

The Human-Animal Bond And Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Melissa White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early into the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, reports revealed that less than half of individuals displaying symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder sought help from the mental health community. As a means to cope with the stresses of war, many soldiers turned to animals for emotional support, and anecdotal reports identified reduction in the severity of distress among soldiers. However, no study was found that investigates this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of service members with combat-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and the human-animal bond. The study applied a blend of constructivism and phenomenology to …

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Increasing Students' Academic Involvement: Chilean Teacher Engagement With Learners In Blended English As A Foreign Language Courses, Christopher P. Johnson Jan 2011

Increasing Students' Academic Involvement: Chilean Teacher Engagement With Learners In Blended English As A Foreign Language Courses, Christopher P. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Learning English as a foreign language (EFL), a highly valued skill in the Chilean marketplace, is an arduous and complex personal endeavor requiring high student motivation. Reflecting this challenge is the heightened anxiety among EFL students, whose work has been associated with historically meager results. Blended learning, the fusion of face-to-face and online content delivery and assessment, offers a promising solution to EFL learner reticence. Evidence suggests that an active online teacher presence in a blended EFL course can enhance student engagement. The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of EFL instructional specialists concerning (a) student involvement …

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Exploring Increased Productivity Through Employee Engagement, Wayne K. Richards Jr. Jan 2011

Exploring Increased Productivity Through Employee Engagement, Wayne K. Richards Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in lowered productivity, a cost which has been compounded by the difficult economic situations in the country. The potential for increasing productivity through increased employee engagement was examined in this study. Using personal engagement theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of salaried aerospace employees affected productivity and the financial performance of an organization. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 aerospace employees whose responses were codified and analyzed to identify themes. The analysis indicated that (a) …

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Teacher-Student Relationships And Student Writing Achievement, Jacqueline Hilary Blackmore Jan 2011

Teacher-Student Relationships And Student Writing Achievement, Jacqueline Hilary Blackmore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has shown that learner-centered environments can improve students' self-esteem and increase their academic skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching the core curriculum within a caring classroom environment increases students ability to communicate effectively and perform at higher achievement levels in writing. The study addressed the experiences of teachers in implementing a new writing program with a strong emphasis on social skill development as a precursor to good writing. Guided by the social learning theories of Dewey, Rogers, and Vygotsky, who contended that social interaction is vital to the development of cognition, a qualitative …

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Exploration Of The Project Management Practitioner's Emotional Intelligence Competencies, Linda A. Hooper Jan 2011

Exploration Of The Project Management Practitioner's Emotional Intelligence Competencies, Linda A. Hooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The success rate of information technology projects is on a downward trend, with reported losses in the billions of dollars. Recent studies indicate a 50--56% project success rate based on quality, budget, and on-time criteria. Building upon the conceptual framework of the emotional intelligence and knowledge management theories, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how project management practitioners apply self- and cultural-awareness competencies to affect project outcomes. Using a purposeful sampling method, 24 experienced U.S.-based project management practitioners participated in a web-based questionnaire. Following Giorgi's data reduction process resulted in numeric data coding. Thematic analysis revealed themes …

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Factors Affecting Cervical Cancer Screening Among African Women Living In The United States, Mosunmola Adeyemi Jan 2011

Factors Affecting Cervical Cancer Screening Among African Women Living In The United States, Mosunmola Adeyemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than half of the incidents and mortality rates from cervical cancer occur among minority groups, including immigrant women from continental Africa living in the United States. Although researchers have examined cervical cancer screening practices among minority populations, including Black women in Africa and in the United States, there are few studies on cervical cancer screening and associated risk factors, specifically among African women living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between selected factors and cervical cancer screening practices among African immigrant women living in the United States. Using the behavioral model …

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The Relationship Of Faculty Demographics And Attitudes Toward Technology Integration, Brian Michael Mckinley Jan 2011

The Relationship Of Faculty Demographics And Attitudes Toward Technology Integration, Brian Michael Mckinley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stakeholders in a midsized rural high school district were concerned that faculty failure to integrate educational technologies into instruction was adversely affecting student performance as measured by recent state mandated test scores. The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships existed between faculty age, gender, tenure, and overall attitude toward technology, and the implementation of technology into classroom instruction. Dewey's and Knowles' theories of adult learning were used as theoretical frameworks because they emphasize the practical application of knowledge in the transfer of learning. The research design was a one-time cross-sectional survey of teachers within the district. The …

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The Effects Of Principal Leadership Behavior On New Teachers' Overall Job Satisfaction, Sherree L. Thomas Jan 2011

The Effects Of Principal Leadership Behavior On New Teachers' Overall Job Satisfaction, Sherree L. Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition has become a concern at local, state, and national levels. As a result, a number of researchers have examined the factors that affect teacher job satisfaction and retention. However, in spite of all the efforts in research to find a solution, problems associated with teacher attrition have not significantly improved. This study was developed to examine new teachers' job satisfaction as based on their perceptions of principals' transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Hezberg, Maunser, and Snyderman's 2-factor theory and Burns's and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theory guided the research questions. A convenience sample of 71 new teachers …

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A Case Study Of The United States Veterans' Disability Compensation Policy Subsystem, Tanya Rosemary Brinkley Jan 2011

A Case Study Of The United States Veterans' Disability Compensation Policy Subsystem, Tanya Rosemary Brinkley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In public policy literature, there is a lack of research that integrates social construction theory within the advocacy coalition framework, and far less is known about how these theories address policy change and processes related to programs for disabled veterans.The purpose of this study was to conduct a policy analysis to evaluate how well the needs of veterans are met through the U.S. Veterans' Disability Compensation (USVDC) program. In a case study of a city in the southeastern U.S., gaps between formulation and implementation of USVDC policy were examined. The theoretical frameworks used in this study were Hacker's formulation and …

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The Utility Of Restorative Justice In Urban Communities For Afro Americans Males 12-17, Johnny Brooks Jan 2011

The Utility Of Restorative Justice In Urban Communities For Afro Americans Males 12-17, Johnny Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile delinquency continues to be a major social problem in the United States. One of the more salient problems with the juvenile justice system in the United States is its staggering incarceration rate, which poses a significant problem for youth exposed to the juvenile justice system, and the community as a whole. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perspective of the program facilitators about the effectiveness of the restorative justice program in reducing recidivism for African American males aged 12 to 17 in Baltimore City's urban community. This study relied upon restorative justice theory as …

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Analysis Of Variance In Recidivism Between Special Needs Offenders And Regular Offender Populations In Texas, Park Esewiata Atatah Jan 2011

Analysis Of Variance In Recidivism Between Special Needs Offenders And Regular Offender Populations In Texas, Park Esewiata Atatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A Specialized or Super Intensive-1 (SI-1) supervision level refers to a contact requirement imposed on special needs offenders (SNOs) under Texas parole supervision. SI-1 supervision requires greater contact with parole officers and treatment providers than supervision levels used on regular offenders (ROs), yet little is known about whether SI-1 supervision offenders violate terms of their parole or commit new crimes at a different rate compared to the regular offender population in the State of Texas. Reconstruction theory and the social construction of reality were used as theoretical underpinnings of this study, which examined whether differences in offenders' supervision levels created …

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Prediction Of Air Traffic Controller Trainee Selection And Training Success Using Cognitive Ability And Biodata, Karen D. Fox Jan 2011

Prediction Of Air Traffic Controller Trainee Selection And Training Success Using Cognitive Ability And Biodata, Karen D. Fox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has experienced decreased return on investment caused by hiring too many air traffic controller specialists (ATCSs) who performed poorly in field training, thus failing to become certified professional controllers (CPCs). Based on Schmidt and Hunter's theory of job performance and biodata theory, this quantitative, archival study examined whether factors of cognitive ability and biodata could predict job performance status of 2 generations of ATCSs, poststrike (PS) and next generation (NG) controllers. For each generation of controllers, binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine if any of the independent variables---transmuted composite (TMC) score for PS …

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Hardiness As A Predictor Of Success For Marine Corps First Responders In Training, Jason James Bogden Jan 2011

Hardiness As A Predictor Of Success For Marine Corps First Responders In Training, Jason James Bogden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military personnel and first responders operate in complex operational environments, and must be able to perform under physical, psychological, and emotional stress. Research suggests that resiliency assuages stress and improves the performance of military personnel and first responders. However, there are no studies examining the effects of resiliency on military first responders in training. The purpose of this research was to determine whether the dispositional hardiness traits of commitment, control and challenge displayed by Marine aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) specialist trainees correlated to success in classroom performance, success during practical exercises, higher graduation rates. The theoretical foundation for this …

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The Relationship Between The Associated Symptoms Of First Nation Peoples' Historical Losses And Organizational Commitment In The Canadian Workplace, Justin W. Wilson Jan 2011

The Relationship Between The Associated Symptoms Of First Nation Peoples' Historical Losses And Organizational Commitment In The Canadian Workplace, Justin W. Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that minorities suffering from traumatic stress report increased levels of stress in the absence of supportive and committed work environments; however, a paucity of empirical research exists for First Nations Peoples (FNP). The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the nature of the relationship between FNP's associated symptoms of historical loss, assessed by the Historical Loss and Associated Symptoms Scale, and organizational commitment, as measured by the Three Component Employee Commitment Survey. A total of 118 residential school survivors completed surveys. Correlation analysis was used to determine the significance of historical loss in relation …

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Emotional Support In Managing Cardiovascular Diseases Among Hispanic And Non- Hispanic Menopausal Women, Claudette Andrea Jan 2011

Emotional Support In Managing Cardiovascular Diseases Among Hispanic And Non- Hispanic Menopausal Women, Claudette Andrea

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective recognition and proper treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Hispanic woman is a public health problem that needs further investigation. Guided by the stress and coping social support theory, the purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to examine the relationship between attitudes, emotional support, and the perception of success in managing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 335 Hispanic women living in Atlanta, Georgia. Correlations, independent-sample t tests, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regressions showed ethnicity as a moderating variable between the perception of success in handling CVD and emotional support, while emotional support was shown to be a …

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Influential Factors That Affect Retention And Language Acquisition In Beginning Esl Adults Students, Luis Manuel Rodriguez-Garcia Jan 2011

Influential Factors That Affect Retention And Language Acquisition In Beginning Esl Adults Students, Luis Manuel Rodriguez-Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the problem of student attrition in beginning courses of an Intensive English Program (IEP) that may affect the sustainability of the IEP. The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of continuing students and the factors that influenced their motivation and engagement to persist studying in the IEP. Constructivism and behavioral social learning theory guided this study. The research problem addressed the need for students to remain in IEPs and achieve second language acquisition. The research questions were designed to learn what instructional approaches motivated and engaged participants to persist in successive introductory courses. A …

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Effect Of Education On Stigma Of Epilepsy In South Eastern Nigeria, Augustina Chinyelu Maduakor-Ugo Jan 2011

Effect Of Education On Stigma Of Epilepsy In South Eastern Nigeria, Augustina Chinyelu Maduakor-Ugo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a need for epilepsy-based health education programs to enlighten Nigerian communities and reduce the stigma associated with epilepsy. Epilepsy in Nigeria is viewed by some as a contagious and an infectious disease or a condition imposed from the gods, possessed by demons, as the work of witchcraft, or punishment from ancestral spirits, which are all related to a lack of knowledge about epilepsy leading to stigmatization of persons with epilepsy. Guided by the stigma theory, the purpose of this community-based, cross sectional study was to quantitatively examine the effect of an educational program on interpersonal, internalized, and institutional …

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The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Stress Coping Skills To College Graduation, Renee M. Ford Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Stress Coping Skills To College Graduation, Renee M. Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research conducted with currently enrolled college students has suggested a relationship between secure attachment style, greater stress coping abilities, and academic success. However, there is an absence of research examining these variables as predictors of college graduation. Attachment theory was used as a theoretical framework to address this gap. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between adult attachment style, stress coping skills, and college graduation. This logistic regression study included 81 individuals who either withdrew or graduated from college within the last 4 years. Participants provided demographic information, completed the Experiences in …

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