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2017

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Hassles Of African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Sharon H. Murff Jan 2017

Hassles Of African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes, Sharon H. Murff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a steady increase in the incidence of diabetes in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in the daily hassles of African American adults with a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes compared to those of African American adults without a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The theoretical underpinning for this quantitative, descriptive study was the cognitive appraisal theory (CAT), but the concept of stress and the effects stress has on the body was the broad framework that connected all the variables. The CAT was used to …

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The Role Of Project Leadership In Global Multicultural Project Success, Jamal Nassif Jan 2017

The Role Of Project Leadership In Global Multicultural Project Success, Jamal Nassif

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Global projects have a high failure rate, with many project failures attributed to lack of effective leadership. A knowledge gap about leadership requirements and complexities in a global project management environment has increased the risks in global projects. The problem is evident in the increasing project failure rate and the struggling national strategies in the oil and gas industry in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of leadership in project success and adaptation complexities in GCC. The conceptual framework consisted of complex adaptive systems and contingency theories. A qualitative approach …

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Medical Floor Confusion Assessment Method: Implementation And Assessment Of Risk Factors, Michaelynn R. Paul Jan 2017

Medical Floor Confusion Assessment Method: Implementation And Assessment Of Risk Factors, Michaelynn R. Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 50% of older hospitalized patients experience delirium. This has created significant complications costing an estimated $164 billion or more per year worldwide. The ability to identify patients developing delirium would allow the implementation of specific interventions to decrease or eliminate the adverse effects of delirium. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to provide high quality delirium education to determine if medical unit nursing staff could successful implement the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) screening tool to identify patients experiencing delirium as the first phase of an overall plan. Implementation of the project followed Roger's diffusion of innovations …

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Health Literacy Of Nursing Students And Their Awareness Of Patient Literacy Needs, Jennifer Potter Jan 2017

Health Literacy Of Nursing Students And Their Awareness Of Patient Literacy Needs, Jennifer Potter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has suggested that providers of health services must be aware of health literacy tools as elements of communication with patients. Poor health literacy is an epidemic that affects quality of care. The purpose of this study was to examine the functional health literacy of associate-degree nursing (ADN) students and their awareness of patients' health literacy needs. This correlational study was designed to examine the relationship between the functional health literacy of ADN students and their awareness of their patients' health literacy needs using the asset model and the health literate care model. A convenience sample of 131 ADN students …

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Experiences Of Parents Of Self-Harming Adolescent Children, Sheila Nicole Russell Jan 2017

Experiences Of Parents Of Self-Harming Adolescent Children, Sheila Nicole Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent self-harm is a growing epidemic in the United States with thousands of adolescent children being treated in hospitals every year. Despite awareness that self-harm impacts the family unit, little attention has been given to the full impact that self-harm has on parents. Due to this lack of knowledge, counselor educators and supervisors are not equipped to train counselors to work with parents of self-harming adolescent children leaving counselors feeling unprepared to work with parents. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of parents who have self-harming adolescent children. Family systems theory was used to …

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Technology Integration By General Education Teachers Of English Language Learners, Marie Simone Anglin Jan 2017

Technology Integration By General Education Teachers Of English Language Learners, Marie Simone Anglin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing population of English language learners (ELLs) in elementary schools across the United States, and a current academic achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs. Researchers have found that integration of Web 2.0 tools has benefitted ELLs in language learning settings, outside of the general classroom. The research problem addressed in this study, based on TPACK, explored general education teachers' experiences with integrating Web 2.0 technology to support academic language acquisition by ELLs and revealed the successes and challenges the teachers encountered. The 6 female participants in this qualitative interview study were required to have experience (a) as …

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Competition Among Domestic Apparel Manufacturers, Mary Simpson Jan 2017

Competition Among Domestic Apparel Manufacturers, Mary Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Apparel manufacturing characterizes a sustainable means of creating employment and encouraging economic growth; however, 86% of U.S. apparel manufacturing companies and 74.7% in North Carolina have closed since the late 1990s. Less than 3% of apparel bought in the United States is domestic. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies used by American apparel manufacturing business leaders who produce competitive products using Porter's diamond theory as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 4 business leaders from an apparel manufacturer that had been in business a minimum of 5 years in North Carolina. …

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Job Satisfaction And Job Embeddedness As Predictors Of Manufacturing Employee Turnover Intentions, Angie R. Skelton Jan 2017

Job Satisfaction And Job Embeddedness As Predictors Of Manufacturing Employee Turnover Intentions, Angie R. Skelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unplanned and frequent employee turnover can result in significant costs to an organization. Grounded in Herzberg's two-factor theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employees' job satisfaction and their degree of job embeddedness, and their intent to leave the organization. In this study, 63 full-time Southeastern U.S. manufacturing employees completed surveys that included the Andrews and Withey's job satisfaction questionnaire, Crossley, Bennett, Jex, and Burnfield's global measurement of job embeddedness, and Mobley, Horner, and Hollingsworth's intent to stay scale. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated the model was able to significantly predict …

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Mentoring Black Males: Discovering Leadership Strategies That Improve Their Future, Jessie Small Jan 2017

Mentoring Black Males: Discovering Leadership Strategies That Improve Their Future, Jessie Small

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the last 25 years, Black males have experienced systematically devastating results in social, educational, and economic outcomes at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group; devastation that has led to Black males experiencing failure on educational, economic, and freedom levels. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the leadership strategies used in a selected mentoring program in the southeastern United States to determine why these strategies have been effective in improving Black males' ability to navigate life's challenges. The conceptual framework for the study was House's path-goal theory of leadership. The research questions …

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The Gap Between Engineering Education And Postgraduate Preparedness, Abdulla Farah Warsame Jan 2017

The Gap Between Engineering Education And Postgraduate Preparedness, Abdulla Farah Warsame

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Engineering students entering the workforce often struggle to meet the competency expectations of their employers. Guided by constructivist theory, the purpose of this case study was to understand engineers' experiences of engineering education, deficiencies in practical skills, and the self-learning methods they employed to advance their technical and professional competencies. Working engineers were asked about their experiences overcoming practical skill deficiencies and bridging the gap between education and practice. Interviews with 15 chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers were analyzed by coding for common statements and identifying themes. Firsthand experiences of the participants captured 3 themes: overall perceptions of engineering …

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Heart Failure Readmission Strategy Via Heart Failure Script, Michael Todd Williams Jan 2017

Heart Failure Readmission Strategy Via Heart Failure Script, Michael Todd Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital administrators strive to reduce readmission and over use of the acute care setting for chronic health conditions. Historically hospitals have focused on readmission prevention strategies to improve the transition of patients from the hospital to the community and although the causes of a hospital readmission may span multiple providers along the continuum of care, the hospital is currently the only provider being penalized. The project facility implemented a readmission reduction strategy, Re-Engineered Discharge (Project RED), as a means to reduce readmissions and yet continued to have high readmission rates for heart failure (HF) patients. The continued high rate of …

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Effects Of Instructional Pedagogy On Eighth-Grade Reading Students, Barbara Ward Jan 2017

Effects Of Instructional Pedagogy On Eighth-Grade Reading Students, Barbara Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education is the foundation for the future, and a successful education begins with strong literacy skills. The 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that only 36% of eighth-grade students in the United States were classified as reading on a proficient level, and 22% of eighth-grade students were unable to read and comprehend text at the basic level. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, post hoc analysis was to determine whether a difference existed in the change in test scores of the reading portion of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test from the 2011-2012 academic year to the 2012-2013 academic year …

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Effective Communication And Teamwork Improve Patient Safety, Helene M. Anderson Jan 2017

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

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Strategies To Improve Engagement Among Public Sector Information Technology Employees, Michelle Dawn Benham Jan 2017

Strategies To Improve Engagement Among Public Sector Information Technology Employees, Michelle Dawn Benham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees decrease organizations' efficiencies and profitability. Engaged employees provide greater productivity and performance while being less likely to incur job burnout and exhaustion. However, public sector organizational leaders still struggle to engage their information technology (IT) employees. Partnering with a large public sector organization in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area, in a case study design, this study explored the strategies that public sector business leaders use to increase productivity through engaging IT employees. The conceptual framework for this study was the job demands-resources framework. Four participants were selected through purposeful sampling from a population of 7 IT leaders who …

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Growth Capital Strategies For Defense Industry Women-Owned Small Businesses, Karen Renee Butler Jan 2017

Growth Capital Strategies For Defense Industry Women-Owned Small Businesses, Karen Renee Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to growth capital, a critical factor for growing a successful, sustainable business, is a challenge for women-owned small businesses. Following the resource based theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what capital growth strategies 6 small women-owned business leaders in the defense industry in Dayton, Ohio used to ensure business sustainability beyond the initial start-up period of 1 year. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documents. Methodological triangulation, member checking, reflexivity, and an audit trail were used to strengthen credibility and trustworthiness. Based on thematic analysis of the data, emergent themes included growth …

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Strategies To Improve Corporate Financial Investment In Care Coordination Programs, Shameka Coles Jan 2017

Strategies To Improve Corporate Financial Investment In Care Coordination Programs, Shameka Coles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Key drivers for care coordination programs may include reducing inflated health care cost and improving the quality of care for high-risk populations. However, health care leaders lack methods to support financial investment in care coordination programs. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that health care leaders use to improve corporate financial investment in care coordination programs that include the triple aim of reducing cost, improving population health, and increasing patient satisfaction. The triple aim model provided the conceptual framework for the study in which 6 health care leaders from Southern California with experience garnering …

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Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard Jan 2017

Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders face leadership crises as executives from the baby boomer generation retire, creating a shortage of experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Some business leaders are unprepared for the replacement of retiring senior-level executives and lack strategies for succession planning. The findings of this study indicate succession planning and leadership development play a significant role in preparing future healthcare leaders in their ability to improve the quality of patient care and improve the strategic and financial health of the organization. Guided by the human capital theory the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by healthcare …

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Leadership Development For The Formal Nurse Leader, Lori Neu Jan 2017

Leadership Development For The Formal Nurse Leader, Lori Neu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse leaders are essential to the advancement of healthcare because of their ability to bridge the gap of knowledge between clinical practice and the business of healthcare. Developing nurse managers is imperative to the future of nursing given their influential role in healthcare. The central topic of exploration in the project was how nurse managers use the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Nurse Manger Inventory Tool to assess their management skills after exposure to the leadership development program currently available to them. In this project, the novice to expert theory was used to evaluate the existing leadership development program …

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E-Commerce Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises In Nigeria, Anthony Obioma Nwosu Jan 2017

E-Commerce Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises In Nigeria, Anthony Obioma Nwosu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The future survival of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is inextricably linked to their implementation of e-commerce systems. The lack of e-commerce strategies among SME business owners has contributed to a low level of e-commerce adoption by SMEs. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Nigerian SME business owners used to implement e-commerce systems. The population consisted of retail SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, that have functional e-commerce systems. The conceptual framework supporting the study was dynamic capabilities framework. Data for the study were derived from semistructured interviews of 4 SME business owners/managers and documentation …

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Initial Findings Of A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Program, Hesper B. Nowatzki Jan 2017

Initial Findings Of A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Program, Hesper B. Nowatzki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the emphasis of benefits on preventive health, many older adults are not receiving the recommended age specific, evidence based screenings and vaccinations. The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is designed to address modifiable risk factors with aging adults and close gaps in care not captured in routine office visits. Although a free Medicare benefit to patients, and a reimbursable service to health care providers, participation in the AWV is low nationwide. The purpose of the project is to introduce an AWV program to a rural health clinic in Northwest Illinois that has a population consisting of over 25% of …

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Fire Officer Leadership Strategies For Cost Management, Leo R. Sedlmeyer Jan 2017

Fire Officer Leadership Strategies For Cost Management, Leo R. Sedlmeyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fire departments in the United States accounted for 31% of municipal budgets with increases of 85% spending between 2015 and 2016. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership strategies fire officers used to manage costs associated with hazardous operations. The conceptual framework grounding this study was transformational leadership theory. The participants in this study were 10 fire officers who manage hazardous operations in central Wisconsin. The data collection process included open-ended questions in a semistructured format resulting in transcripts, a review of fire department staffing documents, and personal journal notes. Methodological triangulation was used to compare …

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Nurses' Reflection, Compassion Fatigue, And Work Burnout - A Correlational Analysis, Sarah Urban Jan 2017

Nurses' Reflection, Compassion Fatigue, And Work Burnout - A Correlational Analysis, Sarah Urban

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue and work-related burnout are harmful reactions to patient situations and work environments that negatively affect nurses' well-being and ability to provide safe, effective patient care. However, research is needed to understand how reflection as a self-care response to patient situations is related to nurses' development of work burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress, a type of compassion fatigue. The purpose of this correlational, cross-sectional quantitative study was to determine the relationship between hospital-based acute care nurses' levels of reflection and their levels of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and work burnout. The study was based on Hentz …

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Retention Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Turnover In A Higher Education Institution, Susan K. Walker Jan 2017

Retention Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Turnover In A Higher Education Institution, Susan K. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees who choose to leave employment cause significant challenges for organizations. Compounded challenges exist when employee retention strategies are not effective, affecting job satisfaction and personnel replacement costs as the organization continues to lose qualified and valuable staff. This single case study, built on a psychological contract theory framework, was focused on effective employee retention strategies to reduce voluntary turnover in a for-profit, higher education institution located in the Midwestern United States. The population consisted of 12 employees, 6 Student Success employees and 6 Student Success managers, who shared their unique perspectives. Methodological triangulation was achieved through semistructured interviews with …

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Lived Experiences Of Mothers Returning To Work After A Child-Rearing Hiatus, Brenda Marceline Yahraes Jan 2017

Lived Experiences Of Mothers Returning To Work After A Child-Rearing Hiatus, Brenda Marceline Yahraes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mothers who leave the workforce to raise children may face personal and professional difficulties when returning. There was a lack of qualitative research on what these women experience in their return to work. The purpose of this study was to discover and describe how a mother in a professional or managerial position experiences a return to the workforce after a hiatus of 2 or more years to raise children. The philosophy of Husserl and the methodology of Moustakas guided this transcendental phenomenological study. Through purposive snowball sampling, 12 women participated in semistructured interviews. Data analysis followed the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method leading …

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Marketing Strategies To Enhance Profitability Among International Oil And Gas Service Companies, Hesameddin Zafari Jan 2017

Marketing Strategies To Enhance Profitability Among International Oil And Gas Service Companies, Hesameddin Zafari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant drop in oil price in 2014 resulted in enormous pressure on marketing managers of international oilfield service companies to address new market expectations. In such competitive conditions, some marketing managers lack strategies to leverage profitability during downturns. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that senior marketing managers of international oilfield service companies in the Middle East successfully used to enhance sales performance, revenues, and profits during periods of declining oil prices. Theory of market segmentation, targeting, and positioning formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 5 …

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The Impact Of An Online, Mastery, And Project-Based Developmental Math Curriculum On Student Achievement And Attitude, Steven Ray Zollinger Jan 2017

The Impact Of An Online, Mastery, And Project-Based Developmental Math Curriculum On Student Achievement And Attitude, Steven Ray Zollinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to anxiety, low confidence, and inadequate content knowledge, many college students struggle to complete their developmental math coursework. As colleges redesign their programs to address these issues, careful research is imperative to determine the factors that best meet the needs of these struggling students. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of one college's redesigned program (integrating online, mastery, and project-based learning) compared with the traditional program. Using Weiner's attribution theory of achievement motivation and emotion as a guide, this mixed methods case study used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design in conjunction with a qualitative …

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Higher Education Leaders' Transformative Learning And Leadership Experiences Responding To Student Drug Abuse, James Vernon Battin Jan 2017

Higher Education Leaders' Transformative Learning And Leadership Experiences Responding To Student Drug Abuse, James Vernon Battin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Today's academic and social environment creates uncertainties, new roles, frequent changes, and challenging situations for student affairs academic leaders. The purpose of this study was to explore how student affairs academic leaders described their recent challenging experiences in addressing student drug abuse in higher education. The conceptual framework was based on adult transformative learning theory and applied transformative leadership perspectives. An interview format with open-ended questions was used to explore the experiences of 8 student affairs leaders who had faced challenging situations in the context of student drug abuse. A qualitative interpretive analysis was used that involved open coding of …

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Integration Into A Historically Black University: Transfer And Native Students' Experiences, Zaigham Bokhari Jan 2017

Integration Into A Historically Black University: Transfer And Native Students' Experiences, Zaigham Bokhari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) receive the highest proportion of transfer students (TS) who encounter unique challenges to academic/social integration such as difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, insufficient support of their families, and limited access to student counseling and career guidance services on campus. The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of the effects of these challenges on TS. Using the Survey of Native and Transfer Students Integration, the study collected quantitative data on measures of TS academic/social integration and qualitative data on TS personal experiences (n = 150). The results of correlation analyses suggest that (1) academic/social …

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Senior Students' Experiences, Perspectives, And Attitudes Of Technological Competencies In Nursing Education, Patricia C. Bennett Jan 2017

Senior Students' Experiences, Perspectives, And Attitudes Of Technological Competencies In Nursing Education, Patricia C. Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technological standards appear to be needed in undergraduate nursing education, as existing research has yet to establish technological standards for undergraduate nursing students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of senior nursing students with respect to their perceptions regarding exposure to and abilities gained in the areas of information management, information literacy, and computer literacy. The framework of the study was based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth face-to-face interviews were used with a purposive sample to collect data about the technological competencies …

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Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams Jan 2017

Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine whether nonverbal or verbal communication from family members predicted adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward dating violence. Survey data from 84 African American men and women ages 18 to 24 were collected using the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, the Acceptance …

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