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The Rural Inpatient Behavioral Health Delivery System’S Challenges To Access, Catherine L. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Readmissions occurring in rural areas are an operational problem for administrators of state-owned facilities. The number of state-owned psychiatric beds have decreased by more than 96% nationwide. Georgia has 954 state-owned psychiatric beds (9.3 beds per 100,000 people) and ranks 48th in the United States. This is important as health administrators must ensure quality care for patients. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between readmission rate, discharge disposition, and rural access for patients who were admitted to an inpatient state-owned behavioral health center with a diagnosis indicating the patient is seriously mentally ill. The theoretical framework …

Strategies Leaders Of Small Businesses Use To Improve Organizational Performance, Julie Charette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses significantly contribute to the global economy, yet some leaders need more strategies to improve organizational performance, growth, and competitive advantage. These barriers can create challenges that threaten the survival of the organization in a competitive business environment. Grounded in Argyris’s single- and double-loop learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies leaders of small businesses used to improve organizational performance, growth, and competitive advantage. The participants comprised three senior leaders of a small for-profit organization in the natural hair care industry in the Northeastern region of the United States. Data were collected …

Staff Education Plan For Treatment Of Obstetrical Hypertension In The Emergency Department, Ashley Dawn Delia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has the highest childbearing morbidity and mortality rate of any industrialized nation, and the rate has steadily increased over the last three decades. It is estimated that at least half of all maternal deaths are preventable. Hypertensive disorders that present during pregnancy, regardless of etiology, are associated with this increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Obstetrical hypertension, when recognized in settings like the emergency department, readily responds to medical intervention. While guidelines for recognition and treatment of severe and high range blood pressure readings have been defined, hospital emergency departments do not consistently have a related education program …

Strategies For Developing Effective Teams Within Small Businesses, Jennifer Holly Wolfson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to the prominence of building larger teams, some small businesses lack strategies to create effective teams for improving organizational performance. Small business managers yearn to instill team development strategies because they could produce a team that will use their abilities to enhance organizational performance. Grounded in Tuckman’s group development theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business managers use to create effective teams for improving organizational performance. The participants were three managers from three small businesses who created effective teams. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviewing manuals, protocols, and training …

“It Was Just My Name!”: A Crt/Crf Analysis Of International Female Graduate Students’ Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Their Ethnic Name, Peiwen Wang, Xiaoyan Gu, Amanda Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Although international female students accounted for 44% of the enrolled international students in the United States (U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, 2020), their experiences regarding their ethnic name are relatively understudied in the onomastic literature. This study considers the experiences of eight international female graduate students of Color who are studying at a Midwestern predominantly White university. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) as the theoretical and analytical lenses, this qualitative phenomenological study collected data through semistructured, in-depth interviews. We explore the meaning of ethnic names and their connection to …

The High School In The Middle Of Everywhere: Nebraska’S Lincoln High, Edmund T. Hamann, Janet M. Eckerson, Mark Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In 2002, world-renowned author Mary Pipher published a book about her home city, Lincoln Nebraska, playfully titled “The Middle of Everywhere” a tongue-in-cheek rejoinder to the idea that Nebraska is ‘the middle of nowhere.’ But word play aside, her title was empirically apt, as her volume documented how immigration and refugee resettlement were demographically transforming Nebraska’s capital city. As in other cities, resettlement was concentrated in some areas of Lincoln, placing differential burdens on different parts of the community’s institutional infrastructure. Of interest to readers of this volume, Lincoln’s refugees and immigrants were concentrated in the city’s oldest high school. …

Strategies To Reduce Turnover Among Black Home Healthcare Aides, Diane Allen Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany individuals prefer to remain in their homes as they age instead of entering a long-term care facility. As the proportion of older Americans rapidly grows, the demand for delivery of nonmedical services by home healthcare aides (HHAs) is expected to increase. However, the national and local supply of HHAs is insufficient and must be rectified to meet a projected increase of older Americans by 2050. This research study involved exploring this problem for one small home healthcare organization in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington, DC with an HHA workforce that was comprised predominantly of Black/African American and African …

Participant Perceptions Of Investigative Interviewing Utilizing Archival Pre And Post-Implementation Data, Shaun Michael Sylvester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars and practitioners have provided substantial literature and research into the efficacy of investigative interviewing as a method of police interrogation that mitigates false confession and coercion. This quantitative study examined archival data on participant perceptions of investigative interviewing before and immediately following an investigative course. Three areas representing principles of investigative interviewing and police investigator perceptions were examined: Confession and evidentiary testimony, confirmation bias, and deception detection through body language observation. Participants included sworn law enforcement officers, either newly employed or on the path to becoming an investigator. There were 206 responses for both the pre-test and post-test surveys. …

Examining Psychosocial Characteristics Of Female Serial Murderers, Rachael Strebel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous studies of serial murderers have focused primarily on male serial murderers.The reason for this is unknown, but is primarily reflective of media patterns, gender roles, and social norms that often exclude females from conversations surrounding female serial murder. This study focused on the psychosocial characteristics of female serial murderers. Both solo female serial murderers and serial murderers who worked with one partner were studied. Using a grounded theory approach, based on the review of 11 secondary data case studies, 12 female serial murderers were studied; six who murdered individually and six who murdered within a team. Six main themes …

A National Assessment Of Household, Community, And Environmental Situations On Breastfeeding Decisions, Marnita Siglar Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exclusively breastfeeding has been proven to be an effective preventive measure for childhood obesity; however, breastfeeding practices decline after 6 months. Secondary data from the 2018-2019 combined National Survey of Children's Health were used for this study to determine the household, community, and physical environment relationship between individuals' decisions to breastfeed and sustainment in the United States (N=16,750). Grounded by the theoretical framework of the socio-ecological model, the results suggested that household, community, and physical environments predict individuals' decisions to initiate breastfeeding and sustainment nationally (p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression, controlling for maternal age, indicated a statistical significance between breastfeeding initiation and income (p = 0.043, p = 0.041), family structure (p = 0.003, p < 0.001), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001), neighborhood support (p < 0.001), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.039, p <0.001, p < 0.001). A statistical significance between breastfeeding duration and family structure (p = 0.061), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), maternal overall health (p <0.001), neighborhood support (p = 0.008), neighborhood safety (p = 0.006), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.019) was found when controlling for maternal age. Implications for positive social change include providing health professionals with knowledge on breastfeeding decision making to encourage new recommendations and implement new practices and policies to promote breastfeeding and ultimately reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity in children nationwide.

Perceptions Of Teachers In A Private Residential Juvenile Treatment Facility, Douglas E. Stevenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem for this study was the lack of research about what teachers consider to be the successes, the risks, and the potential dangers of working in a school prison setting. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teacher perceptions about successes, risks, and potential dangers of teaching in a prison school setting. This research study was guided by Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, which presents a framework for the study of human motivation and personality. The research question examined teachers’ perspectives about the successes, the risks, and dangers of working in a private residential juvenile treatment facility. …

The Recidivism Rate In Correlation To The Effectiveness Of The Bridges To Life Reentry Program In Texas, Steven Steen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research explored the relationship between reentry programs and recidivism in the state of Texas. One program in particular, Bridges To Life (BTL), has had an impact on recidivism in the state, and this research analyzed how the overall organization of BTL correlated to recidivism. Recidivism is the repeated or habitual relapse into crime. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine whether there was a direct correlation between the reduction of recidivism and the effectiveness of reentry programs through BTL in the state of Texas. The research question for this study explored the correlation between BTL and …

Exploring Care Recipients’ Health Conditions Influence On Caregivers And Caregivers’ Meaning Of Care Dependence, Yolanda Suarez-Calvo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about the ways in which caregivers are affected or influenced by their care recipients’ health conditions. Additionally, the meaning of care dependence for caregivers is also understudied. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine caregivers’ affection/influence due to the physical and psychosocial health conditions of the individuals for whom they care. Further, the meaning of care dependence, from the perspectives of the caregivers, was sought. The theoretical framework to further this research was Montgomery and Kosloski’s (2009) caregiver’s identity theory The research question addressed the ways caregivers are affected or influenced by the care …

Understanding Teachers’ Perceptions Of Pedagogy In Teaching Mathematics To English Language Learners, David Suh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of socially and linguistically varied students at two local high schools in a southwestern state located in the United States has greatly increased. Since the 2018-2022 school years, English language learners (ELLs) scored low on the state achievement mathematics test scores. The problem was teachers were challenged to support the mathematics achievement of Grade 9-12 ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of the teachers’ challenges in supporting the mathematics achievement of Grade 9-12 ELLs. The conceptual framework for this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which helped to inform the study in giving …

The Relationship Between “Speak Up” Culture Level, Team Effectiveness, And Organizational Performance Among Clinical Laboratory Professionals, Emmanuel Udasco

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The clinical laboratory plays a crucial role in aiding physicians to diagnose disease. With numerous studies on “Speak Up” culture well-documented among providers and nurses surrounding patient safety, gaps in literature exist concerning “Speak Up” culture that address team effectiveness and organizational performance within the clinical lab setting. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to investigate the relationship between “Speak Up” culture level, team effectiveness, and organizational performance among health care workers employed in the clinical lab. The high-performance work practices model was utilized as the conceptual framework to ground this study. Research questions assessed the link between …

Reading Teachers’ Perspectives On Professional Development In Phonological Methods And Implementation Of Instructional Strategies, Lisa M. Toole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this research study was although kindergarten through Grade 3 (K–3) reading teachers have received specific professional development in phonological methods, a gap in practice exists with the implementation of instructional strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore K–3 reading teachers' perspectives regarding their professional development in phonological methods and what further professional development is needed for consistent and effective implementation of instructional strategies to support student achievement in phonemic awareness and phonics. Flavell's theory of thinking about thinking, otherwise known as metacognition, was the grounding conceptual framework. The research questions guided the study by …

Religious Parents’ Awareness Of And Attitudes Toward Their Adolescent Children's Utilization Of Sexual Health Services, Ashley Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parents are a key influence on their adolescent children's sexual health care decisions. Few researchers have considered the impact of religious environments and parental expectations on adolescents’ use of sexual health services, and research on religious parents’ awareness of adolescents’ use of sexual health services in Christian environments is scarce. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore religious parents' awareness of and attitudes toward their adolescents’ use of sexual health services. The social ecological theory provided the conceptual lens for this study. Eight Christian parents participated in in-depth virtual interviews to discuss their encouragement or discouragement of …

Parents’ Perceptions Of Hardships Associated With Transitioning Their Child With Disabilities From Early Intervention To The Local Education Agency, Chelsea Theria Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with disabilities require services that are covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to be successful in school. Early intervention, which is made available to all who qualify, provides services with a team that works directly with the family. However, when the child turns three years of age, the family is transitioned to their local education agency (LEA). The level of support at this point lessens as the school takes over services for the child. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of parents with children with disabilities during the transition from early intervention …

Nursing Staff Education Program On Using The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions Tool Kit, Camarita Titang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The absence of adequate knowledge, skills, and competencies in screening for suicide risk in adolescent and young adult patients is a significant problem facing nurses in outpatient settings. An evaluation of the project site facility’s main performance metrics revealed shortcomings in locating patients who pose a serious risk of self-harm and suicide. Staff dealing with the patients may, as a result, overlook preemptive measures that could stop a suicide event. The project aimed to create a training program to introduce the ask suicide-screening questions (ASQ) tool kit, an evidence-based suicide screening tool, to ambulatory nurses. The goal of the project …

Andragogical Methods And Teaching Strategies Used In Community College Composition Courses, Octavia Thorns-Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A midwestern community college utilized a corequisite model to accelerate students’ developmental education that allows adult learners to take developmental writing and English composition simultaneously. First-year composition instructors had no formal training at the college on andragogical methods and teaching strategies to foster successful completion in developmental and first-year composition courses. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the andragogical methods and teaching strategies of six successful full-time and adjunct developmental writing and first-year composition instructors as well as what these instructors need to improve their approaches with these students. The study was grounded in a conceptual …

Modus Operandi And Target Selection Criteria Of Child Sexual Predators In Protestant Churches, Joshua K. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although there has been much media focusing on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, in many cases Protestant church leaders who committed child sexual abuse were held to no level of accountability. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the modus operandi of child sexual predators and their target selection criteria in Protestant churches. Hickey’s relational paraphilic attachment theory provided the framework for the study. Fifteen cases from the United States were analyzed using inductive coding to identify six themes: (a) Leaders from Protestant churches who were convicted of sexually abusing minors possessed gross psychological immaturity, …

Cultural Humility As A Predictor Of Intention To Leave Moderated By Authentic Leadership, Dennis Whitfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this research was the inappropriate treatment of multicultural individuals by their immediate supervisors and the need for a thorough examination of cultural humility in organizational settings. This quantitative study used linear regression and moderation analyses to examine the relationship between cultural humility and intention to leave moderated by authentic leadership to determine how the participants’ perception of cultural humility in their immediate supervisor predicted their intention to leave. Another purpose was to examine whether authentic leadership moderated the relationship with intention to leave. The theoretical framework for this study included cultural humility, authentic leadership, and intention …

Exploring Social Workers And Self-Care, Justyna Wawrzonek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

First responder social workers are exposed to a stressful work environment, which puts them at risk for burnout. Burnout increases turnover rates, which negatively impacts both social workers and the clients they serve. The use of self-care practices mitigates the harmful effects of burnout. Because first responder social workers in southern California have an average turnover rate of 6 to 12 months after hire, this study explored southern California first responder social workers’ experiences with self-care practices. A basic qualitative design using semistructured interviews was applied through the purposeful sampling of eight first responder social workers. The study was grounded …

A Pcl-R, Pai, And Rorschach Study Of Women Who Murder, Jason M. Smith, Carl B. Gacono, Ted B. Cunliffe

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Murder is antithetical to any traditional conceptualization of femininity or the nurturer role. Women do, however, commit murder, as well as a plethora of other heinous offenses. Understanding the personality of women who murder is of both clinical and scientific interest. In this study, we present the PCL-R, PAI, and Rorschach data of 24 incarcerated women who have murdered. We explored the interpersonal, affective, cognitive, and self-concept vulnerabilities that contributed to this behavior within the female offender model. The results were placed within societal contexts (i.e., media) as well as providing recommendations for assessment and treatment of this population.

Construct Validity Of The Capq And Pai In A Sample Of College Students, Tiffany Grezmak, Jennifer B. Levin, Amir M. Poreh

Archives of Assessment Psychology

This study assessed the normative equivalence and construct validity of the Cleveland Adaptive Personality Questionnaire (CAP-Q, Poreh and Levin 2019), a relatively brief multi-scale personality inventory developed to assess personality traits and psychopathological states. The CAP-Q was administered concurrently with the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) to a sample of 109 college students. The standard scores for matching scales, computed using non-aged-corrected norms, were equivalent, with the CAP-Q age-corrected norms producing better fitting data. Additional analyses showed adequate convergent validity with highly correlated matching scales. Additionally, the multi-scale profiles were comparable across both non-elevated and elevated profiles. Overall, this …

Preliminary Validation Of The Traumatic Events Inventory For The Detection Of Fictitious Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Amir M. Poreh, Salayna M. Abdallah

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Objective: The present study described the validation of the Traumatic Events Inventory (TEI), a novel self-report measure of Fictitious Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (F-PTSD). The authors hypothesized that the TEI would detect higher sensitivity and specificity of simulating participants compared to traditional measures. Methods: Four groups of volunteers were recruited. The first two groups were comprised of individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of PTSD or depression/anxiety, respectively; the third group was comprised of individuals without a previous mental health history who were instructed to simulate PTSD; the fourth group was individuals without a mental health history who received no instructions. In …

The Bulgarian And Greek Versions Of The Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale In University Students: In Search Of A Factor Structure, Stanislava Stoyanova, Vaitsa Giannouli

Archives of Assessment Psychology

University students face test anxiety regardless of their country of origin. Therefore, it is necessary to use psychometric measures with identified factor structures. The Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) has been used in different countries to measure the cognitive aspect of test anxiety. Although the CTAS has been used widely, its factor structure is a topic of debate. In this study, we focused on concurrent data collection in two adjacent countries (Bulgaria and Greece), with two aims: a) to establish for the first time the factor structure for the Bulgarian and Greek versions of the CTAS, and b) to investigate …

Achieving Success[Ion] In Healthcare Leadership: Building An Immersive Nurse Manager Residency Program, Natalie Marie Fucito

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Succession in nursing leadership is essential to the success of the profession. Successful nurse leaders prove cost effective to organizations by promoting key patient outcome indicators and attributes associated with a decrease in staff nurse turnover. Professional development opportunities and mentorship prove successful in retaining nurse managers to advance healthcare leadership. However, literature shows that new nurse managers lack those professional development and mentoring experiences that contribute to their success in this crucial role. In an era where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity remain constants for new healthcare leaders, a change in traditional professional development programs is key to sustaining …

Towards The Development Of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Model For Oscillating Water Column Devices, Guixun Zhu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The Oscillating water column (OWC) device is a type of wave energy converter (WEC) that has received wide investigation. Integrating OWC with breakwaters can reduce construction and maintenance costs. However, there is a risk of damage to these OWC devices under extreme sea conditions. This thesis focuses on the study of OWC devices based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model. The SPH method, a fully Lagrangian approach that simulates fluid problems using a set of moving particles carrying physical properties, is particularly well-suited to simulating flows with large deformation. The SPH model can therefore handle the strong non-linear situations …

Divine Attachment: A Canonical Model For Discipleship And Religious Education, Kristina Marie Freed

Dissertations

Problem

Christianity is in decline in the United States and, with it, discipleship engagement. While several explanations and many remedies have been offered as solutions to the problem over the last half-century, demographic research shows that the decline continues. The problem addressed in this dissertation is the lack of a theological model to augment psychological models of religious attachment theory. The research sought to identify a canonical model of divine attachment which may contribute to the revitalization of personal discipleship and religious education by offering a new relational context. This model is based on an understanding of God as an …