Digital Commons Network^™

Human Service Professionals’ Experience With Vicarious Trauma, Saundra Mcglothan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the vicarious trauma (VT)experiences of nonlicensed human service professionals (HSPs) between the ages of 30 and 65 from Central Texas who work with male intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the constructivist self-development theory. A purposive sample of 11 HSPs who experienced VT because of working with male IPV victims was obtained through flyers posted on social media. Huberman and Miles’s approach to thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and create codes, categories, and themes. The 13 themes that were identified …

First Responder And Veteran Yoga For Posttraumatic Stress, Coping, And Anxiety, Nicole M. Mckenna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Constant exposures to trauma and violence often impact the wellbeing of veterans and first responders. Related heavy tolls have created an urgent need for wellness programs and coping strategies. This study utilized organismic valuing process theory as a lens to explore two research questions with a purpose to describe participants’ lived experiences and related perceptions of effectiveness. Specifically, the research was an exploration of (a) how first responders and veterans using yoga for posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and coping described their lived experiences with the intervention and (b) how first responders and veterans perceived the effectiveness of yoga for symptom improvement, …

The Quality Of Life Of Menopausal Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Glendoria Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a severe public and clinical health issue that puts a strain on health care resources and adversely affects the health of women throughout their life span. The syndrome has adverse reproductive and metabolic features linked to infertility, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and psychological problems. The literature provides evidence that the quality of life (QoL) and psychological well-being of PCOS reproductive-age women is compromised due to comorbidities related to both the reproductive and metabolic features of the syndrome. Little research has been conducted to investigate the QoL of menopausal women ages 48–65 who were diagnosed with …

Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Intermediate Students' Experiences In Virtual Intensive Reading Classes, Denise Benjamin Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The learning gap between intermediate students on grade level and those below grade level continues to grow. Intermediate students with below-grade-level reading comprehension skills struggle with informational texts and across-content material. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore parent and teacher perceptions of intermediate students’ experiences in virtual intensive reading classes. The conceptual frameworks were Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and social learning and Epstein’s model of parental involvement, which supports learning through interaction and support. The research questions included changes teachers observed in the reading patterns of their intermediate students enrolled in virtual intensive reading classes, …

Perspectives Of Middle School Teachers About The Use Of Virtual Reality For Learning Spanish, Betty N. Ukera-Kajoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foreign language education in the United States has historically produced poor outcomes, with very few language learners achieving communicative competence. The increasing global demand for multilingual professionals makes the issue a salient one. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of U.S. middle school Spanish teachers about the use of virtual reality (VR) as an instructional tool for developing communicative competence in Spanish language. The research question, which was informed by Canale and Swain’s communicative competence theory, and educational technology theory by Huang, et al., addressed middle school Spanish teachers’ perspectives regarding their use of …

Comparing Accelerated Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Rns’ And Traditional Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Rns’ Professional Socialization, Motivation, Resilience, And Intent To Stay, Dorothy Uhurebor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractProfessional socialization is an adaptation process during which RNs learn new roles and adapt to becoming members of the nursing profession, which creates a significant effect on the RN’s professional development. Demographic factors such as prior work-related experience, gender, and education affect an RN’s intent to stay in the nursing profession. The purposes of this three manuscript study, guided by the London career motivation model and Grotberg’s resilience theory, were to determine (a) if there are differences in accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) RNs’ and traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (TBSN) RNs’ professional socialization process as measured …

The Effect Of Community Health Linkages On Suicide Rates In Veterans, Erica Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide risk is a public health issue. It is a complex and poorly understood mental health and societal threat. This study examined veteran suicide rates and their relationship to family and social support, as measured by the social association rate, mental health funding per capita, and the lethality of the method rate. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the social-ecological model are the theoretical frameworks that guided the study. Both theories emphasize the complexity surrounding suicide at the state level as it is related to the individual, social, environmental, and political landscape related to veteran suicide. The quantitative bivariate correlation …

A Phenomenological Study On Protective Factors Preventing College-Aged Criminal Activity During Cameroon’S Anglophone Crisis, Melvis N. Asongwed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Anglophone crisis, in which marginalization of the English-speaking regions in Cameroon began in October 2016 and has become one of the most prominent social problems in the nation’s history. It has led to loss of lives, infrastructure damage, displacement of families, incidents of mass violence, unemployment, and a rise in criminal activity in the Anglophone regions. Grounded in the phenomenological approach and guided by the general strain theory (GST), this qualitative inquiry explored the protective factors that have reduced or prevented criminal activity for college students in the Anglophone regions during the crisis. Semi structure interviewing guided participant responses. …

What Contributes To A Military Veteran Turned College Instructor's Job Satisfaction?, Elizabeth Button

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Veterans may seek a second job after retirement or separation from military service. Some choose to seek employment in the field of education and earn the appropriate credentials to do so. If so, they bring motivation, leadership skills, and emotional intelligence (EI) to the classroom. While EI might be a complement to education, it is essential in the military, and veterans continue to use these attributes as they pursue employment in areas of education. The extra steps that former military service personnel must take to transition from the battlefield to the classroom, their immersive experience in the real world, and …

Educating Registered Nurses On Interventions To Alleviate Compassion Fatigue, Andre Sabrina Castor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Nursing

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Andre Sabrina Castor

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review CommitteeDr. Marilyn Losty, Committee Chairperson, Nursing Faculty Dr. Cheryl Holly, Committee Member, Nursing Faculty Dr. Susan Fowler, University Reviewer, Nursing Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2022

Experience Of Burnout Among Psychiatric Hospital Staff, Cindy Cisneros

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Negative experiences at work are common at inpatient psychiatric hospitals and can result in burnout. This is especially the case for psychiatric hospital staff, as they are commonly the first and most frequent line of contact for patients in acute psychiatric care. This study provided relevant insight into the factors that influence the experience of burnout among psychiatric hospital staff that care for patients in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Research on how burnout affects psychiatric hospital staff apart from other medical professionals is not robust and lacking in qualitative analysis. The transactional model of stress and coping framework constituted the theoretical …

Mental Health Impacts Of Covid-19 And Clinical Services In Elementary Schools, Dr.Hannah Cobb

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on children, adolescents, and adults. Despite these effects, information about the nature of mental health concerns and services provided to address these concerns by elementary school counselors is unknown. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine mental health concerns elementary school counselors observed among kindergarten through fourth grade students in urban Oklahoma during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they described clinical services provided to address these concerns, and how they decided to provide these services. The study was grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development to explore …

Predictive Factors Of Bullshit Receptivity Among Adults, Gregory Coffing

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullshit receptivity is a relatively new concept in the field of psychology and refers to people’s susceptibility to providing meaning to meaningless claims. Ascribing meaning to meaningless claims is a way to make inaccurate judgments regarding the behaviors, events, and interactions around each person. The research on bullshit receptivity is scant. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional survey design study was to investigate whether critical thinking, individualism–collectivism, political ideology, religiosity, right-wing authoritarianism, social–dominance orientation, and need for closure predict bullshit receptivity. These variables were selected to represent a greater conglomeration of daily internal and external factors that affect a person’s …

Clinical Counseling Supervisors’ Perspectives Of Gatekeeping During Prelicense Supervision, Marquita R. Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis interpretive phenomenology qualitative study explored the clinical counseling supervisors’ perceptions of gatekeeping during the supervision of postgraduate prelicense counselor trainees, specifically around problems of professional competence (PPC). This study aimed to address a gap in research surrounding gatekeeping relative to the specific needs of postgraduate prelicense counselor trainees. Exploring the gaps in gatekeeping, specifically around PPC regarding ethics and multiculturalism in clinical supervision, might increase the necessity for professionalism and recommendations for continuity across state lines. Data were collected from nine participants through Zoom interviews and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach. Selection criteria included clinical counseling supervisors with …

Juvenile Probation Officers’ Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Evidence-Based Programs Among Gang-Involved Youth, Shacourtney Quantia Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gang activity has become widespread in the United States, totaling over 1.5 millionjuvenile gang members. Often, male African American youth join gangs at higher rates than any other race or ethnicity, and these juveniles are likely to reoffend. To reduce recidivism in Georgia, policy and lawmakers have attempted juvenile justice reform, but gang activity and recidivism among this population continues to persist. This qualitative study was conducted to determine probation officers’ perceptions of evidence-based programs effectiveness in reducing recidivism rates for gang-involved youth. Data were collected through interviews with 10 juvenile probation officers with at least 3 years of experience …

How Supervisors Describe The Development Of Competence In Trainee School Counselors, Suen Yan Leung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSchool counselors serve an important role in providing frontline counseling services to students in local school districts. Professional associations and educational institutions emphasize the importance of professional competence. However, research on professional competence is fragmented, outdated, and unintegrated. This qualitative study explored the development of competence in trainee school counselors during supervision, from the supervisors’ perspectives. Using the conceptual frameworks of self-efficacy and professional identity development, 16 experienced supervisors were interviewed and asked to describe the development of competence in trainee school counselors and how they instructed the development of competence. Thorne’s interpretive description method was combined with a reality-testing …

Effect Of Managerial Conduct On Retention And Job Satisfaction In Criminal Justice Public-Sector Organizations, Alexis Makayla Mceady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers who lack support and training can exhibit conduct that leads to low rates of employee retention and job satisfaction. It is common in the United States for employees working government public service jobs to earn low wages. Managerial conduct impacts day-to-day operations for these low-wage positions. The purpose of this quantitative, nonprobability, correlational study was to examine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial conduct, employee retention, and job satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, it was hypothesized that employees with bad managers were less likely to be retained and more likely to have low job satisfaction. …

California School Psychologists’ Advocacy Efforts Related To Contractual Caseloads, Tess A. Melendrez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the evolving role of school psychologists, policies have failed to address the high student-to-school psychologist ratios. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictability of contractual caseload advocacy among California school psychologists and their use of resources to engage in policy-oriented learning strategies. A quantitative research design was used, and data were collected from school psychologists in California (N = 138) who completed an online questionnaire. The theoretical foundation was Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith’s advocacy coalition framework. Ordinal logistic regression indicated that school psychologists’ location and job were not statistically significant predictive factors for advocacy for contractual caseloads. …

Adaptive And Maladaptive Coping As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Impostor Phenomenon And Help Seeking Intention, Victor Mosconi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The modern workplace and public media have reported on the influence of the impostor phenomenon (IP) on leadership mental health and workplace effectiveness. The choice of coping strategy may influence leaders’ intentions to seek psychological help. Guided by the impostor cycle model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which adaptive and maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between IP and help-seeking intention in a convenience sample of 162 participants in leadership positions. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale assessed strength of IP, the Brief COPE measure assessed adaptive and maladaptive coping, and the Beliefs About Psychological …

Faculty-Student And Student-Student Connections Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fatma Ouled Salem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift toward distance education by forcing institutions to adapt to the limitations of social distancing mandates. This resulted in a general sense of disconnection and isolation, compounding the other adverse effects of the pandemic. Since faculty-student and student-student connections are consistently identified as best practices in distance counselor education, the aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselor educators during the COVID-19 pandemic relating to faculty-student and student-student connections. A phenomenological framework was used to suspend presuppositions of the phenomenon and to describe the lived experiences of participants. In-depth …

Providing Health Care To Patients With Intellectual And Developmental Disability During Covid-19, Pauline Andrea Park-Maxwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis project sought to enhance the care offered in a local clinic to individuals with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with IDD are faced with the challenges of coping with some social conditions. Mainly waiting for extended periods in a doctor’s office can be challenging. To reduce this population’s waiting time, a staff education program was developed to address this concern. Currently, this local clinic did not have a prescreening exercise that would meet the needs of this population. This DNP project aimed to develop a staff education program for staff in a primary …

The Impact Of Social Media On Organ Donation, Miguel Enrique Sewer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The organ-donor shortage remains a pressing issue facing the transplant community. There is a significant gap between supply and demand, which continues to broaden. This general qualitative study aimed to provide a road map to define the role of social media and its interrelationship with increasing organ donation. The study utilizes the potential of a communication framework to increase outreach and education, serving as an alternative to increasing organ donors’ participation. The conceptual underpinnings for this study are the Social Representations Theory, the Organ Donation Willingness Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The data was collected using an …

Behavioral Health Leadership Strategies To Increase Telehealth Engagement, Ramona Singletary-Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the challenges brought on by the recent COVID-19 pandemic has been the promotion and use of telehealth services. While recent data from Medicare has depicted an increase in this new service delivery modality (over 4,000%), there has been a stark disparity in the use of telehealth services in lower socioeconomic demographics, such as rural and underrepresented communities, and among Medicare recipients. Equitable, consistent, and optimal service expansion of the telehealth modality requires therapists and leaders of behavioral health organizations to develop and deploy creative tactics to remedy this disparity. In this case study, leaders of Miss Emma's Behavioral …

Informal Caregivers’ Experiences Of Caring For Older Adults Diagnosed With Urinary Tract Infections, Novelett M. Stennett-James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Informal caregivers’ experiences of caring for older adults diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) is a prevalent issue that affects adults as they age. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand informal caregivers’ experiences observing and reporting to doctors observable changes of behavior in older adults that were later linked to unconventional symptoms of potential UTIs. Attribution theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. This qualitative study addressed the research question of informal caregivers’ experiences observing and reporting to doctors observed changes in older adults associated with unconventional UTI symptoms. Data were collected …

Directors’ Perceptions Of Supplementing Clinical Requirements With Simulation-Based Education In Paramedic Education, Kimberly Whitten-Chung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study was limited clinical site access for paramedic students causing delays in completion and exacerbating critical staffing shortages in healthcare. The purpose of the study was to explore perceptions of paramedic program directors (PD) in Colorado regarding use of simulation-based education (SBE) to supplement program-determined clinical requirements. Kolb’s experiential learning theory was the conceptual framework that guided this study. Research questions focused on Colorado paramedic PDs’ perceptions about advantages, disadvantages, and barriers involved with replacing program-determined clinical education with SBE. A basic qualitative design was used to capture insights of 6 Colorado paramedic PDs through semistructured …

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 …

Veterans’ Experience With Social Acceptance After Beginning Civilian Employment, Dr. Mike Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWhen an individual feels excluded from a group that they seek to be a part of, they experience negative physiological and psychological outcomes. The innate human need to be socially accepted is identified and described in elements of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and McClelland’s human motivation theory. Social acceptance has also been shown to play an integral role in areas of communication, organizational commitment, performance, and team cohesiveness. However, it is not known if social acceptance directly impacts a veteran’s ability and desire to maintain civilian employment after transitioning from active-duty service. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study …

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 …

Incorporating Mind-Body Therapies In Behavioral Health To Improve Patient Outcomes, Silvia Stark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental health disorders are a global epidemic that continue to drain society of money, resources, and overall human life expectancy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze how a behavioral health organization that provides mind body therapies, such as yoga and meditation, in conjunction with clinical interventions to treat mental health disorders contributed to providing quality care and better patient outcomes. Currently, the behavioral health organization included mind body therapies within a clinical session and their goal was to separate yoga and meditation from a clinical session as reimbursable and evidence-based treatment for individuals with mental health …

Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral injury (MI) can emerge following transgressive acts against one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Its symptomology involves individual psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social spheres. It has primarily been studied within the military and in a few select civilian populations. This descriptive phenomenological study involved exploring MI themes among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who had engaged in criminally reckless acts. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were coded and analyzed, leading to six major themes revealing the symptomology of MI. Responses from study participants supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance via their descriptions of alcohol abuse cycles …