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When Contraceptive Means No Pregnancy: Narrative Account Of Contraceptive Use Among Reproductive Women At The Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana, Akosua Bonsu Karikari, Nana Afia Karikari, Akua Afriyie Karikari, Amos Apraku

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contraception is a major intervention in improving maternal health. There are about 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries who are not using modern contraception to prevent pregnancy. For proper locale-specific analysis of female reproductive health issues in Ghana, it is vital to explore the knowledge base and hindrances to contraception use in local communities. We used a phenomenological design to study reproductive- aged women in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana in order to comprehend the life world of study participants. This research demonstrates that the majority of the women in the study area …

Lived Experiences Of Voluntary Retirees Within Ghana’S Semi-Urban Space, Michael Tuffour

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study, we examined the lived experiences of voluntary retirees on formal pension schemes within a semi-urban space in Ghana. This was necessitated by the paucity of knowledge in voluntary retirement within a semi-urban space in Ghana and Africa. Besides, the concept of voluntary retirement within Ghana has not really come to the limelight of research. Based on this we situated our study within a qualitative method approach of phenomenology and used a thematic analysis to assess the lived experiences of seven voluntary retirees with respect to their knowledge of the pension scheme, the challenges they faced as early …

Examining The Early Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Black/African American Adults, Laurie Blackman, Kathryn S. Krase, Donna Wang, Anthony C. Hill, Megan Cambridge

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a disproportionate risk of the disease in communities of color. The present study explored the impact of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-reported adaptation and coping, compared by the race of the respondent. Results from an anonymous, cross-sectional, online survey administered in June 2020 found that Black/African American adult respondents were less likely than non- Black/African American adult respondents to agree that they felt prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak; they were more likely than non- Black/African American adults to agree that they were personally affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and more likely to …

The Myth Of Programmatic Intervention To Tackle Intergenerational Poverty In Post-Industrial Societies: A Longitudinal Study In Hong Kong As A Vantage Point, Wing Chung Ho

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through tracking the educational and career trajectories of the young adult members (aged 24–26) of 154 families over 13–15 years, this study suggests that the problem of intergenerational poverty is serious in Hong Kong. Quantitative data indicates that adolescents with poor parents have a 104 percent higher chance of being poor in young adulthood, and nearly 60 percent (58.4%) of the samples follow “the-poor-begets-the-poor; therich- begets-the-rich” pattern across generations. However, the explanatory power of the logistic regression models consisting of confounding factors are weak (R2=0.15). Subsequent focus group discussions with 30 mothers from the samples point to myriad forms of …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Volume 50, Issue 3 (2023)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Social Determinant Of Health Impact On Diabetes Device Use And Clinical Outcomes In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes, Emily R Crain, Ryan Ramphul, Ashley M Butler, Xiaofan Huang, Charles G Minard, Maria J Redondo, Daniel J Desalvo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Youth with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) who are Black, Hispanic, or lower socioeconomic status (SES) have lower rates of diabetes device use, higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and higher rates of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, the associations of individual-level social determinants of health (SDoH) and neighborhood-level factors with device use and clinical outcomes are unknown. Area deprivation index (ADI) is a neighborhood level measure of SES reported in deciles (range 1-10 with 10 representing most deprived neighborhood).

Methods: We evaluated the association of ADI and other SDoH factors with pump/continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use, HbA1c, and DKA in 1,461 youth …

Toward A More Comprehensive Understanding Of Organizational Influences On Implementation: The Organization Theory For Implementation Science Framework, Sarah A Birken, Cheyenne R Wagi, Alexandra G Peluso, Michelle C Kegler, Jure Baloh, Prajakta Adsul, Maria E Fernandez, Manal Masud, Terry T-K Huang, Matthew Lee, Mary Wangen, Per Nilsen, Miriam Bender, Mimi Choy-Brown, Grace Ryan, Aliza Randazzo, Linda K Ko

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Implementation is influenced by factors beyond individual clinical settings. Nevertheless, implementation research often focuses on factors related to individual providers and practices, potentially due to limitations of available frameworks. Extant frameworks do not adequately capture the myriad organizational influences on implementation. Organization theories capture diverse organizational influences but remain underused in implementation science. To advance their use among implementation scientists, we distilled 70 constructs from nine organization theories identified in our previous work into theoretical domains in the Organization Theory for Implementation Science (OTIS) framework.

Methods: The process of distilling organization theory constructs into domains involved concept mapping and …

Perspectives Of Foster Parents And Former Foster Children Surrounding Emancipation And College Supports And Barriers, Ashlyn Maize Kincaid

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The current study had two aims. The first aim was to explore and compare the perspectives of former foster youth and foster parents surrounding the emancipation process. The current study aimed to uncover what information is being shared with foster children when approaching the age of emancipation about life choices such as college, careers, housing, finances, and social support, as well as who is sharing this information and how accurate and helpful it is for the foster youth. Foster parents were asked questions pertaining to their level of training, knowledge of available resources, and experiences with transitioning foster children out …

Understanding Trauma Awareness And Communication Competency In Athletic Training: A Mixed Methods Inquiry, Adrienne Anne Tauses

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There has long been a link between stress and injury in athletes. Even so, athletic injuries are often viewed as primarily performance issues which ignores potential underlying psychological contributors to the injury. Research has shown that while athletic trainers have some training in psychological competencies, they lack awareness of trauma and self-efficacy in engaging in difficult conversations with athletes. Review of the literature will address the gaps in athletic training, and the potential of athletic trainers in supporting physical and mental health outcomes in athletes (Cormier & Zizzi, 2015; Cutler & Dwyer, 2020). Addressing the whole person within a sample …

Career Progression: Narrative Study Of Impediments Affecting Army Female Officer Advancement From Major To Lieutenant Colonel, Jeremia M. Van

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractQualitative narrative inquiry was used to understand the accounts and experiences of female officers in the United States Army that were once stationed in South Korea, who did not advance to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In today’s military, female officers still face many challenges during their advancement from Major to Lieutenant Colonel, relative to their male counterparts. The specific problem is the underrepresentation of female majors in the Army who compete for promotion to the lieutenant colonel rank. The researcher explored the experiences of 14 female Army officers that served in South Korea and sought out promotions from the …

The Intersection Between Harm Reduction And Social Work, Sydney Biondi

UROP Posters

This qualitative study explores the intersection of harm reduction and social work. Social workers who practice harm reduction were recruited to participate in interviews. In the field of social work, harm reduction is seen as a promising practice, but we do not know very much about what it looks like in practice. The purpose of this research study is to find out how the perceptions of social workers of harm reduction aid or inhibit community harm reduction efforts. We think that the geographical location of a social worker impacts the perceptions and experiences of harm reduction, because of the resources …

Reimagining Business Education Through University-Community Microenterprise Collaborations, Kevin G. Guerrieri, Aarti S. Ivanic, Diana Hannasch-Haag, Julieta Gonzalez

Spanish: Faculty Scholarship

Business education must evolve. Traditionally, it has been narrowly focused, siloed, and often reflective of the transactional nature of business through the lens of maximizing shareholder wealth. The triumph of market fundamentalism over the last five decades has coincided with increasing social inequality, the concentration of corporate power, and a weakening of many forms of social solidarity. There are calls for institutions of higher education to reaffirm their commitment to their public purposes and the common good and to leverage their economic resources as anchor institutions. Schools of business have enormous potential to contribute to these efforts by integrating into …

’We Didn’T Think It Would Be Well Received’: The Gay Alliance Of Students’ Legal Victory Over Virginia Commonwealth University, 1974–1976, Michael S. Hevel, Timothy Reese Cain

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1974, a group of college students attempted to undertake the simple act of registering an official student organization at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In contrast to every other student group that had sought such status, the group, the Gay Alliance of Students (GAS), was denied registration. They were denied because the group was composed of LGBTQI+ students who wanted to promote the well-being and understanding of themselves and other LGBTQI+ individuals on campus. This article examines the founding, experience, and legal battles of GAS, an important organization in both the history of LGBTQI+ students and the history of LGBTQI+ …

Screening For Social Determinants Of Health In Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Sarah L. Carter Msn, Aprn, Cpnp-Pc, Ronald Espinal Md, Toni Whitaker Md, Sally Humphrey Dnp, Aprn, Cpnp-Pc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Increased social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with poorer health outcomes and decreased treatment compliance. Addressing SDoH can be associated with increased treatment compliance, although currently there is no standard for completing SDoH screening. The WE CARE screening tool is a validated screen that asks about 6 SDoH and whether the family is interested in assistance if the screen is positive. The purpose of this project was to implement the use of the WE CARE screening tool for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at follow-up visits.

Methods

From October 17, 2022 through November 22, 2022, charts …

Principles And Philosophies For Speech And Language Therapists Working With People With Primary Progressive Aphasia: An International Expert Consensus, A. Volkmer, J. Cartwright, L. Ruggero, A. Beales, J. Gallée, S. Grasso, M. Henry, R. Jokel, J. Kindell, R. Khayum, M. Pozzebon, E. Rochon, C. Taylor-Rubin, R. Townsend, F. Walker, S. Beeke, Deborah Hersh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language-led dementia associated with Alzheimer’s pathology and fronto-temporal lobar degeneration. Multiple tailored speech and language interventions have been developed for people with PPA. Speech and language therapists/speech-language pathologists (SLT/Ps) report lacking confidence in identifying the most pertinent interventions options relevant to their clients living with PPA during their illness trajectory.

Materials and methods:

The aim of this study was to establish a consensus amongst 15 clinical-academic SLT/Ps on best practice in selection and delivery of speech and language therapy interventions for people with PPA. An online nominal group technique (NGT) and consequent focus …

Mute Eloquence: A Gallery Of Contracting Emojis, Courtney Leon

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The increasing use of emojis in electronic communications, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has introduced complexity into contract law due to the lack of standardized interpretation. Courts are encountering disputes over emoji meanings, highlighting the need for a uniform framework. The proposed Emoji Codebook aims to address this by categorizing emojis and providing consistent interpretations, aligning with existing laws like the UCC and E-SIGN Act to facilitate clearer contract formation and mitigate misunderstandings.

Employee Development And Workforce Engagement In A Behavioral Health Organization, Lakisha R, Brimage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ongoing training at the targeted behavioral health organization is necessary to improve employee knowledge, skills, and abilities to drive engagement and overall organizational performance. The purpose of this case study was to determine what leadership practices and strategies are currently in place and what training modules improve employee development for the purpose of improving workforce engagement. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was used to guide the qualitative case study of the nonprofit organization, which provides social services to low-income families in the United States. Data sources included semistructured interviews with two behavioral health leaders at the organization and reviews of organizational …

Improving Veteran’S Care Outcomes With The Implementation Of Care Coordination, Katrina Ann Canady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAstute care coordination is essential to eliminating fragmented care, duplication of services, medication errors, and unnecessary emergency rooms visits. This Doctor of Nursing practice project was a quality improvement (QI) initiative that addressed the gap in practice regarding RN care managers who were not consistently performing care coordination as outlined by the office of community care at the project site. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness that an educational intervention had on the RN care managers’ abilities to perform care coordination. The care coordination model (CCM) served as the project framework because it provides a systematic …

An Exploration Of The Mental Health Experiences Of Young Women With Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Brittany M. Woods

All ETDs from UAB

Infertility is a reproductive disease resulting in the inability to conceive. One in six individuals will experience infertility in their lifetime. Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) reduces the quantity and/or quality of a female's oocyte pool and is a known cause of infertility. Although this occurs during normal ovarian aging in the late 30s and early 40s, DOR can also impact younger women, increasing their risk for psychological distress from an unexpected diagnosis. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a deeper understanding of the mental health experiences of young women with DOR through the generation of three manuscripts. Manuscript …

Differential Response And The Reduction Of Child Maltreatment And Foster Care Services Utilization In The U.S. From 2004 To 2017, Michelle Johnson-Motoyama, Donna K. Ginther, Rebecca Phillips, Oliver W.J. Beer, Lisa Merkel-Holguin, John Fluke

School of Health Professions

By 2014, the majority of U.S. states had implemented differential response (DR), a system policy that seeks to serve families of low-to moderate-risk for child maltreatment through family engagement, diversion from formal child protective services investigations, and service provision. However, the effects of DR programs on child welfare dynamics have yet to be evaluated nationally using causal methods. Using a quasi-experimental study design with data drawn from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System from 2004 to 2017, we found states with DR programs had approximately 19% fewer substantiated reports, 25% fewer children substantiated for neglect, and a 17% …

Evaluating The Implementation Of A ‘Child First’ Approach Within Plymouth’S Youth Justice Multi-Agency Diversion Scheme., Emma Taylor, Patricia Gray, Katie Mcbride, Zoe James

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This is the final report from the evaluation of the Plymouth Youth Justice Service (PYJS) multi-agency ‘child first’ diversion scheme, known as Outcome 22. Baselineand first-year interim reports have also been produced, with this final evaluation aiming to examine the effectiveness of this diversion scheme in reducing first time entrants and recidivism in the city of Plymouth, whilst adhering to a Child First approach

Preincarceration Collaborative Religious Coping Strategies Of Black Males With A History Of A Criminal Offense, Pearlette E. Springer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are 56% of the incarcerated population in the United States. Black males spend an average of 13.4% of their working lives incarcerated and 82.6% of their working lives addressing the stigma and restrictions associated with incarceration. The purpose of this study was to address a gap in research by exploring the preincarceration collaborative religious coping strategy experiences of Black males with a history of criminal offenses. Pargament’s theory of collaborative religious coping strategy guided the research, interview questions, and data analysis. The qualitative narrative approach with purposeful and snowball sampling was used to recruit and collect data from …

Strategies To Retain Employees In The Mental Health Workplace, Chauncey Janielle Strange

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover continues to be an issue in the mental health community as mental health business leaders lack strategies to retain employees. Retention strategies are essential to promote continuity, funding, and profitability for mental health agencies and quality service care for patients. Grounded in Bass’s transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies mental health business leaders use to retain employees. Participants comprised three mental health center managers from a state agency in northern Louisiana who contributed to employee retention. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organization performance evaluations, …

Intimate Partner Violence: The Silent Enemy Among African Immigrant Women, Omoniyi Anne Bello

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence among immigrant and minority groups remains a social and health problem that has garnered little attention. African immigrant women particularly face intersectional challenges (e.g., language barriers, unemployment, and lack of access to health care, resources, and services) that heighten their vulnerability to partner violence. Yet, knowledge about their experiences remains elusive in empirical research. Examining the nature and extent of their experience can provide valuable insights that could enhance research and practice on partner violence. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African immigrant women survivors of partner violence in Edmonton, …

Social Workers’ Philosophical Attitudes Towards Harm Reduction Services In Housing First Organizations, John Gay Woolley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOver the past three decades, harm reduction has gradually become more prevalent among social workers and is now viewed as an instrumental approach in treating people with drug and alcohol problems. Although there have been several studies that described how harm reduction approaches were applied in Housing First (HF) settings, there are few studies that have described social workers’ perspectives of their philosophical attitudes regarding harm reduction in HF settings. The purpose of this study was to understand social workers’ perspectives of their philosophical attitudes toward harm reduction services and how those attitudes were apparent in their interactions with substance-using …

How Behavioral Health Leaders Overcome Barriers To Perinatal Mental And Psychoeducation, Jaime Lorraine Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health supportive services are increasingly becoming integrated into primary care settings. This study focused on strategies to strengthen the knowledge of behavioral health leaders and address the barriers to perinatal mental health support in primary care. A case study was designed to explore the obstacles behavioral health leaders faced managing the limited access to perinatal mental health care, along with the lack of provider psychoeducation on perinatal mental health, in integrated care settings in primary care. This study sought to provide options for better access and quality of care to perinatal patients and increase provider psychoeducation on perinatal mental …

Exploring The Reasons People Abuse Animals, Barbara Bittinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research on animal abuse has grown over the years which has led to studies that determine the psychological implications of animal cruelty in relation to various societal and environmental agents. From these studies, researchers have addressed animal abuse and cruelty in general but have not established the cause of the behavior or reasons why people abuse animals. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the reasons motivating human beings to abuse animals. Using the qualitative method, this study used snowball sampling to interview a total of 10 professionals who work in the fields of veterinary medicine (veterinarians …

Structural Empowerment Of Nurse Leaders In New York State During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tracey Braithwaite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current phenomenological study explored the lived experience of Acting Chief Nursing Officers, Chief Nursing Officers, Chief Nursing Executives (henceforth CNOs) at hospitals in New York State who were charged with responding to executive orders while maintaining quality of patient care despite staffing constraints, inadequate supplies, or lack of additional support for the duties associated with their role. Their experience of structural empowerment in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic was also studied. The theoretical framework was Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment that addressed organizational behavior in the context of employee empowerment. The research question addressed how the CNOs perceived their …

Lived Experiences Of Employees Working With Homeless Veterans In Transitional Housing Programs In New Jersey, Ieshia C. Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness among veterans has been a widespread concern for over three decades. Individuals employed in transitional housing settings play a pivotal role in helping veterans overcome homelessness. There is a lack of qualitative studies that explores the experiences of these employees, which limits understanding of what is needed to help homeless veterans regain their place back in society and the ability to develop and implement better programs for the population. In this phenomenological study, semi-structured interviews were used to help understand and describe the lived experiences of employees who work directly with the homeless veteran population in transitional housing settings …

Strategies For Clinical Managers To Reduce Nosocomial Infections, Samisha Lynn Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing nosocomial infection rates threaten patient safety when approximately 100 million patients annually acquire at least one nosocomial infection during their hospital stay. Some clinical managers lack strategies to reduce the incidence and costs of nosocomial infections. Clinical managers need training in proactive infection control guidelines that may reduce infection rates and increase profitability. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies that clinical managers used to reduce incidence and costs associated with nosocomial infections. The participants were four clinical managers employed by health care organizations in the Southeast Texas …