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The Impact Of Mindfulness On Communication With Health Care Providers For Older Adult Quilters, Mary Peyton Cauthorn Gill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractActive aging plays a pivotal role in countering the effects of multimorbidities and enhancing mental and physical well-being of individuals. Prior research supports the benefits of mindfulness, a key component of active aging, in enhancing older adults’ physical and mental health, but the effect of mindfulness on older adults’ communication with medical social workers and other health care providers has not been studied. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of how older quiltmakers experienced mindfulness and how this affected their communication with their health care providers. The study, which drew from empowerment theory, …

Defying Deficit Thinking: Clearing The Path To Inclusion For Students Of All Abilities, Sacha Cartagena, Lindsey Pike

Education Faculty Publications

Bolstered by the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), inclusion became part of the education vernacular. This chapter provides a review of key highlights in the history of inclusive education. The impact of deficit thinking and role of social justice are emphasized as undercurrents driving legislative changes. The authors propose systems thinking as a method to identify actionable items for advancing inclusive education. An overview of promising inclusive frameworks, specifically Universal Design for Learning and social-emotional learning, are described and recommended for embedding inclusive practices into daily practice within the education system.

The Lead, January 2022, Lindenwood University

The Lead

The Lead is an electronic newsletter produced by the Lindenwood College of Education & Human Services.

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2022, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2022. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

Sweetgrass Method: A Culturally Responsive Approach Among American Indian And Alaska Native K-12, Mark Standing Eagle Baez Phd, Carla Allison Baez Phd, Brittany Lavallie, Whitney Spears

Journal of Indigenous Research

Abstract

The Sweetgrass Method is a culturally responsive approach to mental health for American Indian/Alaska Native Youth and serves as a process to communicate, collaborate, and continue ongoing supports. Sweetgrass known as Óhonte Wenserákon in the Mohawk (Kanien’keha) language and Wicko’bimucko’si among the Chippewa people. Sweetgrass is used by many American Indian/Alaska Native in purifying ceremonies, healing, prayer, smudging and basketry and is considered a sacred herb/plant. It is harvested, braided, dried, and burned. American Indian/Alaska Native people have held sweetgrass as sacred for a very long time and often burned at the beginning of a ceremony, or prayer to …

Motivated But Challenged: Counselor Educators' Experiences Teaching About Social Determinants Of Health, John M. Waters, Alexandra C. Gantt, Allison Worth, Bisola Duyile, Kaprea Johnson, Davide Mariotti

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

A phenomenological study was conducted to understand eight counselor educators' experiences teaching about social determinants of health. The analysis yielded three themes: educator identity, motivations, and challenges. Implications for counselor educators preparing future counselors to be leaders in multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy are provided.

Undergraduate Research Projects: Step-By-Step, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Undergraduate Research Projects: Step-by-Step

This book is in a workbook format, intended to complement any individual or group of undergraduate researchers in their social science investigations. The step-by-step approach provides understanding and experience with scholarly inquiry. Students discover content and practice skills related to scholarly inquiry and their academic subjects.

Factors Influencing The Political Activity Of Social Workers: A Comparative Study Among Swiss And United States Social Workers, Tobias Kindler, Jason Ostrander

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Various international and national social work ethical principles call social workers to participate in politics, yet not much research exists in the field of a political social work. Little is known about the actual voluntary political engagement of social workers as well as factors influencing their political activity. Especially, few studies with an international comparison focus have been conducted. Consequently, this study used cross sectional survey design to better understand the factors influencing the political activity of social workers in Switzerland (n = 1242) and in the United States (n = 3033). The results indicate that the political activity of …

Factors Associated With The Hpv Vaccination Among Korean Americans And Koreans: A Systematic Review, Soojung Jo, Soo-Yeon Han, Connor A. Walters

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Koreans and Korean Americans (KAs) have limited HPV knowledge and awareness. KAs share a culture with Koreans, and this culture has affected their behavior around HPV. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the factors associated with HPV vaccination among Koreans and KAs. The literature search was done with four databases. The vaccination rate, awareness and knowledge of HPV, and factors associated with vaccination intention were identified. Eighteen articles were selected. Koreans and KAs had low levels of HPV knowledge and awareness. Perceived benefits and seriousness were associated with vaccination intention. Cervical cancer history, beliefs that their daughters need a pap …

Focused Surrogate Decision-Maker Identification In The Traumatically Injured Adult, Kelly Ann Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPatients in the trauma care setting are often dependent on their families and physicians to decide medical treatments when they cannot participate in the process.But in up to one-third of cases, the surrogate decision-maker (SDM)selected by the patient is not the emergency contact listed in the electronic medical record (EMR).SDM identification and documentation will ensure that the patient is best represented by someone who knows their values and goals if they become incapacitated.Nurses can facilitate identifying a patient’s SDM and document this choice in the EMR.The purpose of this study was a staff education program to improve intensive care unit …

Community-Oriented Policing: Building Trust And Collaborative Relationships With The Black Community, Tunice M. Cole

DSW Capstone Projects

Black people die at the hands of police at a disproportionate rate. In the United States, Black citizens are three times more likely to be killed by police than White citizens. This, along with other factors, has caused a lack of trust, legitimacy, and relationships between police and the Black community. Examining this problem from a socio-ecological and social constructivist perspective suggests that the solution encompasses the use of community feedback and experiences to build and develop a model of community-oriented policing that addresses the issues of the community being served.

Product one of this capstone was a systematic literature …

Black Men Need Love Too, Addressing Unaddressed Mental Health In African American Men, D'Quayvion Cloud

DSW Capstone Projects

The objective of this capstone is to analyze and demonstrate the importance of studies on unaddressed mental health among African American males. The major aim is to demonstrate why research, policy, and funding are vital to knowing how to work with this specific clinical group, allowing us to build effective and inclusive programs for these African American males and eliminate the stigma associated with members of this community. Due to unaddressed mental health and a lack of treatment options for our people, research has shown that African American men aged 20 to 24 had the highest suicide rate of any …

Policy Change To Reduce Active Duty Suicide Rates, Michelle Rae Loper

DSW Capstone Projects

There continues to be a dramatic increase in the rates of suicide within the Active-Duty military population. There have been a number of efforts to curb the rates without any prolonged success. Several actions and studies have been conducted on risk factors, prevention efforts, and treatment interventions in an attempt to reduce the rates. This capstone comprises a sequence of academic papers: a systematic literature review, a conceptualization paper, and a practical application paper. This project aims to identify the essential policy components necessary moving forward within the Department of Defense to address this critical issue. The research question leading …

Music As An Instrument For Healing: Exploring Music Therapy For Increasing The Quality Of Life For Geriatric Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Travis Adams

DSW Capstone Projects

Military personnel can sometimes be put in dangerous situations that expose them to various types of traumas. Due to the nature of their work, veterans may be at a higher risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a complex and challenging mental health disorder with symptoms that evolve with time. Geriatric veterans with PTSD are a particular population with unique needs that require attention and care. Music therapy is explored as a potential intervention to increase geriatric veterans' quality of life with PTSD.

Product One was a systematic review that examined the effectiveness of music therapy in improving …

Role Expansion Of School Social Workers: An Educational Paradigm Shift, Sara Murrell

DSW Capstone Projects

This capstone product includes three written documents. The purpose of this work was to discover and justify the role expansion of school social workers into school leaders. The first, a systematic literature review examining the roles of school social workers. This document will review the current literature describing which school social work roles promote school social workers as school leaders, and which roles act as barriers for school social workers to become school leaders. The second document is a conceptual paper. This document identifies the need for a paradigm shift in education towards a whole child perspective. This document looks …

An Integrated, Holistic Approach To Supporting The Wellbeing Of The Contemporary Social Services Workforce, Julia Moore

DSW Capstone Projects

Despite nearly 40 years of research regarding the effects of psychological distress among the social services workforce, there remains a lack of congruity among scholars and experts regarding the definition and epidemiology of the distinct constructs, including secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Current literature on these phenomena indicates that a lack of empirical methods for scientifically studying outcomes regarding effective prevention and intervention strategies have stalled efforts to advance the field of secondary trauma and create practical approaches to protecting the workforce serving trauma-exposed clients. This capstone project is focused on understanding the current literature regarding …

Systemic Solutions To Addressing Juvenile Sexual Offending, Alyscia Mayhugh

DSW Capstone Projects

Research on and treatment of juvenile sexual offenders has surged since the 1980s. While research on this social justice issue has expanded over the past four decades, little has been done in the United States to systemically address the recidivism rates of juvenile sexual offenders. The systematic literature review explores existing literature on this topic, with a focus on thematic categories that emerged through data extraction and analysis. The conceptual paper presents a unique idea for addressing juvenile sexual offending systemically, emphasizing the value of utilizing incrementalism and trauma theory to enact changes to existing systems. The final practice application …

An Examination Of Diabetes Prevention Program Translations For Eastern Kentucky, William H. Robinson

DSW Capstone Projects

This capstone project examined translations of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) that have been adapted to improve cultural competency and analyzed the potential application of these adaptations to serve communities in Eastern Kentucky. Findings in the project were synthesized using the Ecological Validity Model (EVM) posited by Bernal et al. (1995) and the RE-AIM framework developed by Glasgow et al. (1999). EVM and RE-AIM have been used in other systematic literature reviews of the DPP and provide a framework for conceptual analysis and practice application of the findings. This project recommends changes in public health policy and social work …

What's The Play? Using Social Learning Theory To Treat Men In Mental Health, Aaron Hemlepp

DSW Capstone Projects

Men have problems when it comes to mental health. Specifically, men are more likely to have a fatality of suicide than other genders and are more likely to have substance abuse problems than other genders. Combine this with societal problems such as the shrinking physical labor market and instability of family systems that have traditionally been seen as “men’s work.” The gender is not adapting to modern social functioning in the way that other genders have been, which means that therapy is not a useful tool for men and their problems. This means that therapy systems need an approach to …

Policies That Support Emergency Department Staff In Providing Behavioral Health Care, Lizabeth Lepp Hennig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant portion of individuals with a behavioral health (BH) condition return to emergency departments (ED) seeking care, resulting in reduced quality of care, and contributing to disproportionate healthcare costs. Care can be improved and return visits to the ED reduced where behavioral health care and follow-up care planning are provided as part of their treatment. However, policies expected to create declines in ED use for behavioral conditions are typically in short duration or are difficult to use given other funding and policy constraints. With little known about how policy is supporting the engagement of ED staff who are critical …

Forgiveness Therapy And Complex Trauma: Secular Therapists’ Perspectives, Andrea Hardman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Treatment-seeking survivors of complex trauma pursue normality and resiliency in their everyday lives. Forgiveness therapy is one treatment modality for such trauma. However, studies linking complex trauma and forgiveness therapy are minimal. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to improve treatment interventions of secular therapists’ use of forgiveness therapy, specifically, Worthington’s REACH forgiveness model with complex trauma clients. Two research questions guided this study: “What are secular therapists’ perspectives on the use of forgiveness therapy with complex trauma clients” and “What are secular therapists’ perspectives on the use of Worthington’s REACH forgiveness model with complex trauma clients.” For …

Job Satisfaction And Burnout Among Social Workers Providing Services To Veterans, Toni Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers have been documented both experiencing job satisfaction with decreased levels of burnout and suffering from high stress and burnout. The job demands-resources (JDR) model was used to guide this study. The purpose of this study was to examine how social workers working with the veteran population describe how their job satisfaction affects their perceptions of burnout. A basic qualitative study design was employed with a purposeful sample of 12 social work participants drawn from multiple facilities that provide services to veterans. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and were analyzed using a thematic coding process, validation through member …

Lived Experience Of Female Veterans And Civilian Workplace Integration, Angela Karnes Padron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological study used Social Identity Theory (SIT) to explore the lived experiences of female veterans throughout their military transition phases to their postmilitary experiences, including successfully obtaining civilian employment. The purpose was to increase understanding of the unique experiences and needs of females during this transition and learn the success factors leading to gaining employment. This can help deter the increasing unemployment, depression, stress, and anxiety rates for female veterans. The social identities while in the military and postmilitary were studied to understand the catalysts to female transition issues. A semistructured interview was conducted with eight female veterans that …

The Lived Experiences Of Group Practice Ownership By Female Licensed Professional Counselors, Ashley Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. counseling profession is mostly female, with many practitioners interested in starting their own business. However, little is known about women’s lived experiences of owning a group counseling practice. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used to explore the lived experiences of six female licensed professional counselors who have owned a group counseling practice for at least 5 years. Phenomenology and feminist theory provided a framework for the study. Eight themes emerged from the study: (a) factors associated with the decision to create a group practice, (b) a continuum of preparatory engagement for group practice ownership, (c) the influence …

Nursing Health Care Leadership Strategies To Reduce Homeless Patient 30-Day Readmission Rates, Shavonda L. Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAdult homeless patient 30-day readmission is a concern for nursing healthcare leaders who still have problems in providing effective strategies for revisit reduction in various acute care settings across the United States. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the association between nursing healthcare leadership strategies, 30-day homeless patient readmission rates, and hospital discharge rates at hospitals in California. The theoretical foundation for the research study was Pender’s health promotion model theory, which identifies preventative health measures and describes the critical function of nurses in helping patients to prevent illness by self-care and bold alternatives. Research questions …

Coping With Sibling Suicide: The Experiences Of Saint Lucians Of African Descent, Charmaine Hippolyte Emmanuel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe loss of a loved one to death is difficult. However, the loss to suicide entails increased pain and anguish due to the stigma attached to suicide. Sibling loss to suicide is a global concern as individuals can experience complicated grief reactions, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideations. These health concerns can negatively impact the individuals’ health and general well-being in the absence of healthy coping mechanisms. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Saint Lucians of African descent. The participants were 20 to 60 years old and had lost a sibling to …

The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The child welfare system exists to support safe and healthy families. When children cannot remain safely with family, they are removed and often placed with nonrelatives. Only half of all of the children removed from their homes achieve reunification. In the current study, research questions examined the perceptions of caseworkers in determining whether or when a child could reunify with their family of removal, and how the perceptions of the caseworker affected their practice regarding reunification. Using social learning theory as a framework, a caseworker’s decisions were viewed as a balance between their work environment and their personal perceptions. Following …

The Social Worker’S Experience Regarding Social Isolation In Middle Schools, Jeanne Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMiddle school is a time when adolescents struggle with social challenges, self-identity, and self-esteem. Social workers are critical stakeholders to support families in schools; these professionals serve in a unique capacity to assist with attendance, provide medical and behavioralsupport and connect families with resources to mitigate barriers to students’ success. Little is known, however, about the role social workers play in preventing and addressing the social isolation of middle school students. The purpose of this project was to explore the role of the social worker as it relates to preventing and addressing the social isolation of middle school students. Self-determination …

African American Youth Decline To Extend Foster Care Despite Their Needs, Rhonda Flowers-Corpening

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the United States, African American children are disproportionately placed in foster care and experience a myriad of problems, including physical and emotional abuse. As a result, negative post-discharge outcomes are revealed in existing literature, such as substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, sexual promiscuity, and mental health issues. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to explore the foster care experience from the perspective of African American foster care alumni. The goal was to understand why the decision is made not to extend foster care services, despite their ongoing needs for support and lack of preparation for adulthood. Ecological Systems …

Help-Seeking Behaviors For Depression Among Native Hawaiian Women In The Western Region Of The United States Mainland, Marlana Glover

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Help-seeking for depression, as with other mental illnesses is contingent upon stigmas that one perceives. Although causes for depression differ among indigenous populations, native Hawaiians suffer from the Western acculturation and colonization of their homeland. With lack of trust in the U.S. healthcare system, many native Hawaiians are reluctant to seek help for depression. Furthermore, research has shown that most studies on native Hawaiians are conducted in their native environment when many Hawaiians relocate to the U.S. mainland. Because of the current depression crisis, it is critical to explore depression among native Hawaiians, particularly women on the mainland to see …