Mental and Social Health Commons^™

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 …

Law Enforcement Officers' Experience Of Crisis Intervention Team (Cit) Training, Jessica Yolanda Goings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe decline in mental health services has led to an increased role of law enforcement officers (LEOs), who are often the first to respond to mental health crisis incidents. Despite the specialized training that officers receive, there continues to be a public consensus that LEOs lack proficiency when handling a mental ill individual and have a deficiency in communication skills. The purpose of the research was to explore the experience of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for LEOs and then describe how their experience ensued once deployed to the field to handle mental health encounters. Evaluations of CIT training have …

Continuity Of Care For Adult Offenders With Severe And Persistent Mental Illnesses: An Action Research Study, Lakeshia C. Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For decades, the representation of adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) in the criminal justice system has steadily grown despite public recognition and increased federal implementation of mental health courts and diversion programs. Though more is known about risk factors associated with psychiatric and criminal recidivism among this population, a gap in the literature remains on collaborative interventions and continuity of care between inpatient mental health and criminal justice facilities. Grounded in resilience theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine challenges social workers faced when attempting to facilitate discharge planning between inpatient mental health facilities …

Chronic Kidney Disease And Depressive Disorders Among Adult Non-Hispanic African Americans And Whites In Georgia, Omatola Gordon-Rose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), depressive disorders, and mental health are significant health issues in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of CKD and depressive disorders and days of poor mental health in adults living in Georgia, controlling for race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, age, diabetes mellitus status, high blood pressure status, marital status, and number of adults in the household. The study was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional design with secondary data analysis, and the framework used was Wilson and Cleary health-related quality of life measures. The 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey weighted …

Christian U.S. Army Female Combat Veterans Diagnosed With Ptsd Experiencing A Moral Injury Of War, Kathaleen Graham-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Warzone exposure potentially impacts the mental and physical health of veterans who receive a diagnosis of PTSD. There is limited research addressing the adjustments of the potentially morally injurious event(s) (PMIEs) experienced by Christian U.S. Army female combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan warzones post - 9/11. To better understand the impact of PMIEs experienced by the target population, a study of the integration of the transpersonal-existential meaning-based model was used. A general qualitative research design was selected to understand the complex social phenomena. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted to gather viable data. These …

Intersectional Invisibility Of Black Lgbtqia+ Client Strategies For Bias And Discrimination Prevention, Dr. Tonya Y. Griffith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Those who identify as members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities have been victims of bias and prejudicial attitudes. Because LGBTQIA+ people embody all cultures, races, religious convictions, and socioeconomic statuses, this creates additional barriers for some community members who identify as both Black and LGBTQIA+. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore social workers’ perceptions of intersectional invisibility when working with Black LGBTQIA+ clients and the strategies that social workers identify as beneficial in averting discrimination and bias when working with this community. Implicit bias theory and intersectionality theory …

Examining Health Care Utilization Among Adult Heart Disease Patients With Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms, Courtney R. Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care costs are most commonly concentrated among small groups of high-cost patients, or high utilizers. Many of these patients receive unnecessary and ineffective care and often critical health care needs can go unmet, even when substantial care from multiple sources is received. Thus, there is a need to look into high utilizing patients for not only quality improvement but also effective resource allocation. The operational problem for health care administrators is managing resources and improving quality of care by targeting specific medical conditions that may be high utilizers of medical resources. The purpose of this study was to identify …

Adolescents’ Perspective On Social Media Contributing To Suicidal Ideations And Attempts, Shavon Mariah Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media has become mainstream over the past decade, with new applications that adolescents can download to stay in consistent contact with their peers. Though social media can enhance the ability for communication, it seems to also have the ability to alienate, burden, and exacerbate depression and potential self-harm. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore five adolescent’s perspective on social media contributing to suicide ideations and attempts. The theoretical research was built upon Joiner’s interpersonal theory of suicide. Two research questions were explored in this study, which were the adolescent’s perspective on social media triggering suicidal ideations …

Using Integrated Staff Education To Increase Medication Adherence In A Mentally Ill Population, Tiffany Dawn Burke-Lott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to adhere to medication regimens is a serious problem that affects both the patient and the health care system. Psychiatric patients have the lowest rates of adherence, as low as 24%. The evidence shows that nonadherence to medication is a global challenge in the field of mental illness and is linked with a poor prognosis. Patients who are nonadherent to medications experience exacerbations of their mental illness, which can lead to rehospitalization, poor psychosocial outcomes, relapse of symptoms, reduced effectiveness of subsequent treatment, wastage of limited health care resources, increased substance abuse, poor quality of life, and increased risk …

Fall Clinical Practical Guideline In A Psychiatric Hospital, Wendy Carroll Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychiatric hospitals are a unique environment and therefore pose unique challenges in preventing falls. Current evidence suggests that multidisciplinary committees to update clinical practice guidelines (CPG) will reduce falls and improve patient care in the acute inpatient psychiatric setting. The purpose of this study was to examine current evidence and develop new CPG with a goal to decrease falls in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. The Iowa model collaborative was used as a framework to develop the CPG to promote quality care and serve as an implementation model that supports the training of evidence-based practice. The methodology, design, and data analysis …

Grief Experiences Of Mothers After A Child’S Death From A Drug Overdose, Shonetesha L. Quail

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch on young adult deaths primarily focuses on other causes of death such as homicide, suicide, and accidents. There is very little research surrounding maternal bereavement when the cause of death is from a drug overdose. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences of grieving mothers who had a biological, adopted, or stepchild die from a drug overdose when the decease’s age was between 18 and 25. Guided by Le Poi Devin’s multidimensional grief theory, the study sought a better understanding to assist mental health and other healthcare providers in developing individualized …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Transgender Populations, Linda Baggio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a negative impact on health and have created a social challenge in managing HIV risk behavior in the transgender population. The aim of this study was to determine the association between ACEs and HIV risk behavior among the transgender population and identify the association between ACE score (1, 2, 3, 4, or more) and HIV risk behavior among the transgender population. This involved a quantitative methodology using a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) questionnaire to obtain data from 323 transgender participants. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between ACEs and HIV …

Staff Education Program On Postpartum Depression Screening, Pamela Barstow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPostpartum depression (PPD) in the US is a serious health concern that negatively impacts an average of 11.5% of women, with 13.36% of women in Virginia in 2018 reporting PPD symptoms. Mothers experiencing PPD may have trouble bonding with their infants, which may negatively impact childhood growth and development. However, fewer than one-half of pediatricians screen mothers of infants for PPD. Literature supports staff education on PPD to promote the wellbeing of postpartum mothers and their infants. Using the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model of instructional design, the purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to …

Stress, Resiliency, And Burnout Among Leaders In The Counseling Profession, Adriana Bovee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders in the counseling profession face many demands. The purpose of this quantitative regression analysis study was to determine if there was a predictive relationship between the independent variables of stress and resiliency and dependent variables of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among leaders in the counseling profession. Transformational leadership theory and resilience theory were applied as the theoretical framework of this study. A cross-sectional data collection method was used, and data were collected through anonymous online surveys from a purposive sample of 75 counseling leaders. Data analyses methods included descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions. Results indicated …

The Relationship Between Types Of Workplace Trauma Exposure, Burnout, And Ptsd In Mental Health Workers, Armando Dominguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-related traumatic exposure has been studied but has not been concisely defined in the widest range of research studying trauma exposure. Specifically, it is not known from previous research whether direct, indirect, and vicarious trauma exposure predict burnout and PTSD in acute care mental health care workers. The emotional processing theory was used as theoretical foundation informing this study as the habituation of response to stress and trauma has been shown to occur incidentally and cumulatively; the theory supports the concept of dichotomous and continuous type of trauma exposure over time. The purpose of this study was to use a …

Therapists’ And Teachers’ Experiences Of Children With Aggression: A Children’S Partial Hospitalization Program, Kimberlee Joy Dunlap

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Aggression is an indicator of future criminal behavior. It can be a result of trauma, substance-abusing parents, or executive functioning. Research has shown that aggression in childhood often creates criminal behavior later in life, thus researchers suggest that more studies are conducted on programs that help children with aggression. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of therapists who work with aggressive children in a children’s partial hospitalization program, and those teachers who have had these children in class before entering the program and upon discharge from the program. The qualitative study was done using semi-structured …

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 …

Experiences Of African American Female Offenders On Parole And Under Community Supervision, Shirley Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American female offenders on parole under community supervision reenter communities as convicted felons and face the challenges of intersectionality and collateral consequences. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American female offenders active on parole and under community supervision. General strain theory was used to explore the experiences of African American female offenders on parole and under community supervision. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with a purposive sample of 10 African American female offenders, ages 18 and above who were on parole and under community supervision. Colaizzi’s seven-step method …

Evaluation Of A Public School District Nutrition Education Program In Southern California’S San Diego County, Donielle Cohen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has markedly increased in several developed countries in recent years. Researchers have examined different factors that contribute to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents but have not fully explored the psychological impact of obesity on this population. The effectiveness of nutrition education programs in addressing the effects of obesity is also understudied. The primary purpose of this evaluative case study was to examine the impact of the Harvest of the Month nutritional educational program, which was adopted by San Diego County public schools in 2005, on the nutritional habits and psychosocial …

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 …

Clinical Practice Guideline For Treating Depression In Lgbtq+ Patients In Primary Care, Shantrice Bernice Nichols-Bates

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) population is at increased risk for depression, poor mental health outcomes, and higher instances of suicidality and reluctance to seek care for mental health issues in comparison to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. The identified gap in practice was the need for an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) for managing mild to moderate depressive disorder in the LGBTQ+ patient at a primary care clinic located in the southeastern United States. The purpose of this project was to develop a CPG to aid primary care providers in screening for, identifying, and managing mild to moderate …

Mental Health Counselors’ Use Of Complementary And Alternative Approaches For Treating Individuals With Anxiety Disorders, Jane Rose Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide. Traditional counseling approaches do not address the evolving needs of individuals with anxiety disorders, and information is scarce regarding counselors’ use of complementary and alternative approaches in treating anxiety disorders. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to investigate whether counselors’ knowledge, perceptions, intentional practices, and openness predicted their use of complementary and alternative approaches in counseling individuals with anxiety disorders. The integrative mental health model for the conceptual framework guided this study. The research questions examined how five variables—spirituality, specialization, types of anxiety disorders treated, training, …

Black Women, Mental Health Treatment, And Spiritual Healing: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Grace M. Abraham Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Counselor educators are ill-equipped to train counselors to prepare to meet the needs of Black Christian Pentecostal Women (BCPW) because there is a lack of information on this population. To increase cultural competency, counselors need to be more aware of the experiences of this population. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of BCPW who sought community mental health counseling concurrent with deliverance practices through the church. Using Edmund Husserl’s transcendental phenomenological approach as the conceptual framework, semi-structured interviews via zoom were conducted with 4 BCPW who were active members of the Christ Throne International Ministries …

Factors That Affect Anxiety And Acculturation In Syrian Emigrants, Thomas H. Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, more than 6 million Syrians have registered as refugees. Many displaced Syrians suffer myriad mental health disorders, including anxiety, which become a burden as they attempt to acculturate into a foreign culture. Research to understand the Syrian refugees has been conducted since the conflict began; however, the findings are inconsistent. Existing academic research does not adequately capture the depth of anxiety of Syrian emigrants, nor does it present an accurate picture of the challenges of acculturation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differences in anxiety and acculturation based …

Reducing The Rate Of Physical Interventions By Increasing Staff Confidence When Using Verbal De-Escalation Techniques, Elizabeth Pavlesich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When working with patients who have the potential to become physically aggressive, verbal de-escalation is an important technique that can defuse a dangerous situation. At the project site in the mental health emergency department (MHED), workplace violence was on the rise based on the reported use of physical interventions (rates of brief holds and physical restraint use). The purpose of this quality improvement evaluation project was to determine whether an educational training program on verbal de-escalation techniques would increase staff’s confidence in the use of verbal de-escalation and decrease the rate of physical interventions used in the MHED. The change …

Missionary Kids And Trauma, Lindsay Elizabeth Stone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMissionary Kids and Trauma by Lindsay E. Stone

MA, Walden University, 2019MA, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2010 BS, Charleston Southern University, 2006

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human and Social Services

Walden University February 2021 Abstract Missionary kids (MKs) around the world are more exposed to trauma than non-MKs. MKs often struggle with grief, loss, and stressors of cross-cultural living. Childhood trauma leads to short-and long-term effects of trauma, often into adulthood. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore adult, Christian MKs’ perceptions of external trauma on …

Exploring Barriers To Care: Provider Efforts To Improve Retention In Urban-Rural Clusters, Kenyata M. Fletcher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOver the years, the infection rates for HIV in the United States has changed partly due to lack of engagement and medication adherence which can lead to substantial declines in individual health. Factors that contribute to the individual’s adherence can include transportation cost, childcare, and lack of finances to name a few. These barriers can often be decreased with the help of supportive service providers and improvement in the patient-provider relationship. Currently, there is limited research that explores how to reduce patient barriers to care, specifically in rural areas. This qualitative study examines how Illinois health care providers help HIV-positive …

A Behavioral Healthcare Approach To At-Risk Youth Substance Prevention Program Development, Debra Mcintyre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Providing quality services that meet the needs of clients is key to organizational sustainability for behavioral health organizations. Strategic development of substance prevention programs for at-risk youth will play an important role in capacity building. The focus of this study was to identify the need for developing a targeted and effective substance abuse prevention program to support at-risk youth who have trauma experiences before they begin misusing substances to cope with their challenges. The Baldrige excellence framework was used to guide this descriptive case study of a behavioral health organization in the Northeastern region of the United States. The data …

Social Support Experiences Of Stably Housed Emancipated Foster Youth, Camron L. Whitacre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth emancipating from foster care are at increased risk of housing instability and homelessness and have reduced access to needed social supports to aid in the difficult transition to independent living. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived formal social support experiences of stably housed emancipated foster youth. Purposive sampling techniques and inclusion criteria guided the recruitment of nine study participants from a state-administered postemancipation services program to take part in semistructured interviews. A conceptual framework, including social convoy and attachment theories, informed inquiry, and interpretation of findings. Participant lived experiences illuminated the importance of …

Mental Health Disparities In Social Work Practice Of Minority Youth Offenders, Beverly Ann Rivera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA large number of minority youths placed in the juvenile justice system across the United States have mental health disorders. Most of these youths do not receive mental health services or support within the system, which increases risk factors such as undiagnosed and untreated mental illness and adverse outcomes such as recidivism. This action research sought to uncover whether mental health disparities in social work practice in the juvenile justice system were due to race and ethnicity and asked social workers to recommend strategies to improve mental health availability, access, and provision. Participants in the study were social workers who …