Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Connection Between Pain, Perceived Disability, Emotional/Behavioral Problems, And Treatment Satisfaction, Penny Renee Drake

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With more than 100 million Americans living in chronic pain (CP), there is a growing need for better and more effective pain management strategies. CP can result from an injury, disease, or an emotional or psychological issue. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study using a multiple linear regression procedure was to determine if CP patients’ perception of their disability as measured by the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS) and their emotional and/or behavioral problems as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index predict their satisfaction with their pain management regimen as measured by the researcher-produced instrument Survey of Satisfaction with Pain …

African Immigrants' U.S. Experience Of Mental Health, Mental Illness, And Help-Seeking, Bartholomew Edem-Enang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine and explore African immigrants’ U.S. experience of mental health, mental illness, and help-seeking. Mental health, mental illness, and help-seeking are misunderstood public health issues. Indigenous cultural stigma concerning mental illness and help-seeking and mistrust of Western medicine inhibit African immigrants from reporting mental illness and seeking treatment. The segmented assimilation theory (SAT) and cultural risk theory (CRT) and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) were used to guide data collection and analysis. Data were collected from a sample of 9 African immigrants who migrated from countries within the Five Main Regions of Africa …

Behavioral Strategies And Predicting Impulsive Aggression In Among Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Raul Alafa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have explored the relationship between the application of written attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impulsive aggression (IA) behavioral intervention strategies with current public-school educational plans in reducing aggression and how exclusion of behavioral strategies may increase aggression and impact students’ long-term ability to control emotions. However, the social learning theory of aggression suggests that positive self-efficacy and modeling may improve effective coping. This study explored the relationship between aggression as measured by the modified overt aggression scale and the individualized education program (IEP)/504 Plan behavioral strategies’ effectiveness for ADHD aggression as measured by a repeated measured analysis of variance. Data …

Understanding The Predictive Value Of Personality Traits And Executive Functioning In Emotional Intelligence, Isa C. Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) identifies numerous areas within life that are impacted by the development of higher EI, including school performance, work performance, parenting, relationship patterns, and more. The implications of EI appear to be far-reaching, yet the understanding of how EI develops in an individual continues to be vague and unclear. The purpose of this quantitative study was to account for the roles that personality factors and executive functions play in EI. By incorporating personality trait theory and executive function theory, a survey was designed and disseminated online resulting in 89 completed surveys of participants between the …

The Relationship Between Distress Intolerance, Emotional Dysregulation, And Social Networking Site Addiction, Matthew Nozaki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of social networking sites (SNSs) continues to increase. SNS addiction refers to the maladaptive behaviors associated with addiction and the use of SNSs. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between emotional dysregulation and SNS addiction as well as investigate the association between distress intolerance and SNS addiction through emotional dysregulation. The social cognitive theory served as the theoretical framework. A total of 210 individuals completed an anonymous online survey through Qualtrics, which consisted of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS). Linear regression was …

Conflict In Human Relationships And Seeking Out Pets As A Safe Haven, Jennifer Rachael Bakal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has revealed the positive physical and the psychological aspects of pet ownership, suggesting that an individual’s attachment style can impact the kind of relationship they have with their pet. Two theories guided this qualitative study; the first was Bowlby’s attachment theory, which suggests that if a child feels that the attachment figure is attentive and accessible, the child will feel loved and secure. Another theory was Ainsworth’s attachment theory in which attachment figures are described as possessing four features: proximity maintenance, separation distress, secure base, and safe haven. This study consisted of 212 participants at least 18 years old …

Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games And Their Effects On Life Satisfaction And Social Skills, Heidi Mccreary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) gaming is a popular trend that is often perceived negatively, including having a lack of social adaptation skills and low life satisfaction. This quantitative study explored whether life satisfaction and social skills were influenced by gaming by comparing MMORPG gamers (casual and avid) and nongamers. This quantitative survey study was built upon the limitations listed in previous research. The hypothesis was that there would be no difference between MMORPG gamers and nongamers regarding life satisfaction and social skills. To conceptualize the influence MMORPG may have, this study used Diener’s conceptualization of the pursuit …

Quality Of Crisis Stabilization Units: Assessing The Treatment Of Adolescents With Co-Occurring Symptoms, Vincent Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest/posttest design study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Las Vegas Valley crisis stabilization units (CSU) in treating adolescents with comorbid mental health disorders. The specific problem entailed examining the efficacy of CSUs in addressing comorbidities among adolescents when dual-diagnosis symptoms were present. Scholarly evidence in this regard was lacking. The quantitative examination included patient data from the Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM). Baseline and outcome CCSM scores of the test required determining whether a statistically significant difference in CCSM scores occurred between the baseline and outcome. The sample was 120 adolescent patients with …

Educational Attainment And Growth Among Individuals With Absent Fathers, Angelica Yolanda Barrera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are more than 20 million children who are growing up in a fatherless home. It is understood that this population is more likely to experience a variety of intrapersonal and interpersonal issues when compared to children who grow up in a home with both parents. These issues include being twice as likely to drop out of school. Although few of these individuals pursue a higher education, very little understanding of the underlying variables that contribute to such education-seeking behaviors is available for this population. Guided by the theory of positive disintegration and the posttraumatic growth conceptual model, the purpose …

Lived Experiences Of Pakistani American Women Who Sought Mental Health Treatment, Marriam Ashraf

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite the research on how mental illness manifests in the United States, there is more to be known about mental health in the Pakistani American population. The goal of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of Pakistani American women who sought mental health treatment. Ecological theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semi structured interviews with 10 participants via telephone and face-to-face conversations. Data were analyzed using managing, reading, memoing, describing, classifying, interpreting, representing, and visualizing techniques. Findings indicated that seeking help for mental health played a positive role in participants being …

Treatment Efficacy Of Parent-Led Aba For Children With Autism And Their Parents, Lindsey Renee Sneed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex and heterogenous, neurodevelopmental disorder. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a common treatment modality for children with autism with marked improvements demonstrated in communication, social, and adaptive functioning. The most common implementation of ABA is a practitioner-led model, whereby a paraprofessional directly implements treatment with the oversight of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst®. Parent mediated treatments are another model proving to be efficacious for children with autism and their parents. While this model is applied in therapeutic treatments such as speech pathology, early intervention, and other behavioral approaches (e.g., ESDM, PRT), parent mediated treatment has …

Effects Of Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, And Compassion Fatigue On Attrition Intention Of African American Mental Health Professionals, Kimberly A. Andrews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe African American community tends to stigmatize mental health services and is underrepresented in both client and therapist populations. Retention of African American mental health professionals (MHPs) may mitigate distrust in these services, allowing more individuals to seek out counseling. The purpose of this nonexperimental survey study was to investigate if compassion fatigue, burnout, or compassion satisfaction can predict intended attrition rates in African American MHPs. Constructivist self-development theory was employed to predict both resiliency and the potential adverse effects of listening to client narratives of 99 African American MHPs with a variety of mental health credentials. Stepwise multiple regression …

Stressors Of Single Fatherhood In California, Dr. Kenneth Jones, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This grounded theory study aimed to address the lack of awareness and resources available for single custodial fathers to address stressors in caring for their children. The findings of this qualitative study were derived from electronic correspondence and semi-structured individual interviews with 16 single primary custodial fathers residing in the state of California. The data were analyzed inductively following Percy et al.’s step-by-step process, which generated the following overarching themes: (a) societal stressors, (b) the aftermath of separation from child’s mother, (c) the reason for separation from child’s mother, (d) hands-on work in raising a child and accomplishing chores, (e) …

The Effect Of Social Media Use On Physical Isolation In Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder, Davena Limitless Longshore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience extreme interpersonal conflict, crippling their ability to sustain successful relationships. Consequently, clinicians within the psychological field face difficulty in devising treatments plans which can assist these individuals with suffering minimal relationship loss. The purpose of this study was to understand how current technological methods of social interaction affect individuals who suffer from BPD to improve treatment outcomes. This research was guided by the principles of attachment theory and social baseline theory. A quantitative correlational design using social network analysis and multiple regression analysis was used to examine data from surveys. Participants were solicited …

The Experience Of Therapists Working With Mexican American Children Of Substance Abusing Parents, Tracy M. Basile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe need for culturally competent mental health providers and the Mexican American immigrant population in the United States are growing. This study focused on themes from therapists’ narratives that may help to comprehend the intricacy of difficulties facing Mexican American children living with substance-abusing parents. The firsthand knowledge and experiences of the therapists who have worked with this population provided a basic understanding of what to expect and which therapeutic interventions may work best for both the child and their parents. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to qualitatively identify therapists’ lived experiences and understand how they interacted with …

Invariant Structural Features Of Retrograde Amnesia Affected Memory, Daniel K. Burch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatized individuals may use one or several emotional defensive strategies to cope with their experience; one method is via autobiographical amnesia which may influence the efficacy of amnesiac patients’ psychological adjustment during a sensitive period. Little research has addressed the potential of how emotionally invariant structural features may impact the reconsolidation of autobiographical memory, which in turn may support patients to complete successfully psychotherapeutic treatment or intervention. This phenomenological study addressed how lived experiences (i.e., invariant emotional and behavioral conscious states) may play into patients’ transformational memory of some or all of the traumatizing event details. To answer these questions, …

Phenomenological Study Of Parental Perceptions Regarding Components Of Early Home Reading, Shakiba Amini Mobaraki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany children struggle with developing their reading skills at the point of starting formal elementary school. Parents contribute to their children’s literacy development through early home reading engagement aimed at improving their children’s reading skills. Parental styles of literacy interactions are associated with their beliefs and perceptions regarding literacy development of children. Therefore, there was a need to understand parental perceptions regarding (a) the importance of child’s readiness for reading interactions, (b) the quality of parent-child reading activities, and (c) the importance of parental preferences regarding specific reading materials. The research questions focused on parents’ lived experiences regarding the values …

The Relationships Between Personality Characteristics Of Hardiness And Resilient Grief Outcomes In An Aging Female Population, Meryle J. Vinje

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThere is increasing empirical evidence that bereaved individuals vary considerably in their reactions to loss and that individuals experience varying pathways through the grief process. This quantitative correlational study advanced understanding of Bonanno’s pathways to resilient grief theory and contributed to the strengths-based grief and bereavement literature by examining if hardiness commitment, control, and challenge were significantly related to grief resolution and posttraumatic growth (PTG), controlling for participant age, depression, religiosity, and time since the death of a spouse, in a sample of 218 widowed women aged 50 or older. Descriptive findings revealed that study participants were in their mid-60s, …

Military Wives’ Perspectives Of The Impact Of Deployment On Marital Satisfaction, Karla A. Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the inception of the Global War on Terror in 2001, over one and a half million United States military soldiers have deployed overseas to combat zones. Consequently, soldiers and their spouses have undergone numerous psychological challenges as well as a shift in the marital dynamics during a deployment. Difficulties in relationships created by the demands of deployment may lead to the dissolution of a marriage. Hence, the purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the impact of military deployment on marital satisfaction as experienced by military spouses. This study was grounded in the family systems theory and involved …

Influence Of Parenting Style On Frequency Of Alcohol Consumption By Jewish Male And Female Emerging Adults, Thomas Gross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The health hazards associated with young adults’ frequency of alcohol consumption have been well documented. It has been shown that 40.1% of emerging adults have been involved in binge drinking (i.e., consumption of more than five drinks in a row). The current prevalence rates of alcohol use among young male and female adults are 19% and 26%, respectively. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of perceived parenting style (i.e., permissive, authoritarian, or authoritative/flexible) on the self-reported frequency of alcohol consumption of 138 U.S. Jewish male and female college students ages 19 to 27 years. The …

Integration Of Morphine And Virtual Reality: Pain Management For Adult Hospice Cancer Patients, Arlisa Hurd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is currently a problem in that cancer patients engaging in hospice may experience an excessive amount of perceived pain and a decreased quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore an intervention that could lessen the perceived pain experienced by, and increase the quality of life of, cancer patients engaging in hospice. Immersion music virtual reality (IMVR) allows a user to interact with a realistic, computer-generated environment. 3D music (IMVR) is likely suited for pain management with patients in hospice and was used for this study. The theory for the study is the gate control theory. …

Coping Strategies Among Disciplined Psychologists Working High-Conflict Custody Cases, Stephanie Joy Norris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychologists who work with high conflict custody cases have one of the highest risks of receiving a board complaint against their license. There is no qualitative research specific to psychologists who have been disciplined from their state licensing board because of their work with high conflict custody cases. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the meaning of the experiences of psychologists who have worked or are currently working on high-conflict custody cases and have received discipline from their state licensing board. The transactional theory of stress and coping was used as the foundation for which …

Vicarious Traumatization And Vicarious Resilience In Mental Health Professionals: An Investigation Of Group Differences, Marie Demchak-Buotte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate individual differences between mental health professionals with varied levels of clinical experience and their personal levels of vicarious trauma (VT) and vicarious resilience (VR) as measured by the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), respectively. A sample of 161 mental health professionals in New York State completed the scales and separate one-way between-subjects ANOVA tests examined the relationship between variables. A test for the moderating effect of the percentage of trauma clients on the clinician’s caseloads was also conducted between experience level of the clinician and their …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention For Prevention Of Anxiety And Mood Disorders In Public Safety Personnel, Jacquelyne Yan Wong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to repeated exposure to highly stressful work environments, public safety personnel (PSP) are at risk for developing symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders. The present study employed a quantitative, randomized-controlled trial (RCT) design to examine the impact of a novel cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) psychoeducational intervention on symptom levels of anxiety and depression. Participants were recruited from police, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency communications personnel. A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention arm or the waitlist comparison arm. General linear mixed models were used to examine the difference in symptom outcomes for those who participated in …

Chronic Pain, Malingering, And The Word Memory Test, Dawn Marie Emmett Bishop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe importance of using scientifically grounded strategies to detect malingering has been established in the literature and past research. Many reliable tools have been established for the detection of malingered neurocognition; however, research on how pain may affect these tools is sparse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pain on cognitive symptom validity testing and to establish the validity of the Word Memory Test (WMT), a cognitive symptom validity test with good sensitivity and specificity, when the test taker is feigning pain (simulating) or remembering pain. The biopsychosocial model and the gate theory of pain …

Empathy And Risk For Compassion Fatigue Among Immigrant African Pastors In The United States, Paul Affar Meenu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of caregiver empathy in positive client outcomes has been established in the literature. However, helping traumatized people has a potentially deleterious emotional effect on the helping professional, putting them at risk for compassion fatigue. The stress-process model provided the framework for the study. Survey data were collected from 138 immigrant African pastors in the United States. Compassion fatigue dimensions were measured by the Professional Quality of Life Scale, and empathy dimensions were measured by the Empathy Assessment Index. Results of multivariate canonical correlation analysis revealed that empathy predicts compassion fatigue susceptibility. Pastors who scored low on empathy subscales …

East African Immigrants’ Perceptions Of Mental Illness In The United States, Marion R. Kwoba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental illness is considered a silent killer in East Africa as it affects 1 in 4 people. Differences exist in how individuals from Western countries perceive mental illness compared to East Africans’ perceptions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of East African immigrants to the United States and the impact of these experiences on their perceptions of mental illness. Social learning theory and Berry’s acculturation model provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from 12 semistructured individual interviews with participants 20 years and older. The three themes that emerged from coding analysis …

Phenomenological Study Of Fathers’ Parental Alienation Experiences, Jerry Dean Gibson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHigh-conflict divorce and resulting parental alienation (PA) impact both the children and the parent who has been the target of PA. This situation has been found to cause mental health issues and unhealthy coping skills in children. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nonresidential fathers who were alienated from their children in the context of a high-conflict separation or divorce. This study was rooted in Bowlby’s attachment theory. Data were collected from interviews with 10 adult participants. The software program Quirkos was used to review the data and discern thematic patterns and correlate …

Effects Of Mindful Attentional Regulation On Illicit Opioid Use For Individuals Participating In Medication Assisted Treatment: A Pilot Study, Stephen Sooter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIllicit opioid use takes thousands of Americans’ lives each year, reduces the quality of life for affected individuals, and results in sizable socioeconomic costs. Existing research has supported medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for this condition; however, MAT participants often continue to experience opioid craving and using behaviors. Mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) uses mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce likelihood of substance use relapse. This study used a combination of physical dependence theory, positive incentive theory, and classical conditioning theory to evaluate the impact of MBRP on illicit opioid use and cravings in a quantitative randomized, controlled experimental design. …

Narratives Of Chronic Pain After Treatment In Adult Patients, Matthew Sebastian Vittucci

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States 100 million people live with pain and must negotiate complicated clinical decisions that lead to a variety of treatments to control pain, some of which are effective and some that are not. Social identity theory and attribution theory guided the development of the interview protocol and analysis plan. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the complex nature of living with chronic pain through the narratives of seventeen adults in chronic pain for at least 3 months. Structural and thematic approaches were used to analyze the data. The structural results revealed three groups of participants: those …