Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reducing High-Risk Young Adult Offenders' Attrition From Reentry Programs, Rosema Jackielyn Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Reentry programs have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism. These same programs experience high attrition rates that degrade effectiveness and reduce capacity. Recidivism rates are reported as over 77% after 5 years from release which negatively impact society, victims and the released offenders. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine recently released offenders' insights regarding attrition from reentry programs to provide program administrators with themes that may be useful in addressing attrition. Social learning theory was used to frame the study. Audio recordings were collected during semistructured interviews with 21 reentry program participants. The recordings were transcribed and …

Improvement In The Retention Of Graduate Nurses In A Long-Term Acute Care Hospital, Angie Lim Torres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high turnover rate of graduate nurses is a challenge in the United States' hospitals because of high job dissatisfaction rates. The premature disaffiliation of the graduate nurses is costly for organizations and can significantly affect the quality and safety of patient care due to the inadequate supply of adequately prepared staff nurses, particularly in the long-term acute care hospitals. The purpose of the project was to decrease the turnover rate of graduate nurses in a long-term acute care setting from 40% to 20% through modification of the nurse residency program by applying an intervention based on Bauer and Erdogan's …

The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership Behaviors And Employee Engagement And Turnover Intent, James Bruce Bright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The fast food industry is experiencing issues related to employee engagement and retention. Researchers have shown that managers' transformational leadership behaviors impact employee engagement and turnover intent in various work environments; however, no research to date has evaluated its influence on the fast food industry's hourly-wage, nonmanagement workforce. Building on the theoretical research of Burns and Bass, this study was conducted to examine the relationships among managers' 5 transformational leadership behaviors of idealized influence attributes, idealized influence behavior, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration and employee engagement and turnover intent. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire , the Utrecht Work Engagement …

Role Identity And The Transition From Police Department To Civilian Life, Susanne Tufano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An individual may internalize their role as a police officer which may affect identity when that role is changed at retirement. The purpose of this study was to measure the identity role effects of former police personnel who have transitioned from a police department to civilian life. Past research has indicated identity change with role transition. Social identity theory addressed individuals who categorize, identify, and compare themselves as part of a group. Role theory addressed behavior based on social membership, which may change when roles are transitioned. Adjustment regarding a voluntarily verses a forced early retirement from a police department …

The Relationship Between Law Enforcement Agency Size And Police Stress, William Warner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that law enforcement officers often experience stress. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the size of the law enforcement agency (small, medium, or large) had any significant influence on how police officers perceive stress in their profession from a cognitive appraisal perspective with regards to Administrative/Organizational Pressure, Physical/Psychological Threats, and Lack of Support. Members of law enforcement (N = 144) from Utah and New York were surveyed utilizing Spielberger et al.'s Police Stress Survey. Archival data were provided by the National Police Suicide Foundation. Stress index scores were calculated manually for each survey …

The Efficacy Of Neurofeedback In The Treatment Of Autism., Rosemary Akhavan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism is a disorder that impairs the development of a person's ability to interact with other people and to relate productively with the outside world. There are many types of interventions being used to treat autism, but there are no cures or definitive treatments for this disorder. A biological theoretical foundation was the basis of this study, as recent neuroimaging techniques have demonstrated that autism is a neurological disorder that reveals distinct abnormalities in the brain. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of neurofeedback (NFB) in the treatment of autism. NFB has shown promise of improving …

Effect Of Eustress, Flow, And Test Anxiety On Physical Therapy Psychomotor Practical Examinations, Todd Joseph Bourgeois

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students at the graduate level undergo higher levels of stress compared to their peers, and this stress is known to affect academic performance. Most of the research is focused on the negative aspect of stress. Positive psychology aspects, such as eustress and flow, are related to success in some activities; however, it is unknown whether these correlate with academic performance. Several stress-related theories-Yerkes-Dodson curve, cybernetics, conservation of resources, and choking under pressure-guided this quantitative study of the effects of eustress, flow, and cognitive test anxiety (CTA) on a psychomotor practical examination for physical therapy students. A sample of 192 physical …

Black Individuals' Lived Experiences With Racial Microaggressions And Implications In Counseling, Letitia V. Browne-James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of racial microaggressions in the United States has important implications for counseling due to the mental and physical health concerns individuals who experience them may develop. Although the current literature addresses racial microaggressions among Black individuals and implications for counseling, no qualitative studies that included the voices of Black individuals using relational cultural theory were found. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Black individuals who have encountered racial microaggressions and learn their perspectives on what counselors can do to help them in counseling. Adding this perspective will help fill this gap …

Exploring Restorative Factors For Trafficked And Sexually Exploited Women, Carol C. Chilaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Many women who survived sex trafficking continue to suffer from severe and persistent psychological distress even after the traditional treatment and rehabilitation program. The lingering psychological symptoms that these survivors suffer make reintegration into their families and communities difficult. This phenomenological study identified the restorative factors that helped some women who were earlier engaged in sex trafficking to recover, readjust, and reintegrate into their families and communities. Six female survivors of human trafficking and six program directors/counselors at different rehabilitation centers were individually interviewed in in-depth with semi-structured questionnaires and audio recorded. I kept diary of my readings and …

Motivation And Limits To Physical Activity In Adults Over 80 In An Assisted Living, Christine Mary Childers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thirty percent of older adults fall every year with devastating physical and economic consequences. Physical activity is the primary recommendation for fall prevention, but less than 30% of older adults meet the physical activity guidelines of the various professional organizations. Recent work demonstrated that psychological factors were more specific in identifying fall risk but work on psychological issues related to physical activity in the older adult is limited. This study explored motivation and limits to being physically active in 76 adults with a mean age of 88 living in the assisted living setting, using concurrent mixed method research. The theoretical …

Predictive Relationship Between Anger And Violence In Canadian Secondary Students, Lawrence Alfred Deck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Violence among Canadian secondary students remains a concern for administrators, teachers, community members, and students. The purpose of this retrospective quantitative nonexperimental study was to examine the predictive relationship between anger and violence among secondary students in Canada using the Anger Regulation and Expression Scale (ARES). The general aggression model provided the framework for the study. Survey data were collected from 138 students using the ARES. Demographic data and archival data from students' school files were also collected. Results of receiver operator characteristic analysis and binary logistic regression indicated that the ARES total score provided fair to good predictive ability …

Use Of Facebook As A Social Support System To Maintain An Individual's Resource Pool, Michelle Fontaine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress affects individuals' physiology, mood, behavior, and cognitive abilities. Social support has been found effective in buffering stress. The social networking site Facebook allows individuals to connect to others to share stories, pictures, and general life events and, in so doing, offers a means of social support that bridges geographical distances for friends and family. There is limited research, however, on whether using Facebook buffers against stress. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of Facebook for social support using the conservation of resources theoretical model of stress management. Fifty-seven Facebook users over the age of …

Professional Counselors' Lived Experiences Of Counseling Gender Diverse Clients, Veronica Monea Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender diverse individuals experience stigma, discrimination, and transprejudice regularly, in response to daily interactions with society. These negative experiences lead to the development of physical, mental, and emotional instability. Gender diverse individuals experience transprejudice and discriminatory experiences in transpohobic counseling environments. Furthermore, current research highlights the need for counselors to increase training and knowledge to work with gender diverse individuals. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study, grounded in a Heideggerian philosophy, was to illuminate the lived experiences of professional counselors engaging in counseling with gender diverse clients and bridge the gap in the current literature. Data were collected from …

Life Stress, Coping, Perceived Health, And Health Outcomes Among Eastern Orthodox, Athina-Eleni Goudanas Mavroudhis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clergy exhibit higher stress and mortality rates in relation to their nonclergy counterparts. Despite current research on clergy stress and mortality rates, health perceptions and health outcomes of Western religious oriented clergy have been understudied. Even less is known about health perceptions and health outcomes of Eastern religious oriented clergy. The role of stress, coping, and health perceptions in predicting actual health outcomes is important to study in clerical populations because of the impact their health might have on serving their parishioners. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine the relative strength of life stress, coping styles, …

The Predictive Nature Of Vicarious Trauma In School Counselors, Connie J. Honsinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, the counseling profession has begun to recognize the impact of vicarious trauma on counselors who provide services to individuals who have experienced trauma. The constructivist self-development theory asserts that interpersonal frameworks can determine healthy versus unhealthy coping styles and impact a counselor's susceptibility to vicarious trauma. Researchers have explored vicarious trauma in a number of professions such as mental health counseling and social work however they have not examined potential risk factors specific to school counseling. The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate variables associated with vicarious trauma in school counselors. The research focused …

Coping, Conforming, And Liquid Courage As Predictors Of Binge Drinking Among Female College Students, Melania Kim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

College-student binge drinking presents a significant health problem on college campuses. Binge drinking has typically been associated with male college students. The rate of binge drinking (4 or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion) for female college students increased from 46% in 1991-1992 to 52% in 2011-2012. Female alcoholics are more vulnerable to high risk of liver disease, circulatory disorders, breast cancer, fertility issues, and early menopause. Given these risks and increases in the rate of female college student binge drinking, there is a need to identify motivations for/expectations from binge drinking among females. Using the foundation of social …

African American Women Leaders, Intersectionality, And Organizations, Kena Renee Mayberry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggested that African American women (AAW) leaders are overlooked as candidates

for senior level positions in organizations. The problem that prompted this study was the lack of empirical research surrounding the intersectionality of race and gender and how this dual identity informed their leadership development and excluded AAW from the leadership promotion group identified by organizations. The research questions addressed how AAW described their career trajectory, strategies that were used to transform institutional barriers into leadership opportunities, how AAW leaders perceived their dual identity as contributing to their unique organizational experiences, and how AAW leaders perceived their role as …

Adults Aged 65+ And The Societal Pressure To Exercise, Susan Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, by 2050, the older adult population will be larger than other age segments of the population. Government programs and health care guidelines are being put in place to help encourage exercise. However, there is little information on how the societal pressure presented in these government programs makes people feel, especially those over the age of 65. The purpose of the present study was to understand what the societal pressure to exercise means to adults over the age of 65 using a qualitative, phenomenological approach and employing in-depth interviews using the health belief model as the guiding framework. The interview …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Phenomenon Of Vicarious Resilience In Law Enforcement Officers, Janet M. Pair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) often bear witness to trauma in others, leaving them vulnerable to vicarious traumatization. Vicarious resilience can counterbalance the negative effects of trauma work and help individuals avoid vicarious traumatization. This study investigated the phenomenon of vicarious resilience in 10 LEOs. The research questions focused on how the LEOs experienced witnessing victims demonstrate resilience during adversity and how they themselves were impacted by that experience. A phenomenological methodology and semi-structured interviews were used to explore the participants' experiences. Constructivist self-development theory and vicarious resilience were the conceptual frameworks used to explain how LEOs experience vicarious trauma and …

The Novice Licensed Professional Counselor's Perceived Preparedness To Use Self-Disclosure, Nicole Pfaff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-disclosure is used by feminist, humanistic, client-centered, and a variety of other counselors to build therapeutic alliances with clients. However, little research has been conducted on counselors' perceptions of their preparedness to use self-disclosure. This exploratory multiple-case study used attachment theory as a framework to explore the perceptions of novice licensed professional counselors' preparedness to use self-disclosure. The 12 participants who participated in face-to-face interviews practiced as licensed professional counselors in Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. The participants described how they learned, practiced, and used self-disclosure. After analyzing interview data through cycle coding and peer review, themes emerged showing participants' …

The Sexual Identity Development Of Gay Men In China, Stephen Pijanowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited research describes the impact of ethnic groups and mores, especially those of Asian ethnicities, on the development of a global queering theory of sexual-identity development. The purpose of this grounded-theory study was to investigate the sexual-identity development of homosexuals in a non-Western collectivist culture and the extent of influence Western gay expatriates have on Chinese gay males' sexual-identity development. Five identity-development models served as the theoretical foundations of this study: Cass, Troiden, McCarn and Fassinger, D'Augelli, Gock, and the conceptual theory of global queering. NVivo aided in data organization, while coding and analysis were applied to the data. Individual, …

The Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team Member's Perception Of The Mental Health Professional, Timothy Quigley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hostage/crisis negotiation has been described as a complex verbal dance between the negotiator and the subject. While one of law enforcement's most effective tools and most significant developments in law enforcement and police psychology over the past several decades, the acceptance of mental health professionals (MHP) on a hostage/crisis negotiation team is ambiguous. This study examined how mental health professionals working with hostage/crisis negotiation teams are perceived, if there is positive small group socialization within teams, whether the outcome of incidents is affected by designation of the MHP as a team member versus a consultant, and whether prior law enforcement …

Lived Experiences Of Mothers Raising Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Nigeria, Joyce Itseme Ulofoshio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism has no cure, but early and appropriate diagnosis and intervention may increase outcomes for individuals affected. The level of awareness, acceptance, and support for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nigeria is very low. There is a gap in the literature regarding a detailed account of the experiences of parents raising children with ASD within the Nigerian environment and culture. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of mothers raising children with ASD in Nigeria including the impact of Nigerian culture on their experiences. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was the guiding conceptual framework …

Workplace Antidiscrimination Policy Effect On Transgender Employee Job Satisfaction, Stacie Christian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Not all organizations in Wisconsin have transgender inclusive antidiscrimination policies. Leadership can use the results of this study to understand the effect of antidiscrimination policies on transgender employee job satisfaction. Quantitative data were collected from transgender employees aged 18 years or older who were employed but not self-employed in the state of Wisconsin. The relationship between the presence and absence of transgender inclusive antidiscrimination policy and job satisfaction was addressed by creating an anonymous online survey that contained demographic questions, the 1997 Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and the Job in General (JIG). Participants were notified of the study using fliers …

Influence Of Psychological Needs And Gaming Motivation On Well-Being Of Adult Gamers, Rene Sterling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult online gaming is a fast-growing global entertainment industry, and many gamers spend more time playing games and less time engaging in work or other activities, which negatively affects their lives and relationships. This quantitative study addressed how psychological needs and gaming motivation predicted gaming behavior, life satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction using a mediational model. The theoretical foundation was self-determination theory, which addresses how personal choices are influenced by internal factors, especially psychological needs and motivation. An online survey was used to collect self-reported data from a convenience sample of 935 adult gaming participants using the Basic Needs Satisfaction in …

Therapeutic Alliance Between African American Clients And European American Providers: A Phenomenological Study, Dr. Pamela Johnson-Hood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans do not seek mental health help at the same rate, as do European Americans; furthermore, African Americans who do seek help tend to leave therapy prematurely. A poor therapeutic alliance between African American clients and European American clinicians may be one reason that African Americans do not seek therapy or leave prematurely. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of African American clients in therapeutic relationship with European American clinicians. Rogers' theory of therapeutic alliance, which included empathy as a key concept, served as the conceptual framework of this study. Through purposeful sampling …

Substance Abuse And Depression: Exploring Changes In Symptomology In Minority Subgroups, Ruth Michel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While a comorbid relationship between substance abuse and depression in Caucasian adults has been widely documented, comorbid substance abuse and depression in minorities remains unexplored, leaving a gap in knowledge concerning the treatment of these comorbid disorders in the fastest growing population in the United States. Cognitive behavior theory posits that specific stressors increase the likelihood of substance abuse. These factors may include structural discrimination experienced by minorities. This quantitative, pretest-posttest archival study examined the effects of a substance abuse treatment program in reducing comorbid depressive symptoms among 317 participants from 3 minority subgroups and a comparison nonminority group enrolled …

Resilience Or Recovery: A Phenomenological Investigation Into Parental Bereavement, Anita Elderkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Facing the death of a loved one is often a traumatic experience; when the deceased is one's own child, the loss may be the most stressful event of one's life. There has been very little research into the phenomenon of being a bereaved parent. This study is a phenomenological investigation into the lived experience of being a bereaved parent and whether resilience or recovery plays a role in how parents move through and eventually past such a loss to continue with their own lives. Previous research has indicated that adjustment to traumatic experiences can take multiple pathways or trajectories, depending …

Narratives Of Men Living With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Kimberly Vandermark Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been traditionally viewed as a woman's disease, SLE impacts men as well. Although most research on SLE has concentrated on how it affected women, little is known about how it impacts men. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how men who live with SLE perceive its psychological impact. Using the lens of the biopsychological theory, common themes were examined pertaining to how men with SLE perceive the impact that SLE has on their cognitive and emotional functioning. Data were collected via interviews with 9 men with SLE, and the data were …

The Link Between Therapists' Social Class Attributions And Treating Clients Of Low Socioeconomic Status, Dan Sharir

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social class may impact the ways people are perceived and treated by others. The social class attributions of therapists may influence the manner in which they conceptualize their clients' problems and their relationship with their clients. There is a gap in the literature concerning the link between therapists' social class attributions and their responses toward low socioeconomic status (SES) clients in actual clinical settings, which could impact the therapists' interaction with their clients and the treatment process. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to examine the links between therapists' social class attributions and their experiences with low …