Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Healthy Weight Maintenance: Narrative Analysis Of Weight Cycling In The Formerly Obese, Cheri Renee Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical and economic costs for obesity are estimated at $147 billion per year, yet less than 1/3 of overweight individuals successfully maintain weight loss. The literature is replete with descriptions of the problem and research on treatments, yet demonstrations of effective loss and maintenance are lacking. Missing is an understanding of the experiences of individuals who successfully maintained healthy weight loss, which could provide insights regarding effective psycho-social interventions. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore key events and experiences in the lives of former weight cyclers. The primary phenomena of interest included weight cycling and sustained …

Issues Affecting Sexual Decisions Among Black Women In The Era Of Hiv/Aids, Saecilia Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV/AIDS became a significant concern in the United States (U.S.) during the 1980s and in recent years has increased the most among people living in underserved urban areas, particularly impacting Black women ages 24-35. Guided by the social learning theory, this phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and behaviors of Black women in the south in order to understand their sexual health decisions and how those decisions impact the spread of HIV/AIDS among this group. The central research question focused on understanding the sexual decision making of Black women in Georgia, from the perspective of the client and provider. Convenience …

Addressing Internalizing Problems In Middle School Youth With Check In/Check Out, Malgorzata Borawska-Popielarz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 20,000 primary- and secondary-level schools, which represent 20% of all schools in the United States, are implementing school-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) to enhance socially desirable behavior and promote a decline of problematic behavior among students. The overall efficacy of the 3-tier SWPBS framework is well documented. However, a paucity of empirical research addresses the use of check in/check out (CICO), a Tier 2 intervention, for youth who present as quiet and withdrawn, and who are at risk of academic and social disengagement. Accordingly, this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent groups study assessed the overall effectiveness of CICO and considered the …

How Social Media Affects The Annual Fund Revenues Of Nonprofit Organizations, Kelley Lynn Malcolm

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media's impact on nonprofit organizations' annual fund revenues has not been widely studied. The purpose of this case study was to examine how one organization used Facebook and Twitter to build and maintain relationships with its constituents and how those relationships affected annual fund revenues. The organization selected was a national voluntary health nonprofit that conducts research on pediatric brain tumors causes and treatments and provides support to families facing a diagnosis. Hon and Grunig's measurements for long-term organization-public relationships and Kelly's theory of fundraising were the conceptual basis for this study. Data were collected through interviews with employees …

Life Events, Initial Sexual Behaviors, And Teenage Pregnancy Among African American Females, Yonzetta Brook Tillman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teenage pregnancy is disproportionate between African American and Caucasian females. This disproportion is notable because African American teenagers are 3 times more likely to become pregnant than their Caucasian counterparts are. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists among major life events, sexual behaviors, and resultant teenage pregnancy among African American females in the United States. The theoretical framework for this study was social learning theory. Three key research questions focused on relationships among (a) major life events and initial sexual behavior, (b) ethnicity, and (c) teenage pregnancy. Independent variables were life event and ethnicity, …

Development Of A Practice Guideline For Dnp Prepared Nurse Practitoners Working In Long-Term Care Facilities, Ashley M. Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical evidence-based practice guidelines providing recommendations for health care decision making have become vital components of long-term health care practice in the United States. Frequently changing guidelines have complicated nurse practitioners' (NPs) efforts to implement evidence-based practice into the daily care that they provide to patients. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based practice guideline for doctoral-prepared NPs working in long-term care facilities. This project is important because practitioners use practice guidelines to provide patients with the most appropriate, evidence-based care. Kolcaba's comfort theory was used to guide this project. Kolcaba's theory holds that comfort exists in …

Police Officer Perception Of Wellness Programs, Ellen M. Chism

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officer applicants need to be in top physical condition and must pass a physical

ability test in order to be accepted into the police academy. However, many police

departments do not require incumbent police officers to take such tests after passing the

academy, even though the job requirements may not change. Research has documented

the importance of police officer fitness and its applicability to their work. Separate

studies have also shown the benefit of organizational wellness programs to employees.

There is a gap in the literature, however, regarding police officer perceptions of physical

fitness as it relates to police …

Privacy Concerns Regarding The Use Of Biometrics In Trusted Traveler Programs, Shari Merlano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the objectives of the U.S. government is to balance the individual’s right to privacy and national security interests. Trusted Traveler programs create a risk-based security model where the traveling public is categorized into low or high risk. There are, however, some privacy concerns related to the acceptance of the use of biometric technology in the adoption of expedited security screening procedures in commercial airports. The theoretical construct of this case study of the TSA Pre-Check Program is based on Ajzen and Fischbein’s theory of reasoned action, specifically through Davis’ technology acceptance model. The purpose of this case study …

Referral And Treatment Settings For Pregnant Women, Linda D. O'Daniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Drug and alcohol addiction in pregnant women is a significant public health issue. The purpose of this study was to assess drug and alcohol addiction in pregnant women and the setting in which they sought service or treatment to determine whether U.S. census regions and race data could predict the type of addiction service or treatment that pregnant addicts chose. The theories of self-efficacy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and rational emotive behavioral therapy were used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions were used to examine whether there was a relationship between the source of addiction treatment referral …

Penalty Enhancement Laws And The Reporting Of Patient Assaults On Emergency Department Nurses, Thomas Runkle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Assaults on emergency department nurses by patients are higher than any other occupation in the private sector. Professional nursing organizations have lobbied for penalty enhancement laws that increase the categorization of assaulting a nurse on duty from a misdemeanor to a felony. As of 2015, 32 states have implemented these laws. Yet, low assault reporting rates by nurses remains a problem, and little is known about whether penalty enhancements improved reporting rates. The purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the impact of penalty enhancement laws on self-reporting of assault on emergency department nurses in 6 Mid-Atlantic cities. Constructs …

The Difference In Attitudes Of Regular And Special Education Teachers Toward Inclusion, Janice Lorraine Brown-Oyola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusion has been introduced throughout the educational community as a method to increase math and reading scores of underachieving schools on standardized tests. The problem was that teachers were not effectively implementing inclusion. Guided by Bandura's (1994) self-efficacy theory, which hypothesizes that a person's sense of efficacy provides information of their capability and the ability to assess their performance, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in attitudes on inclusion between regular and special education teachers using the 4 subsections of the Scale of Teachers: Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms through an …

Validation Of Parsons' Structural Functionalism Theory Within A Multicultural Human, Sandra Simone Minott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shared values and norms are at the core for unifying different cultures socializing or working to fulfill the goals and mission of organizations. Researchers have not examined how employees representing different cultures socialize via shared norms and values in human service companies. The purpose of this ethnography study was to explore the process of 8 culturally different employees working together at a human service organization. Using purposeful sampling, multicultural employees were selected from 4 departments within the human service company. Face-to-face interviews, field notes, questionnaire, and participant observation were the tools for collecting the data. Descriptive coding, value coding, and …

Oppression, Manifesting From A Government Mission Of Positive Social Change, David Palmer Ramstad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Government social interventions hold considerable power over what choices and opportunities impoverished households have available to escape the oppressive socioeconomic trappings of poverty. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is one such program. While there are many positive mission statements of social governance, this study focused on the regressive potential for oppressive institutional policies and practices. Theoretical frameworks guiding the study were Pierce’s 1979 model of oppression and Crenshaw’s 1989 intersectionality theory. The quantitative design’s hypothesis and research question focused on whether significant relationships exist between LIHTC project placement and highest concentrations of six commonly …

Predictors Of Likeliness To Engage In Radical Animal Rights And Environmental Activism, Patsy Mckenzie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Radical animal rights and environmental activism is considered domestic terrorism under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Traditional models of terrorism purport that there is a path to radicalization that is influenced by an individual's sense of identity and ideological beliefs. Using collective identity theory and cognitive experiential self-theory as the framework, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether social identity, cognitive processing mode, and ideological beliefs were predictors for engagement in radical animal rights and environmental activism. The Three Factor Model of Social Identity Scale, the Rational Experiential Inventory, and the Activism Orientation Scale were used to …

Title: Parents And Teachers’ Perceptions And Clinical Diagnosis Of Autism Among White And Non-White Groups, Margaret Gopaul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The pervasiveness of autism has significantly increased over the past 2 decades with the 2014 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report indicating 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Early intervention is recommended as the most effective treatment approach. Nevertheless, previous research has indicated that White children are diagnosed with ASD about 1.5 years earlier than are Non-White children. A current gap remains in literature regarding ASD and different racial groups, and evidence has been inconclusive regarding disparities in identifying and diagnosing ASD. To fill this gap, this study investigated the relationship between child race, …

Personality And Promotion: An Analysis Of The Structured Rank Of Female Officers, Kelly S. Treece

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female law enforcement officers remain an underrepresented population in ranking positions within police organizations in the United States. Current research focuses on systemic factors that inhibit female law enforcement officers within the United States from achieving positions of rank. Grounded in Costa and McCrae's five factor model of personality, this study examined female law enforcement officers' personality traits and their relation to achieved rank. This quantitative study used multiple regression analysis of survey data to determine whether the personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and/or neuroticism alone or in combination predict rank. American female law enforcement officers in both …

The Effect Of Acculturative In The Psychological Adjustment Of Immigrant Hispanic Parents, Estela Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic immigrant parents are a growing yet understudied population. Few studies have addressed the relationship between Hispanic immigrant parents and the acculturation process. The purpose of this study was to determine how acculturative stress, racism, language proficiency, poor coping style, and low levels of social support affect the psychological adjustment of Hispanic immigrant parents. Using the framework of acculturation theory, this quantitative study examined 92 immigrant Hispanic parents from an urban northeast school in the United States. Several established instruments that measured racism, coping style, language proficiency, social support, and psychological distress were used. The results of the multiple regression …

An Educational Initiative To Prevent Unnecessary Hospitalization For Hospice Patients, Alkeisha Hill Mims

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Avoidable hospitalizations of hospice patients cost Medicare $3 billion a year. When hospice nurses are able to identify early signs and symptoms of acute illness and provide appropriate interventions to prevent such admissions, 20-60% of the hospitalizations are preventable. The practice problem addressed in this quality improvement doctor of nursing project was the 30% hospital admission rate of hospice patients as evidenced by chart review, admission data, and revocation data. The first purpose of the project was to identify evidence-based nursing care paths in the literature for the top 5 medical diagnoses related to avoidable hospital admissions. The second purpose …

Effects Of Ceo Changes On Senior Management Leadership Teams Of U.S. Airports, Gale Larine Laroche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Changes in the top leadership position in U.S. airports occur frequently. The purpose of the present phenomenological study was to understand the shared, lived experiences of senior managers who work in a U.S. airport and who have undergone a change in the top leadership position. Airports are of critical importance to their local regions and communities and are economic engines for their respective regions. The results of the study may provide positive social change for airport staff and the surrounding community by drawing attention to the complexity in leadership transition. The study was grounded in organizational stress, uncertainty theory of …

Examining The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Forgiveness Among Internet Users, Noelle Lowry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and forgiveness both involve interpreting emotional content. Empirical study of a relationship between these two constructs is lacking. This is a problem as many psychological studies infer a relationship between these two constructs. The purposes of this study were to explore whether EI and forgiveness are correlated and to identify whether predictor variables (empathy, life satisfaction, emotional management, and emotional understanding) contribute to the probability of forgiveness within an interpersonal relationship. A quantitative, nonexperimental research design, based on the theory of mind, was used to answer two research questions: Does a correlational relationship exist between the two …

Veterans First Contracting Program Preference Hierarchy: Effect On Veteran-Owned Small Business, Harry Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) leaders created a Veterans First Contracting Program (VFCP) under Public Law 109-461 to provide procurement opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs). However, DVA leaders established a preference hierarchy that increased opportunities for SDVOSBs and decreased opportunities for VOSBs. Research was lacking regarding the effects of the preference policy on VOSBs as a distinct small business category. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the experiences of 20 VOSB owners actively enrolled in the VFCP from Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia. Through the lens …

The Usa Patriot Act And Punctuated Equilibrium, Michael Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Currently, Title II of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT Act) Act of 2001 appears to be stalled as a result of controversy over the intent and meaning of the law. Proponents of the title advocate the necessity of the act to combat modern terrorism, whereas opponents warn of circumventions of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Using punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this case study was to explore the dialogue and legal exchanges between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Department of …

Strengthening Participatory Democracy Through Participatory Budgeting, Babatunde Adesegun Sobanjo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although participatory budgeting (PB) was introduced in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2005, it has yet to be widely adopted. While PB has great potential to enhance citizen participation in the democratic process, little academic research has focused on the utility of PB as a mechanism for citizen empowerment in the region. The purpose of this case study was to gain further understanding of the role of civil society in educating and empowering the citizens of Ijede LCDA in Lagos State, Nigeria to participate effectively in budgetary decision-making processes. The data were gathered from 15 semi-structured, one-on-one interviews of purposefully selected participants …

Workplace Bullying: A Quantitative Study Of Adult Victims, Joyce Lynn Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace bullying has gained widespread attention as contributing to the increase in organizational costs and the reduction in employee productivity. Organizations and human resource departments have conducted studies and developed prevention programs to address bullies, but few studies or programs have focused on the role of victims in the onset of bullying. This quantitative study examined the relationship between bullying victimization in the workplace, focusing on personality traits, specific problem solving, and a victim's locus of control belief. A sample (N = 94) of male and female college students completed the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, Heppner's Problem-Solving Inventory, Levenson's Locus of …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Mental Health And Adolescent Depression, Christine Ann Breuer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents have a high rate of untreated mental health issues, specifically related to depression. Current literature does not indicate the impact of teachers' attitudes toward mental health on their decisions to refer students for services. This study provides understanding specifically, how teachers' beliefs about mental health, as well as their age, gender, ethnicity, years of education, and years of teaching, were analyzed to determine the impact each these characteristics had on the decision to refer a student for services. 92 high school teachers participated in this quantitative study by completing a survey measuring their attitudes of mental health, and then …

Implementation Procedures For Puerto Rico's Environmental Laws, Sara Enid Camerón

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2004, Puerto Rico's new environmental legislation became part of the penal code with the intention of protecting the island nation's natural resources through criminal prosecution. However, the problem is a dearth of information about the prosecutions of environmental crimes and the law enforcement agent's implementation practices. The purpose of this study was to describe the execution of the law and the few cases prosecuted. Lipsky and Hull and Hjern's theory of implementation were used to help answer the research question: What are the implementation procedures of law enforcement agents on Puerto Rico's environmental crimes law, and what can be …

Effects Of Acculturation Gap And Attachment Style On South Asian Adolescent Well-Being, Malliga Delaney Delaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

South Asian (SA) adolescents experience the added challenges of identity development and coping as a minority population of color in a predominantly White host culture. Adolescent attachment style (AS) with their parents, along with an acculturation gap (AG) with their parents, can either add to or alleviate their struggles. A matched acculturation style and secure AS with their parents were hypothesized to result in higher ethnic identity and adaptive coping. The Brief COPE, Multiethnic Identity Measure, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, and the Bicultural Inquiry Questionnaire were used to measure the independent (AG and AS) and dependent variables (identity …

Associations Between Adolescent Perceptions Of Parental Interactions And Adolescent Sexual Behaviors, Shakesha (Shai) Fairley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual risk behaviors among U.S. adolescents is a major public health concern. Adolescents are contracting sexually transmitted diseases at alarming rates. The purpose of this research was to identify factors related to parent-child interactions that influence adolescent sexual behaviors. A combination of attachment theory and family systems theory was used to help explain how adolescent sexual choices (age of sexual debut, use of birth control, use of condoms, multiple sex partners in a 12-month period) are affected by the perceived quality of parent-child interactions (maternal/parental closeness, monitoring, communication, and involvement). Archival data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National …

Single Mothers Of Young Children And Continuing Education, Jackiethsha Lynette Fluellen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of households headed by single mothers living in poverty exceeds that of all other categories of poverty-stricken households, and poverty impacts the children negatively in various ways. When single mothers choose not to continue their education, they lessen their chances of finding higher paying jobs and raising their families out of poverty. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand why some single mothers decided to continue into higher education. The study considered the decisions of 6 single mothers of young children in Montgomery County, Texas, and the obstacles they overcame while completing their education. The …

Motivating Factors In Al-Shabaab Recruitment In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lorrie Flores

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past 5 years, a number of U.S. citizens residing in Minneapolis have been reported to have been recruited and radicalized by Al-Shabaab, organization that has played a role in major international terrorist attacks. This, in turn, creates a significant concern related to national security in the United States. Using Hirsch's social bond theory and Merton's theory of relative depravation, the purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the factors that motivate radicalization of young males aged 18 to 25 in Minneapolis. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 6 Somali American adults between the ages of …