Psychology Commons^™

Appointment Follow-Up, Health Outcomes, And Hospitalizations For Individuals Receiving Psychological Treatment, Sandra Ivelisse Silvestre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To improve how healthcare is being provided, many states have focused on enhancing patients' health experiences and outcomes and reducing the per capita cost of care. Even though appointment follow-up is an important part in outpatient treatment programs, not much is known about practical methods to help individuals with mental illnesses into ongoing treatment. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine to what extent patient appointment follow-up adherence at a family health center in New York predicts negative health outcomes and hospitalizations among patients receiving psychological treatment. The theoretical foundation that framed this study was the theory of …

Social Media Effects On Millennials' Counterterrorism Type Of Behaviors, Laura C. Domasneanu-Miulescu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media is a critical and omnipresent component in Millennials' lives. Using social media can lead to significant social change for societies both online and offline. Social media can be used as a tool to combat domestic and foreign terrorism and to protect our society. Prosocial perceptions and behaviors exhibited on a social media platform can transcend online social culture and produce replicas of those behaviors in the real world. Research in social activism portrayed by Millennials via social media is limited, and research regarding social media use and counterterrorism behaviors of Millennials has not yet been attempted. The current …

Teachers' Characteristic And Exceptional Student Academic Learning Outcomes In Middle School, Brenda Ineca Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal mandates ensure that each and every child regardless of race, national origins, and socioeconomic status, is entitled to a high-quality education. Reports from the Department of Education have stated that over 80% of exceptional students receive their academic instructions within general education classrooms. There is limited research on exceptional students learning outcomes in general education classrooms with general education curriculum. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test the theory of self-determination that explains the impact of teacher characteristics (N = 85 educators) on the academic outcomes of exceptional students in the special and general education classrooms. Teacher …

The Experiences Of Elementary School Counselors In Bullying Intervention And Prevention, Shannon Matthews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying has become a focus in American society over the past several decades due to publicized bullying cases and the impact bullying has on victims. Researchers have conducted studies to determine the definitions, causes, and results of bullying. This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences of elementary school counselors (Pre-K–5th grade) who have implemented antibullying programs. Using distributive leadership theory as a lens, purposeful sampling was used to recruit 8 elementary school counselors from a targeted East Texas area of similar populations and enrollment numbers. Interview data was analyzed using NVivo software and thematic analysis, which revealed 5 major themes: …

Self-Concealment, Perceived Discrimination, And African American Treatment Choices For Major Depression, Danita Morales Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans have a higher proclivity to depression than other ethnic groups in the United States and also have a greater propensity to avoid seeking professional mental health treatment. The available research has shown that racial and cultural barriers such as perceived discrimination and self-concealment are the primary factors that negatively affect African Americans' attitudes toward mental health itself and mental health treatment. Perceived discrimination and self-concealment may also negatively affect whether African Americans seek help for depression and from whom, but further investigation was needed. The quantitative survey study provided answers to which factors influence whether and where African …

Perceptions Of Residents In Rural Areas Toward Law Enforcement, Joseph James Wagner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Negative public perceptions toward law enforcement officers (LEOs) have increased in recent years as the result of police shootings of unarmed men. Researchers have focused on urban residents' perceptions toward LEOs, but have not examined the perceptions of rural residents. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the dependent variable (DV) of rural citizens' perceptions toward LEOs and the independent variables (IVs) of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, income, employment status, educational attainment, and immigration status. The social judgment theory and the primary socialization theory were used as the theoretical foundations to …

Clinicians' Attitudes Toward Sex Offender Treatment, Vallerie Hancock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinician attitudes toward a client have a significant influence on outcomes for that client's treatment. Exploring the attitudes of clinicians toward sex offenders can provide additional insights into methods to improve treatments for this population. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to examine the attitudes of clinical professionals who work with sex offenders to identify the specific ways that these attitudes influenced professional behaviors and client interactions. Grounded theory was used to move beyond a general description of the issue to formulate a theory regarding clinician work with sex offenders and its implications. The sample comprised 10 …

A Phenomenological Study Of High-Performance Teachers' Happiness At School And Home, Sarah Abuaqel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research study is focused on understanding the phenomenology of happiness of High Performing Teachers (HPT) working in an elementary school located in a Midwest City. The purpose of the study was to understand positive and negative emotions of HPT, through their experiences at work and home. Qualitative methodology through in-depth interviews was employed for this study. Tomkins' affect theory of happiness (ATH), was used to assess and explore positive and negative emotions of participants of the study. In this study a purposeful sample of 11 participants that work in elementary school located in a Midwest City, participated in in-depth, …

Psychological Relationship Between Acculturation And Caribbean Immigrants In The Northeast United States, Lisa Chamberlain- Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caribbean immigrants' challenges with acculturation following immigration to the United States, could result in acculturative stress, discrimination, stereotyping, and mental health issues. This study examined the relationship between cultural levels of interaction (LCI), acculturation orientation levels (AOLs), and acculturation levels (ALs) as well as examined the relationship between acculturative stress levels (ASLs), mental health problems, and discrimination/ stereotyping among Caribbean immigrants, age 25-54, in a northeast U.S. metro. Bourhis' interactive acculturation model was the theoretical foundation for this study. It was hypothesized that (a) there would be a relationship between LCI measured in language, food, religion, and education and AOL …

Physical Activity, Healthcare Use, And Medication Use In Diabetes Patients, Julie Kwon Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical Activity, Healthcare Use, and Medication Use in Diabetes Patients

by

Julie Kwon Evans

MS, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2013

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Psychology

Walden University

November 2019

Race As A Predictor Of Recidivism Risk: An Epidemiological Analysis, Femi Folorunsho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisoner recidivism is a problem of great social importance, as recidivism represents a failure of the rehabilitative goal of incarceration. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of accurate estimates of race as a predictor of recidivism risk in the United States, after taking demographics and criminal variables into account. Applying the life-course theory of recidivism, the purpose of this archival, epidemiological study was to calculate whether recidivism risk varied based on race, across different seriousness levels of commitment offense and number of prior arrests, among a sample of male federal prisoners released from custody. A Cox proportional …

The Relationship Between Social Support And Resilience Among School Nurses, Kathryn Vargo Hsu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research exploring the relationship between social supports and resilience among hospital-based nurses and teachers has offered little to illuminate how school nurses identify and access social support and the impact it may have on their ability to manage ongoing daily stressors or develop resilience. The social networks and social support model suggest that access to social support may underscore the development of effective coping. This study explored the relationship between social supports as measured by a self-report questionnaire, and resilience as measured by the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). It was hypothesized that a positive correlation would exist between use of …

Experiences Of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees In The National Park Service, Audrey Marie Ashcraft

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although blatant sexism persists in the workplace, there is a subtler type of sexism that is not often discussed. Some of the harmful outcomes that concern organization employees and leaders include decreased job satisfaction and morale, increased stress and turnover, damaged workplace relationships, barriers to career development for women, and decreased feelings of safety in law enforcement employees. Subtle sexism is often disguised as friendliness or chivalry, and therefore is difficult to detect, so it is often ignored or trivialized. The harms are cumulative and compound over time. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to gather data about …

The Relationship Between Counselor Educator Technology Self-Efficacy And Distance Counseling Skills Education, Carrie Sue Dupont

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Grounded in Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this study was to examine if one aspect of counselor training, counselor educator self-efficacy with technology (SE), was associated with counselor educator teaching distance counseling skills in their classroom (INC). For this correlation study, 176 counselor educators in the United States with experience teaching a skills-based class completed an anonymous online survey. Survey data were used to assess if self-efficacy with technology and demographic data were related to the inclusion of distance counseling skills in the classroom. Point-biserial correlation and logistic regression analysis were used to examine relationships between SE, demographic …

Mental Health Counselors’ Experiences In Personal Counseling, Torrie Gilden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In various aspects of the counseling profession, instructors, supervisors, and colleagues often recommended that their fellow counselors engage in personal counseling for professional development and personal wellness. However, the existing literature has yet to explore the lived experiences of mental health counselors in personal counseling. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of mental health counselors in personal counseling. Purposeful sampling was used to select 7 licensed mental health counselors in a Northwestern state. Data collection methods included semistructured interviews in person and via Zoom, an online video conferencing format. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was …

The Experiences Of Black Parents In Choosing Intervention Programs For Juvenile Offenders, Deborah Hawkes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile offense is a social problem that affects communities and families. Black juvenile offenses occur at a higher rate than White juvenile offenses. The parents of these offenders may engage in the intervention process of their juvenile offender with the intent to improve the intervention outcome. The literature on this topic, however, is primarily focused on the treatment outcomes of various types of intervention. The identified gap in the literature is research on Black parental input on the process used to select various types of intervention for their offending children. The high rate of incidence compounded by the racial disparity …

Organizational Culture’S Moderating Relationship On Surface Acting And Psychological Distress, James A. Judd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a scarcity of research linking surface acting (SA) to psychological distress (PD) in employee-to-employee interactions. Research has demonstrated direct negative effects of SA causing the PD elements of occupational stress (OS), emotional exhaustion (EE), and burnout/depersonalization (DEP) in employee-to-customer interactions. Moreover, little research exists if organizational culture (OC) type plays any role in mitigating these negative effects. Therefore, there was a need to research if the negative effects in the employee-to-customer interactions manifest in the employee-to employee interactions and also, if OC type can possibly moderate this effect between SA and PD. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional …

Peer Support And Academic Resiliency For Recently Relocated High School Student, Melanie Marie Kennebeck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residential relocation requiring a change of school enrollment can negatively disrupt academic achievement, extracurricular participation, attendance, and ability to appropriately regulate emotions/behaviors. This disruption impacts military-affiliated students every 2 to 3 years. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively inform Student 2 Student’s (S2S’s) continued development and the Military Child Education Coalition’s (MCEC’s) pursuit of better serving newly relocated students. This will help the program to reach beyond good intentions and mitigate the perils of assuming that benefits occur without quantitative support. The three-factory model of Academic Resiliency was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Two American …

Perceptions Of Lifestyle As Mental Health Protective Factors Among Midwestern Amish, Gregory Lantz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Amish are commonly known for horse-and-buggies, simple clothing, and refusal to use electricity. Less commonly known is their rate of mental illness, which is significantly lower than the non-Amish population. The literature that points to lower depression and anxiety among the Amish does not adequately explain what elements of their lifestyle contribute to this phenomenon. Depression and anxiety are a widespread problem in the United States, increasing the importance of understanding a lifestyle that can reduce these issues. The purpose of this study was to explore the Amish way of life through the words of its members. The three …

Mental Health Service Providers' Engagement Experiences Of Homeless Individuals, Tarsha Thomas-Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited literature exists regarding best engagement practices of mental health service providers in encouraging the homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services in New York City. New York City has a population of more than 8.5 million, and in 2017 more than 129,803 homeless individuals slept in shelters. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to gain more insight and knowledge about the best engagement practices and experiences of mental health service providers in encouraging homeless individuals to participate in clinical mental health services. The conceptual framework used to guide this study comes from Kearsley and Shneiderman's …

Experiences Of High School Noncompleters With Emotional And Psychological Challenges, Christine M. Park

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school noncompleters are those who did not earn a high school diploma. Before their early departure from high school, noncompleters often struggled with challenges (poverty, mental health, addiction, and emotional and physical abuse). Some enter remedial education to earn their equivalency credential. However, in this setting, they experience additional challenges, such as increased responsibility, stress, and anxiety. The problem surrounding the experiences of noncompleters has implications for counseling due to the limited use of and access to counseling as well as the disproportionate amount of mental health concerns and adversity among noncompleters. Current literature informs of the challenges noncompleters …

Self-Efficacy And Leadership Commitment During Lean Strategy Deployment, Angela Deloise Pearson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lean strategy deployment (LSD) provides a means to create lasting value at reduced cost; yet most LSD efforts fail to attain sustainable improvements. The current study sought to gain an understanding of how leaders in oral healthcare manufacturing setting in the northeastern region of the United States can apply self-efficacy and leadership commitment during an LSD. Using Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy this qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences and perceptions of 15 mid-to-senior level managers, concerning the use of self-efficacy and leadership commitment during a lean strategy deployment (LSD). The key findings resulted in 10 emergent themes. The top …

The Impact Of Hiv Prevention Education In School On Young Men Who Have Sex With Men, Michael Edward Tachet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sex education through the public school system has been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an excellent vehicle by which HIV prevention education can be presented to students, thereby decreasing the rate of HIV infection among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). However, YMSM continue to be at high risk for HIV infection in the United States despite educational efforts to prevent infection. The purpose of this qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was to explore what impact school-based HIV prevention education had on YMSM in the past, and what effect that education has …

Learning Models, Personality Traits, And Job Satisfaction In Forensic Psychology Practitioners, Dione Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forensic psychology is a distinct specialization requiring practitioners to approach problems differently than in other psychological specialties. While the use of problem-based learning in the medical field is well-researched, there is a lack of literature regarding its use in forensic psychology. This quantitative survey-based study was designed to investigate the relationship between learning models and personality traits and job satisfaction in forensic psychologists. In the current study, an adaption of Vygotsky’s constructivist zone of proximal development theory and Holland’s theory of career choice were applied to forensic psychology instruction to assess the degree to which personality and learning models interrelate …

Relationship Between Preparedness Training And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity In Combat Veterans, Charles F. Snay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, the military has deployed approximately 1 million members into combat, and a factor that plagues the military veterans returning from combat is the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A factor to examine is preparedness training before combat because the research has shown that postcombat resilience training has been effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD. Using the social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported preparedness training before deployments was related to lower severity of self-reported PTSD. Based on prior research, age and gender are other variables that this study examined. …

Bullying And Resilience In Elementary School Children And Mitigating Pro-Social Behaviors, Suzette A. Bean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bullying behaviors, as measured by the Personal Experiences Checklist (PECK), and resilience, as measured by the Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS), as well as whether the prosocial behaviors of controling anger, solving problems, and cooperating with others during activities mitigated the effects of bullying behaviors. A relationship between bullying behaviors and resiliency in children has been shown in past research. The theoretical framework for this study was social learning theory. The foundation of social learning theory is that children learned behaviors by imitating the behaviors of others. …

Examining The Utility Of The Hexaco-Pi-R For Predicting Positive And Negative Indicators Of Police Officer Performance, Angela Marie Ripley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Identifying behaviors that are either counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) or organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) may assist law enforcement agencies in selecting and aligning police officers for the various roles asked of them. The 6 dimensions of personality are not currently being used in law enforcement agencies to predict overall job performance of police officers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which the 6 personality dimensions as measured by the HEXACO Personality Inventory Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) predicted overall indicators (OCB and CWB) of police officer job performance. A sample of 51 police officers from a variety …

Investigation Of Posttraumatic Growth On Health Behaviors With Self-Efficacy As A Mediator, Annissa Pellicano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has been accumulating on the positive outcomes that people may experience following trauma. However, scholarly literature is deficient in the area of investigating the association among centrality of event (CE), posttraumatic growth (PTG), and health behaviors of women with histories of sexual trauma. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to (a) determine the extent of the relationship between CE and PTG, (b) explore the relationship between PTG and health behaviors (i.e., drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and physical activity), and (c) to determine whether general self-efficacy (SE) mediated these relationships. The theoretical frameworks used to inform this …

Exercise Adherence And Depression, Cory Reed Sullins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this study, exercise adherence levels were examined from archival data collected from 2004 to 2006 to determine if an association existed with the levels of depression among individuals over 49 in 3 rural community centers. Abundant research has shown that exercise is effective in alleviating depression but has not shown how levels of exercise adherence may impact the efficacy of exercise in the treatment of depression. The focus of the study was to determine if an increase in exercise adherence may be associated with a decrease in the symptoms of depression. An ANCOVA was used to determine if differences …

Stress, Social Support, And Mindfulness In Parents Of Children With Neurodevelopmental Deficits: A Quantitative Analysis, Branden D. Syrotchen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parenting children with neurodevelopmental deficits (NDDs) is very stressful, more so than the parenting of typically developing children. There is considerable research on the topic of chronic stress experienced by caregivers; however, less is understood of parental stress experienced when raising children with NDDs. The purpose of this study was to examine how parental traits and habits, in the forms of mindfulness and social support levels, affect this cohort's general stress levels. The study was guided by Self-Determination Theory, which explored how parental acts could be classified along a continuum of being intrinsically or extrinsically derived. A convenience sample of …