Psychology Commons^™

Examining The Relation Of Psychological Distress To Shift Work In Firefighters, Lindsey Marie Lilly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Firefighters experience stressful job demands. Many of them work in shifts that can extend to 96-hour rotations. Firefighters also tend to suffer from poor sleep quality and psychological distress; however, there are conflicting findings on how these factors may relate to each other. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine the relation between symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol abuse to shift duration in firefighters who work 24-hour shifts compared to those who work 48-hour shifts, with sleep quality as a mediating variable. The repair and restoration theory of sleep was the theoretical …

Federal Women, Incivility, Job Satisfaction, And Job Stress, Wanda Harris Pemberton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Incidents of incivility in the workplace have continued to increase in frequency. Workplace incivility impacts the health and well-being of those who experience or witness the behavior and impacts morale, levels of engagement, attendance, retention, and overall organizational health. Researchers have explored the damage caused by workplace incivility, but few have focused on the impact of incivility among federally employed women. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine the relationship between incivility, job satisfaction, and job stress among women working in the federal sector. The affective events theory framed this study. Online surveys were used to capture …

Male Perspectives Of Lateral Violence In Nursing, Benita Kinard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lateral violence is an intentional and harmful behavior in the workplace by one employee against another. In nursing lateral violence has impacted the performance of nurses as well as patient care. Research suggests that lateral violence behaviors are still prevalent in the nursing workplace and that there have been few interventions to change these behaviors or address the power dynamics that cause them. Though most of the research on lateral violence has been conducted on female nurses, the population of male nurses is growing. Thus, the purpose of the study was to explore lateral violence in the workplace from the …

Subjective Sleep Quality Of Isolated Sleep Paralysis: Fear Parameters And Psychosocial Correlates, Yudyahn Kushkituah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The bidirectional link between insufficient sleep and the distress related to a parasomnia known as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) might lead to chronic health effects. The impact of fear-ridden hallucinations related to this REM sleep disorder can be both distressful and embarrassing for individuals often resulting in a reticence to seek help. This quantitative study was guided by a biopsychosocial approach with an integrated theoretical framework. One aim of the study was to determine if fear parameters of ISP (low and high) differ when considering psychosocial factors and sleep quality, based on the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale, …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Mindfulness Meditation And The Creative Experience, Sheryl Christian Morrissey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Creating is the highest level of intellectual functioning in the cognitive domain. As standardized testing has increased, U.S. K-12 education has shown a decline in creativity for students. Mindfulness meditation (MM) increases creativity and could serve as a solution to this dilemma. This study's purpose was to enrich findings regarding MM's role in enhanced creativity by conducting an exploration regarding lived experiences of creating for individuals who practice MM. A gap in the literature exploring the topics of MM and creativity together using qualitative methods was identified; therefore, research understanding lived experiences of creating within the experiential context of MM …

African American Women's Understanding Of How Family Values Contribute To Social Aggression, Elsa Bernice Butts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that social aggression has increased among African American females. Researchers have reported that the family value systems of many African American families endorse aggressive behaviors. Beliefs of fighting verbally and physically for self-worth and equality have been embedded in the socialization process for some African American females. It is important to explore the influence of family values on socially aggressive behaviors among this population. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American females in early adulthood and to understand how their socially aggressive behaviors are influenced by their family values. …

An Exploration Of Mental Health Practitioners' Perceptions Of Ethical Requirements And Self-Care As Means To Maintain Professional Competence, Ebony Denise Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A mental health practitioner must refrain from partaking in any mental health work if personal problems interfere with his or her ability to provide services in a competent manner. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how mental health practitioners manage personal problems to stay ethically compliant. Previous research has indicated that a significant amount of literature has revealed the causes and damaging effects of burnout among mental health workers. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature that links burnout directly with competently providing quality care. Ethical compliance, self-care, and mental health practitioners' perceptions were …

A Phenomenological Examination Of Heterosexual Men Who Experience Psychological Abuse, Raymond Carson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although sexual and physical abuse have clear definitions, psychological abuse is difficult to define and conceptualize. Though men can and have experienced psychological abuse, there is limited research on heterosexual men's experiences with psychological abuse and much of the research on abuse has been on women. Therefore, this qualitative phenomenological study, grounded on control theory, the social choice framework, and narrative theory, was conducted to investigate how heterosexual men describe their experiences with psychological abuse. A phenomenological qualitative approached with purposeful sampling was used to draw a sample of heterosexual male participants (N = 6), ages 30 to 42 were …

Parenting Practices Among Two-Parent, African American Families Of Preteen Children, Ryan O'Neal Drakes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Positive parenting promotes children's proper cognitive and personality development and supports high academic performance and achievement. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between social support and positive parenting practices among two-parent, African American families of preteens. This study was based on Baumrind's model of parenting behaviors. Survey and correlation methods were used to gather data from a convenience sample of 103 2-parent, African American families with preteens (aged 9-11 years) from different income neighborhoods in a Northeastern metropolitan region of the United States. Logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted. According to study findings, social …

Self-Efficacy, Decision Latitude, And Work Ethic Among Educated Women, Elisa Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although women are more likely to seek advanced degrees, there are substantial gaps between men and women in terms of employment rates, wages, and positions of power. This cross-sectional study aligned with the social cognitive career theory and investigated how specific demographic variables (age and education level) interacted and influenced work-related characteristics (decision latitude, self-efficacy, and work ethic) to address issues women experience in the workplace. Females who identified as working a minimum of 15 hours per week and over the age of 18 were contacted via social media or in person. A snowball effect occurred when participants invited peers …

Surgical Perioperative Leadership: The Association Between Leadership Style And Team Job Satisfaction, Corey Louise Jamison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The perioperative operating room (OR) is a highly complex, fast-paced environment where countless transactions must be executed with efficiency, speed, and accuracy, and where mistakes of any kind could lead to adverse patient outcome, injury, or death. The surgeon, as leader of the procedure and the OR team, sets the overall climate of the OR and determines how willing (or unwilling) team members are to speak up about potential errors or unsafe patient conditions. This exploration of the relationship between perioperative surgeon leadership style and OR team member job satisfaction fills a gap unaddressed in the literature using items …

Racial Identity, Skin Tone, And Intragroup Racism Among African American Males, Carlton Deshawn Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Skin tone of an African American is a key primer for prejudicial attitudes among Whites,

with darker skin tones eliciting more negative reactions. No previous studies have

examined this phenomenon with African Americans as the evaluators. Social identity and

social categorization theories, and Cross' theory of nigrescence, provided theoretical

frameworks for this study. It was proposed that male African American observers'

evaluations of another African American male may depend not only on the skin tone of

the target (job candidate) and the quality of his credentials, but also on the observer's

own skin tone and stage of racial identity. …

Cultural Distance, Acculturative Stress, Social Support, And Psychological Adaptation Of International Students, Ariel Mitchell Ladum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

International students experience stress and adaptation difficulties as they study in a new culture. This study examined how cultural distance, acculturative stress, and social support interacted to influence positive and negative emotional responses among international students in the northern part of Cyprus. Acculturation models and the stress-buffering hypothesis served as theoretical frameworks. The 2 research questions involved understanding whether international students experienced more negative emotional responses compared to students from the home culture and whether social support moderated acculturative stress and reactions to being in the northern part of Cyprus. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences …

Positive Experiences Among Dui Offenders In Court-Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment, Katarzyna Blanka Pilewicz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and other drugs puts communities' and individuals' safety at tremendous risk. The excessive use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and/or some prescribed medications causes cognitive impairment and the physical incapability of operating a vehicle. The court system penalizes drunken driving behaviors by placing DUI offenders in a variety of mandated interventions to minimize the risk of reoffense. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore DUI offenders' positive experiences and perceptions derived from DUI programs and how they impacted well-being and commitment to positive change using Seligman's well-being theory as a conceptual framework. …

The Influence Of Spiritual And Emotional Intelligence On Romantic Relationships Of African Americans, Wanda Raquel Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of religion-based spirituality was examined as a factor in strengthening and increasing emotional intelligence and regulation, facilitating relationship choices and maintenance, and as a key factor in the decision-making process of dating and partner selection among African Americans. The theoretical framework for this study included Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, on which both theories of spiritual and emotional intelligence stand, and Bowlby's theory of attachment. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze relationships between spiritual and emotional intelligences and attachment styles among African American adults. In a criterion-based purposeful sample of 98 African American participants aged 27 …

The Relationship Between Workspace And Office Placement And Workforce Productivity And Wellbeing, Mladen Cvijanovic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The quality of the physical workspace environment has been widely debated in research and corporate communities. Inadequate workspace conditions have been associated with elevated levels of work-related stress, productivity, and job satisfaction. However, scholarly literature offers very little on the relationship between workspace and office placement, and workforce productivity and wellbeing. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to examine the impact of customized workspace and strategic office placement on work related stress, productivity, and job satisfaction. Optimal distinctiveness theory and cognitive-motivational-relational theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Nine research questions in this study were designed to …

Understanding Of Self-Confidence In High School Students, George Ballane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students at a private high school in New Jersey exhibited low academic self-confidence as compared to other indicators on the ACT Engage exam. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of academic self-confidence, academic performance, and learning within a sample of students. This research explored students' and teachers' perceptions of self-confidence and their impact on academic performance. The research was guided by Weiner's attribution and Bandura's self-efficacy theories. The research questions focused on 3 areas: students' and teachers' perceptions of academic self-confidence as factors impacting students' academic performance; and the perceived relationship between academic self-confidence, …

Impact Of Stress Inoculating Training On Police In Aftermath Of Critical Incidents, Russell Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Critical incidents (CI) have increased over the last several decades, with police officers experiencing more trauma and a rise in psychological problems. Stress inoculation training (SIT) could possibly lower symptoms of posttraumatic stress experienced by the police officers who have responded to CIs. To date, little research exists specific to using SIT to lower symptomatic effects of CIs in police officers. The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to examine and compare symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety for police officers who have or have not received SIT prior to a CI. The theoretical foundation was …

The Impact Of Critical Incident Team Training On Arrest And Diversion Rates, Richard Wayne Foss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Critical Incident Team (CIT) training program equips police officers with knowledge regarding mental illness and practical skills for effectively interacting with a mentally ill suspect. In addition to improving officer and suspect safety by decreasing the number of violent encounters between police and the mentally ill, CIT goals include reducing the number of mentally ill individuals who are arrested and providing them with assistance through community resources. However, there is a lack of empirical research on whether CIT training decreases arrest rates and increases diversion rates for mentally ill subjects. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure …

Predictive Relationships Between School Counselor Role Ambiguity, Role Diffusion, And Job Satisfaction, Daya Patton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of clarity about professional roles and responsibilities of school counselors has resulted in role ambiguity and role diffusion among this group of professionals. Role ambiguity and role diffusion contribute to job dissatisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine whether role ambiguity and role diffusion predicted school counselor job satisfaction after controlling for years of experience as a school counselor, and to examine whether role ambiguity, role diffusion, and job satisfaction differed for school counselors at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The theoretical framework was role theory, which conceptualizes how job roles within organizations …

Evaluation Of Suas Education And Training Tools, Brent Terwilliger, Scott Burgess, James Solti, Kristine Kiernan, Christian Janke, Andrew Shepherd

Publications

The wide distribution and demographic composition of students seeking small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) education presents a need to fully understand the capabilities, limitations, and dependencies of effective training tools. Concepts, practices, and technologies associated with modeling and simulation, immersive gaming, augmented and mixed-reality, and remote operation have demonstrated efficacy to support engaged student learning and objective satisfaction. Identification and comparison of key attributes critical to an aviation educational framework, such as competency-based training, enables educational designers to identify those tools with the highest potential to support successful learning. A series of factors, such as system performance, regulatory compliance, environmental …

Working Conditions For Erotic Dancers: A Review Of Health And Safety Concerns From A Minneapolis Based Needs Assessment, Alexander Twohy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The present studies utilizes data from a needs assessment for dancers in Minneapolis-based strip clubs focusing on structural and in-club safety concerns as well as levels of cleanliness within the club. Research was conducted utilizing Participatory Action Research with help from the Sex Workers Outreach Project: Minneapolis. The assessment consisted of an online survey utilizing both quantitative and qualitative questions (n = 62) with follow-up interviews for willing participants (n = 33). Questions regarding personal safety, structural safety, cleanliness levels, and exposure to diseases were reported using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were examined with thematic analysis. Data indicated that …

The Effects Of Elderspeak On The Mood Of Older Adults With Dementia: A Preliminary Report, Kenia Torres-Soto

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Barriers to effective and harmonious communication between caregivers and those affected with dementia are common and inevitable. An example of a common barrier is aphasia, which is a prevalent communication deficit associated with dementia. The social environment may further hinder harmonious communication through the use of well-intended, but ineffective speech patterns. Elderspeak (ES), which is infantilizing speech directed at older adults, is one such speech pattern that is commonly used in long-term care facilities (LTC) and is related to negative outcomes for older adults receiving it. Older adults with mild to moderate cognitive impairment who were residents at a LTC …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Stimulus Equivalence Protocol To Teach Bullying Identification To School-Aged Children, Courtney Sowle

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Bullying and its impact on mental health is a major concern in the United States (Arseneault, 2017). Multi-component bullying interventions have resulted in positive outcomes, such as teachers reporting better student behaviors (Crean & Johnson, 2013), increased teacher knowledge about bullying (Bell, Raczynski, & Horne, 2010), and increased student control of high-risk behaviors (Shure, 2001). Considering bullying behavior primarily as being a more complex behavior, one behavior intervention that has shown to be effective in teaching complex behaviors is the stimulus equivalence protocol. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a stimulus equivalence protocol on …

Comparison Between Brief Acceptance And Cognitive Interventions: Assessing Public Speaking Performance In Socially-Anxious Individuals, Soultana Mpoulkoura

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most prevalent psychological disorder to date and it is associated with impairments in multiple domains, such as in occupational and academic settings. Although, traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), aims to reduce distress by altering maladaptive schemas, this approach is not always successful. Recent research has shown ambiguous support for cognitive restructuring as a mechanism of change. Therefore, further research is needed to discover effective treatments. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), emphasizes psychological flexibility and values rather controlling negative thoughts. The current study compared brief acceptance and cognitive control based interventions for increasing performance …

Examining The Interaction Of State And Trait Anxiety On Working Memory Performance, Carly C. Moore

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Millennials Leaving Religion: A Transcendental Phenomenological Research Study On Religious Disaffiliation, Elizabeth Ann Rainwater

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Religious disaffiliation among Millennials has increased significantly in the past decade alongside rapidly changing social relationships amplified by social media applications. In the United States, many Millennials claim no religious identity with many leaving their religion for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of religiously disaffiliated Millennials regarding their psychological health and well-being. Self-determination theory fulfilled the theoretical framework for examining the lived experiences of young adults regarding their well-being after religious disaffiliation. A purposive sample of 12 male and female religiously disaffiliated Millennials was recruited for semistructured interviews. …

Relationship Between Stress Management Self-Efficacy, Stress Mindset, And Vocational Student Success, Minda J. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to the passage of the Gainful Employment Rule of 2015, for-profit schools must ensure graduate employability, which forces vocational schools to make student success a priority. The concepts of stress mindset from the cognitive activation theory of stress and stress management self-efficacy from social cognitive theory were used in this study to assess the relationship of each to the employability of graduates. This study utilized a nonrandomized convenience sampling method and a multiple logistic regression with categorical dependent/criterion variables (gainful employment versus not) and continuous predictor variables (stress management self-efficacy, stress mindset) to compare the relationships. Stress mindset levels …

Workplace Gender Discrimination And Job Performance In Egypt: The Moderating Role Of Equity Sensitivity, Mohamad Saad Mohamad

English Language and Literature

Workplace gender discrimination is a significant problem in Egypt. However, there is limited research on Workplace gender discrimination and its consequences. The current research tries to examine the relationships between workplace gender discrimination and task and contextual job performances. Moreover, the moderating effect of equity sensitivity on these relationships is also investigated. A convenience sample on 312 working women was drawn from different work settings in Cairo, Egypt. They responded to a three-part questionnaire that assesses workplace gender discrimination, equity sensitivity, and job performance. The results indicated that workplace gender discrimination was negatively associated with both of task and contextual …

Understanding The Use And Non-Use Of Social Communication Technologies By Older Adults: A Qualitative Test And Extension Of The Utaut Model, Michael T. Bixter, Kenneth A. Blocker, Tracy L. Mitzner, Akanksha Prakash, Wendy A. Rogers

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Technology has the ability to foster social engagement, but a sizable divide exists between older and younger adults in the use of social communication technologies. The goal of the current study was to gain a better understanding of older adults’ perspectives on social communication technologies, including those with higher adoption rates such as email and those with lower adoption rates such as social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Instagram). Semi-structured group interviews were conducted with either users or non-users of social networking sites to gain insight into issues of adoption and non-adoption of social communication technologies. The Unified Theory of Acceptance …