Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Lived Experience Of Work Stress And Coping In Eldercare Hospice Nurses, Yvette Abraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of elderly people living with terminal diagnoses has increased, along with the need for hospice nurses with specialized training to provide high-quality personal care that addresses their unique, critical needs. Research on nurses and other professionals who function in a demanding environment has demonstrated the experience of work stress, and negative physical and psychological consequences. However, little is known about the unique work stress and challenges of hospice nurses who care for the dying elderly. This study explored the meaning of hospice nurses’ experience of work stress and coping. Giorgi’s empirical phenomenological approach guided the development of the …

The Beliefs Of Sex Education Instructors In The Classroom, Denise Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data-driven research is an ethical precept for nearly every profession, and it holds a particular importance within any human-services field, including public health education. This research study used a phenomenological methodology and Brofenbrenner’s theoretical framework to construct descriptive themes, investigating how public school instructors' personal beliefs impact teaching practice. Ten in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with public high school teachers who self-identified as being involved with sex education instruction. Participants were selected from several public Minnesota high schools responsible for providing sex education to public school students in Grades 9 to 12. The findings revealed several themes relating to how …

Effects Of Group Play In Sand On Obese Women’S Self-Perceptions, Marianezoi Antares

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity poses an escalating threat to public health in many countries. A better understanding of the psychological construct of obesity and alternative approaches for treating it are needed. The purpose of this study was to examine secondary data to measure the effects of a program using group play in sand on self-perceptions of obese Danish women. The framework was based on elements from the Bandura’s social learning theory and conception of self-efficacy integrated with the concept of body image perception. Participants (N = 34) were obese women in Copenhagen, Denmark, who used group play in sand as their therapy program. …

The Influence Of Community-Based Reentry Programs On Reintegrating Ex-Offenders In Ohio, Ebony Ann Ivery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ex-offenders participate in community-based reentry programs to help transition back into society, yet some are still reoffending. Previous research suggested that community-based reentry programs need to be evaluated to successfully determine their influence on reintegrating ex-offenders. Limited research existed on the experiences of ex-offenders while taking part in such programs. The theory of effective correctional intervention was used to guide this general qualitative research study on Ohio community-based reentry programs. The following areas were addressed: (a) the role that community-based reentry programs play in addressing the needs of ex-offenders; (b) barriers and limitations that community-based reentry programs face in meeting …

Hospice Interdisciplinary Use Of The Social Work Assessment Tool For Military Families, Miranda Lishell Rankin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The development of the social work assessment tool (SWAT) was an initiative designed by members of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization to move hospice and palliative care social workers into the arena of viewing the family as an extension of the patient. Of those dying in the United States, 1 out of 4 is a military veteran (vet) in need of assessments, culturally relevant interventions, and/or supports at the end of life. For military families, caring for vets at the end of life can prompt stressors that may require culturally unique assessments and/or interventions. Tsai’s (2003) theory of …

Understanding Stakeholder Interests In Rulemaking Through The Lens Of Private-Interest Institutionalism, Walter Lewis Koski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

State regulators have the task of promulgating regulations for multiple heavily regulated industries, but there is a dearth of research to help public policy makers better understand how rulemaking processes are perceived by stakeholders in those processes. Regulators who promulgated rules for the legalization of marijuana in Colorado used both required and discretionary methods of participation in rulemaking to involve stakeholders with multiple competing interests. This qualitative research study was based on a phenomenological approach and interview data from 10 stakeholders who participated in the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division's rulemaking processes between 2013 and 2016. The purpose of this study …

Restorative Justice As A Response To Middle School Rules Violations, Tammy Felps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The zero-tolerance approach of discipline in schools requires the involvement of law enforcement for many violations of school rules. Schools using this approach do not have the tools for effective behavior modification, without relying on school resource officers to intervene, often resulting in juvenile criminal charges. The key elements fueling this process are exclusionary discipline practices that lead to academic failure and increased high school dropout rates. Restorative justice (RJ), a targeted reform program, is a behavior management technique that promotes desirable conditions for successful academic achievement. Many schools are using components of RJ, encounter, repair, and transform; however, implementation …

The Cultural Construct Of Stress In Luganda-Speaking Women In Uganda, Courtney Skiera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Luganda, the primary language spoken in Uganda has no word for stress, but this does not necessarily preclude the Luganda-speaking population from experiencing stress. There is currently no research that reveals the stress phenomenon from a Ugandan’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine how Luganda-speaking Ugandans conceptualize stress. Two theoretical foundations formed the basis of this study: the cognitive appraisal of stress theory and the coordinated management of meaning. Using a qualitative interpretive design, this study examined the conceptualization of stress by Luganda-speaking women in terms of understanding, experiencing, and communicating the stress phenomenon. Participants were 7 …

Offender Participation In Multiple Rehabilitation Programs To Reduce Recidivism, Jonathan Michael Yearwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rehabilitation programs are critical for reducing recidivism rates and reintegrating offenders into the community. Despite the recognition that offenders face many challenges, few scholars have investigated the relationship between prisoners who receive more than 1 rehabilitation program and recidivism. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational cross-sectional study using archival data from a correctional facility in Barbados was to assess the relationship between age, education, employment, and multiple rehabilitation programs on recidivism. The conceptual framework of this study was grounded in the lifecycle theory, the social learning theory, the social cognitive theory, and the social disintegration theory. The primary research question …

Stress And Wellness Among Municipal Law Enforcement Officers In Southeastern Virginia, Russell Morgan Granderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Municipal law enforcement officers contend with unique occupational stressors. They must overcome stress from their employing agency and the pressures that arise from performing their basic enforcement duties. This study was designed to examine how municipal law enforcement officers in southeastern Virginia perceived their agency's wellness policy and to determine what recommendations they had to improve the effectiveness of the current wellness policy. Lazarus and Folkman's theory of cognitive appraisal and coping served as the theoretical framework for the study. Qualitative inquiry was used to examine the perceptions of 15 purposively sampled law enforcement officer participants. The data were then …

Child Witchcraft Accusations In Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Edmond Kesseh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child witchcraft accusations, which represent a comparatively new phenomenon in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, have caused tens of thousands of children aged 5-10 years to be abused, tortured, ostracized, stigmatized, and thrown out of family homes into the streets. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of staff of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, and other child advocacy groups who worked with young children accused of witchcraft concerning how their efforts and collaboration with the government influenced the problem. Critical theory and an attachment conceptual framework were used to analyze the effectiveness of existing …

Strategies For Hiring People With Disabilities To Prevent A Skilled Worker Shortage, Andreas Kyprianou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many business sectors are currently facing challenges in the labor market and will need to address inefficiencies in their recruitment and retention strategies. Restaurant managers who lack strategies for recruiting nontraditional staff, such as people with disabilities, risk declining competitiveness because of this labor shortage. Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies restaurant managers use to recruit and hire people with disabilities to prevent or address skilled worker shortages. The participants comprised 7 quick service restaurant (QSR) franchisees and managers from the same QSR brand in Canada with previous experience recruiting staff …

Media Exposure To Crime, Fear Of Crime, And Social Interaction Anxiety, Genea Shoulders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2000, approximately 30% of all news stories in mass media focused on crime. According to research, increased exposure to the media directly correlates to an increased fear of crime; however, little research has been conducted into this influential relationship and the extent of which it could affect a person’s social interaction anxiety. Therefore, the study’s purpose was to examine the relationship and consequential impact of media exposure and the extent of which the fear of crime had on individuals’ social interaction anxiety levels. Through a quantitative approach, this study used the theory of cultivation. Question one examined the effect …

Expressions Of Sexual Deviance In Black Serial Killers, Lucia J. Weatherall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of Black serial killers (BSKs) has increased, but empirical studies have not focused on this unique population, including their expressions of sexual deviance. The purpose of this case study was to understand the common socialization experiences and the expressions of sexual deviance in BSKs. Two conceptual frameworks were used to identify the concepts to explore: Bandura’s social learning theory of aggression and Agnew’s general strain theory. Data collected came from archival court and police records in Texas. A content-analysis approach was used to analyze the archival data, organized by criminal background, sexual deviance, familial data, and social development. …

Undercover Law Enforcement Operatives’ Perceptions Of Post Critical Incident Mental Health Services, David B. Spinella

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undercover officers experience unique job-related stressors due to the covert nature and sometimes long duration of their tasks. Undercover officers adopt false identities that involve taking on a personality and lifestyle that the officer might find personally objectionable. If this identity is ever compromised, they and family members are in great danger. Officers are faced with the daily possibility of encountering abrupt and unforeseen traumatic events, such as gang retaliation, terrorism, and other events rarely experienced by civilians. Such events that exceed the range of normal experience are critical incidents, and they may be so overwhelming that they are beyond …

The Summer Treatment Program’S Effect On Behaviorally Challenged Orthodox Jewish Children, Dovid Rudomin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Summer Treatment Program (STP) is an 8-week, research-based, behavior modification approach utilizing a unique point system that has been shown to improve the noncompliant behavior of children in a day camp setting. Due to religious reasons, the children of the Orthodox Jewish (OJ) community are unable to attend the original STP. Guided by behaviorism, the purpose of this research study was to assess whether a faith-based STP is effective in improving the noncompliant behavior of OJ behaviorally challenged children. In this study, the relationship between the completion of the STP and the behaviors of hyperactivity, aggression, conduct, anxiety, attention, …

Barriers To Mental Health Services Related To Stigma In Northern California, Kandalena Ary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

California Senate Bill 1041 recognized mental health as a contributing barrier for individuals struggling to achieve independence from aid through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program to meet the needs of the state's low-income families while reducing barriers to self-sufficiency. As mental health illnesses continue to increase, the engagement and utilization of services have not increased. The purpose of this study was to explore county policy infrastructure addresses making mental health services known, accessible, and increase participation to decrease barriers in utilization of available resources. The research questions were used to examine the effectiveness of processes …

Faith, Medication Adherence, And Cardiovascular Disease Among African American Churchgoers, Linett Lorain Brice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Getting African Americans to adhere to medical management strategies to reduce negative health outcomes of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risk factors may be challenging. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to examine whether levels of faith in God's healing, when it comes to taking medications, was associated with medication adherence to hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMII) medications, and whether those factors were associated with prevalence of CVD and uncontrolled symptoms of CVD risk factors, namely hypertension and DMII. Social cognitive theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from surveys completed by 102 …

Community-Based Workers’ Treatment And Relationship With African American Men With Dual Diagnosis, André V. Haley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Helping professionals have a role as service providers when working with African American men with dual diagnosis and incarceration histories. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand how helping professionals provided community-based treatment and established a helper/helpee relationship with this population of African American men. Hirschi’s social control theory provided the framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 9 helping professionals who worked with this population in the Northeast United States. Yin’s 5-step model for case studies was used for data analysis and thematic coding. Findings indicated that professionals lacked competency …

Countering Violent Extremism: U.S. Foreign Policy And The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, Jason S. Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For over two decades, preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) has proven a daunting challenge for foreign assistance policy makers and implementers. The challenges are rooted in its rapid emergence, continuous and uneven development, and lingering skepticism about its future and effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to provide policy makers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of how certain factors have driven the development of P/CVE policy. The research questions focused on the nature of policy alignment at all policy levels and the identification and nature of the factors that have driven rapid P/CVE policy change. The theoretical …

Skin Bleaching Among Female University Students, Adegboyega Abayomi Adewoyin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, skin bleaching, a practice that can create significant health problems, represents a persistent social issue. The behavior has become widespread due to unfettered access to various brands of bleaching creams. The purpose of this study was to gather data to (a) seek an understanding of the deeper motivations underlying the decision to engage in skin bleaching or skin whitening among female tertiary students and (b) examine the awareness among such students of public policy on skin bleaching creams. The case study qualitative research design was employed to enable skin bleaching cream users to share their motivations and experiences. …

Examining The Effect Of Substance Use Training On Registered Nurses’ Competency And Self-Efficacy, Myrtle Harrison Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance abuse and addiction among nurses remains a problem and can have lasting and sometimes fatal effects on patients. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study is to examine the effect of substance use training on RNs’ post training competency about substance use impairment and level of self-efficacy to deal with impaired colleagues. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (SET) which originated from Bandura’s social cognitive theory provided the theoretical foundation. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 118 registered nurses using the Perceived Competency with Impaired Nurses survey, the Methods for Dealing with Nurse Impairment Questionnaire (MDNIQ) and a demographic questionnaire. …

Organizational Capacity-Building To Battle Addiction In The Oneida Community, Anita F. Barber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oneida Nation community members created a new and developing organization The Healing Society (fictious name) operated by a volunteer board. The board needed strategic direction to build organizational capacity and sustainability to address the lack of awareness in the community about the increase in opioid and heroin abuse after a well-known community member died from an overdose. The purpose of this postpositivist constructionist qualitative case study was to gather empirical data from the perspectives of internal and external stakeholders through a SWOT analysis focused on their perspectives. Their answers addressed: (a) the organizational strengths and weaknesses of The Healing Society …

Emotional Intelligence, Turnover Intention, And Commitment Among Nonprofit Employees, Tabitha Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a persistent problem contributing to financial issues and declining

productivity in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits cannot fulfill their core missions of

providing services to people in need when managing staffing disruptions. Measuring

employee turnover intention can determine the probability of employee turnover, and a

potential predictor of turnover intention is emotional intelligence, an area unstudied in the

nonprofit sector. This study was designed to explore this relationship, in addition to the

employee's commitment to the organization. The population consisted of 273 nonprofit

employees older than 18 years, working in a nonsupervisory capacity. They completed an

online survey consisting …

The Impact Of Perceived Stress, Happiness, And Religiosity On Political Orientation, Bryant Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing stress levels over the past 30 years have reached an all-time high, which has also correlated with an increase in medical insurance costs due to the adverse effects on life expectancy, obesity rates, and non-communicable disease deaths. An additional social problem affecting the U.S. is a 20-year increase in political dichotomy. Research has shown a distinction between liberals and conservatives on a variety of characteristics ranging from sleep patterns, disgust, personality, and even cleanliness. This current study used two other characteristics that correlate with both stress and political orientation, and they are happiness and religiosity. The purpose of this …

Gender And Millennial Support For Women Political Leaders, Delaina Lea Sawyers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite comprising more than 50% of the population and voting in greater numbers than men, women are underrepresented in U.S. political leadership. Although research exists on the correlation between gender and politics, little literature addresses the influence of generation and gender on voting behavior. Using Jaggar's liberal feminist theory as a framework, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between female generational cohorts and their policy preferences and candidate support. Two research questions assessed the differences between female millennials and baby boomers regarding policy preferences in the areas of income equality, opportunity, representation, and candidate support. A …

Emotional Intelligence And Psychopathic Personality Traits: Examination Of Adult Male Sex Offenders In New Jersey, Kelly Rose White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault and abuse have a significant impact on victims and society. Although there has been a plethora of research studies examining the criminogenic aspects of sexual offending, sparse literature exists on the emotional aspects of sexual offending. Prior research established that sex offenders hold deficits in their emotional functioning that could be a result of psychopathic personality traits. This research study sought to expand the literature on sex offenders and investigate if adult male sex offenders in New Jersey differ in emotional intelligence and psychopathic personality traits depending on victim typology. This study was grounded in coercion and integrated …

The Relationship Between Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy And Client-Therapist Attachment On Symptom Reduction, Kelly Tobin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For centuries, scholars and individuals have recognized the psychophysiological impact of the horse-human connection. The felt impact helped launch the creation of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), an alternative form of treatment for individuals who struggle to connect to traditional forms of therapy. The limited amount of research on the objective benefit of EAP as an alternative to traditional psychotherapy has limited the number of individuals who are referred for such treatment. Grounded in Bowlby's theory of attachment, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if attachment to a therapist differs between the method of treatment, traditional psychotherapy or …

Social Connectedness And Financial Independence Strategies Supporting Nonprofit Sustainability, Christopher Edmund Maylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) often lack strategies to ensure the sustainability of their organizations beyond initial funding, resulting in significant risk to program continuity. Grounded in social entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies used by 3 leaders of a small NPO in the southwest region of the United States. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Through thematic analysis, 6 social themes emerged: optimization of business strategies, income and donor growth, program cost management, funding diversification, program licensing, and public awareness of NPO programs. The contributions to …

An Exploration Of The Criminal Thinking Processes In Criminal Offenders, Mark V. Lemieux

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study sought to learn about Criminal Thinking patterns of thought in former criminal offenders. The discovery of this information is important to several fields in the formulation of treatment programs toward the elimination of criminal behavior. This research is based on the theory formulated by Yochelson and Samenow, and expanded on by Walters, that holds that Criminal Thinking patterns develop along a continuum and can lead to criminal behavior in some. Specifically, this study sought to learn whether criminal offenders were aware of their Criminal Thinking patterns and if that awareness impacted their criminal behavior. This qualitative phenomenological study …