Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Care Practices And Therapist Beliefs Among Home-Based Mental Health Professionals In Relation To Burnout, Heidi C. Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, research suggested that 21% to 67% of mental health professionals experience burnout. Burnout is described as a negative experience resulting in workplace stress that produces psychological, emotional, physical, and somatic symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine a quantitative, correlational relationship between self-care practices and therapist beliefs in relation to burnout among home-based mental health therapists. The research question concerned whether there is a relationship between therapist beliefs, self-care, and burnout among home-based therapists. Equity theory was the base theory used for this project, indicating that reciprocity between therapist and client or therapist and supervisor may …

Barriers To Implementing Urban Plans In Kenya, Rose Chelangat Kitur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a long history of urban planning, Kenyan towns are still characterized by informality, uncoordinated development, urban sprawl, and congestion. Government documents and reports acknowledge that, despite planning, no deliberate effort has been made to implement plans. Little is known about what impedes plan implementation in Kenya. This study sought to develop an in-depth understanding of the barriers to plan implementation from the perspectives of public officials responsible for planning. Using path dependency theory, forwarded by Pierson, and force field analysis, advanced by Lewin, the research questions focused on legal and institutional development, as well as on the nature of …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Psychopathy In The General Adult Population, Kathryn Richelle Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the fastest growing mental disorders in the United States. More children are being diagnosed than ever before, and many of these individuals are finding that at least one other emotional, behavioral, or mental disorder often accompanies ADHD (including psychopathy). The number of individuals in the prison population with both ADHD and psychopathy is on the rise. Because of these increases, including what is being seen in the prison population, this study aimed to identify if there was a relationship between ADHD and psychopathy in the general population, and if there were specific …

Understanding Nonoffending Caregiver Protection In Child Sexual Abuse, Christina Lynn Sally

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child sexual abuse is a global issue that has affected children, families, and communities for centuries regardless of socioeconomic, religious, ethnic, race, or multicultural factors and distinctions. Sexually abused children may be reluctant to disclose sexual abuse due to perceptions or realities that their nonoffending caregiver (NOC) will not believe their reports and may fail to provide adequate protection. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess if child demographics (i.e., age, sex, and race/ethnicity); type of sexual offense (i.e., contact or noncontact); and perpetrator relationship to the child (i.e., familial or extrafamilial) predict a NOC's response (i.e., protection …

Impact Of Temporary Assistance For Needy Families On Poverty Rates In Kansas, Carla Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of the length of time that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients receive benefits on their path out of poverty is not clear. The purpose of this qualitative study with a phenomenological design was to increase understanding of the comparative experiences of TANF recipients who reached their lifetime limit of 60 or 24 months to determine the impact of time limits on their path out of poverty and the fulfillment of the TANF goal and second purpose. Human capital theory provided the framework for the study. Using a purposive, homogenous sampling method, 6 social service professionals were …

Experience Of Resilience Among African American Women Who Left Abusive Relationships, Audrey L. French

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of DV for AA women is higher than other groups and often more severe; however, some AA women are successful in leaving the violence for good. Researchers continue to examine how victims move beyond their former life and into an abuse free environment by directing more attention on positive dynamics of victims of DV. One area is the study of resilience; however, little is known about the lived experience of resilience. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of resilience in AA women who successfully abandoned an abusive relationship. The interview questions were …

Grievance Group Index, State Legitimacy Index, External Intervention Index, And Global Terrorism, Hassan Hmoud Elkatawneh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to obtain a more accurate diagnosis of the factors that incite terrorism through examining the extent to which independent variables (the Group Grievance Index (GGI), the Legitimate State Index (LSI), and the External Intervention Index (EII)) can predict the dependent variable (the level of global terrorism (GTI)) for the period between 2006-2017. The study included data from the 162 member states of the United Nations, covering 99.7% of the world's population. Game theory and the political process theory provided the theoretical frameworks for the study. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to …

Effect Of Health Information On Food Addiction Among Obese And Overweight Women, Kirsten Elyse Grant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on obesity, weight loss, and food addiction (FA) suggested a strong relationship between use of food additives and the brain's addictive response to food. Previous researchers have examined (FA) and have identified certain food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as contributors to food addiction and overeating. Social cognitive theory (SCT) has also been effective in addressing addictive behaviors such as drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and smoking cessation (Bricker et al., 2010). However, researchers had not examined food addiction, social cognitive theory, and obesity in the same study. The purpose of this quantitative, …

Perspectives Of Low-Income Homeowners On The Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program, Sandra M. Strozier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owning a home is often referred to as the American Dream. However, the reality for low income homeowners is often problematic. Some scholars suggested that homeowners are better off than renters are, while others suggested that the current quest for low-income homeownership interferes with other affordable housing initiatives. Yet, few researchers examined the decision-making process of low-income homeowners. This phenomenological study explores and describes the experiences, attitudes, and perspectives of low-income individuals and their homeownership decisions. This study further delineates the costs and benefits of the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program (HCVH) as perceived by low-income families in a southern …

Juvenile Detention Center Effects On Futures Of At-Risk Youth, Jennifer Lynn Zitterkopf

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile Detention Center Effects on Futures of At-Risk Youth

by

Jennifer L. Turner

MS, Walden University, 2014

BS, University of Maryland University College, 2011

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Forensic Psychology

Walden University

August 2019

Many juvenile offenders return to the justice system after serving their incarceration sentences. Detaining youth has a negative impact on their mental health, education, employment, and ability to secede from a criminogenic life course. Identifying detention center effects on youths' futures can provide further insight on why the current approach does not successfully deter youth from …

Esl Teachers' Perceptions Academic Performance Among Hispanic El Students Of Deported/Immigrant Parents, Osiris Ciminera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The sudden removal of immigrant parents by deportation can have lasting effects on children's overall wellbeing. While many studies demonstrate the impact parental deportation has on the child development, more research has been called for on how deportation and the removal of parents by deportation can affect school performance among ESL students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the student factors that predict 5 domains of school performance among ELS students of undocumented parents as perceived by their ESL teachers. Sewell's duality of structures served as the theoretical framework. A quantitative correlational design using an online survey …

The Experience Of Founder's Syndrome In Nonprofit Organizations Founded By Women, Coutanya Moultry Coombs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gaps exist in the literature on knowledge of how founder behavior affects volunteers and employees in nonprofit organizations. Through exploration of founder relationships with volunteers and employees, this study fills some of those gaps and adds to the body of knowledge of how those relationships are perceived by founders, volunteers, and employees. The purpose of this narrative study was to address the question of the impact of founder behavior on founders, employees and volunteers in nonprofit women's organizations founded by African American and Caucasian women. The theory of psychological ownership was used as the framework to understand founder behavior. The …

Best Practice Suicide Screening/Assessment Tools For The Emergency Department, Katheryn M. Spirito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) often suffer from more than physical ailments when seeking care and treatment. Some of these patients have emotional ailments and suicidal ideation when they come to the local ED. The lack of recognition of at-risk patients by health care providers can lead to poor patient outcomes and death. The focus of this project was to understand which valid and reliable suicide assessment tools described in the literature were considered the best evidence-based instruments to identify ED patients who were at risk for suicide. Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations guided this project. A systematic …

Female Victims' Perceptions Of Civil Protection Order Effectiveness In Rural Tennessee, Thomas Warren Tharpe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a serious social issue that affects victims across all spectrums of life. While domestic violence crosses all geographical boundaries, researchers have found that women residing in rural areas experience increased severity and more extended periods of abuse than their urban counterparts. Existing literature focusing on rural female domestic violence victims and their subjective perceptions of civil order protection is limited and little is known about abuse victims' satisfaction with civil protection orders in keeping them safe from future incidents of violence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effectiveness perceptions of rural female victims …

Key Performance Indicators' Effects On Public Sector Infrastructure Project Efficiency In Grenada, Kelvin Michael George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Grenada is 1 of 15 developing countries in Caribbean Community known as CARICOM. The infrastructure capital projects in these developing countries are plagued with an array of issues: unethical practices, inadequate supervision, lack of transparency and accountability, inadequate monitoring and evaluation, cost overruns, and inefficiencies. In the 1980s and 1990s, the International Monitory Fund and World Bank introduced a balanced scorecard engineered under the structural adjustment program, but it was unable to improve infrastructure project efficiencies. This qualitative case study sought to understand the role of management key performance indicators (KPIs) on public sector infrastructure capital project efficiency on the …

Patients' Perceptions Of Quality Of Life And Resource Availability After Critical Illness, Michelle Mcmoon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical, psychological, and social debilities are common among survivors of critical illness. Survivors of critical illness require rehabilitative services during recovery in order to return to functional independence, but the structure and access of such services remains unclear. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the vital issues affecting quality of life from the perspective of critical illness survivors and to understand these patients' experiences with rehabilitative services in the United States. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Weber's rational choice theory, and a phenomenological study design was employed. The research questions focused on the survivors' experiences …

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 …

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. …

African American Sibling Relationships When Caring For An Alzheimer’S Parent, Cynthia M. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most commonly occurring form of dementia that affects African Americans at 2 to 3 times higher rate than other ethnic or racial groups in the United States. As the number of older African Americans with AD grows rapidly so will the need for daily supports; therefore, informal caregivers, such as an adult offspring, often assume the role of filial caregiver. Focusing on the unique patterns of caregiving among African Americans, this generic qualitative study may help explain the adult offspring’s perspective on sibling relationships as they function in the role of primary filial caregiver. Equity …

Parental Perspectives Of Permanency Planning And Staffing Barriers In Child Welfare, Linda S. Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caseworker turnover in child welfare agencies has been a problem for many years. The turnover negatively impacts the agency, and the staff left behind by their departing peers, and continuity of services provided to clients. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore parental experiences with child welfare staff turnover to determine how clients perceived that turnover impacted their child welfare case. The research questions for this study focused on (a) how clients perceived that child welfare turnover impacted their case and (b) how the turnover impacted their case plan and (c) recommendations for child welfare to enhance …

Oromo Ethiopians Perceptions Of The Prevalence, Causes, Treatment And Prevention Of Trachoma, Linda L. Gross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Ethiopia, one of the primary contributors to blindness is trachoma, which is an infectious ocular disease. There is no record of any prevention programs in rural Ethiopian villages of Oromia, where the prevalence of trachoma is high. The original purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of rural Oromo villagers in Ethiopia on the causes, treatment, and prevention of trachoma, using the health belief model and the social-ecological model as a theoretical framework. Due to a security situation in Ethiopia, final interviews were conducted with immigrant Ethiopians in the US, all of them from the trachoma-endemic …

Predictive Factors Of Drug Court Completion For Female Participants, Shannon Jordan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women comprise one of the fastest growing populations of the criminal justice system, yet little research exists concerning the success of these women completing a coed pretrial drug court diversion program. Trauma theory was applied to inform the variables in this quantitative correlational study. The predictive nature of age, educational level, marital status, violent criminal history, and mental health problems for women were examined in relation to completion of a coed pretrial drug court diversion program. A convenience sample from secondary, archival data was obtained from a criminal justice agency in Washington, DC. The dataset included women who participated in …

The Impact Of Parental Incarceration: Adults Reflect On Their Juvenile Years, Carolyn Eugenia Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For many American families, incarceration has become a way of life. Per the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, there are more than 2.7 million children who have a parent in prison and some may have one or both in county jail. There are psychological implications in terms of the child's well-being, behavioral, academic, and emotional outcomes, and family-level processes. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the impact that a parent's incarceration has on a child even through adulthood. The research question examined how a parent's incarceration impacts the future of the …

Factors Associated With Parental Involvement In Their Child's Education, John Joseph Trentalange

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After 4 decades and a large body of research on children's academic success, there is still a need to understand how to increase children's academic performance. Researchers agree that the key component to elementary school children's academic success is parental involvement. However, little is known on how to increase parental involvement and the characteristics of the parents who participate in their children's education. This quantitative study examined 2 parental characteristics, parents' internal attachment patterns and parenting styles, and their relationship with parental involvement and children's academic success. Bowlby's theory of attachment and Baumrind's parenting typologies served as the theoretical framework. …

Nonprofit Leader External Communication Strategies To Attract New Donors, Laurie Ann Albarino

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 64% of nonprofit leaders struggle to connect with supporters through fund initiatives alone, and 59% of nonprofit leaders lack the marketing communication capability to attract new donors. Fundraising is vital to nonprofit organizations' sustainability and essential for successfully attracting new donors. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective external communication strategies used by 3 southern California nonprofits through the conceptual lens of the integrated marketing communications theory. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews, a review of organizational documents and online databases, and the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step process. …

Exploring Public Sector Leadership Through Appreciative Inquiry, Wendy L. Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership is an important part of creating effective public organizations. Effective leaders have the potential to produce social change through positive follower and organizational outcomes, the development of important policies, and efficiently implementing public policy. The scholarly literature lacks research concerning how leadership styles translate to the public sector. The theoretical framework used to guide and support this study was Cooperrider and Whitney's appreciative inquiry. The research question explored in what ways public sector leaders affect how followers perceive themselves as social change agents in a local city-county health department. For this phenomenological study, 10 followers employed by a local …

A Comparison Of Sexual-Minority Stress In Lesbian And Gay Police Officers, Laura Ellen Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The original purpose of this quantitative study was to compare 5 self-reported sexual minority stress (SMS) factors experienced by lesbian and gay police officers to discover if lesbian or gay police officers experience more SMS, and which factor, if any, is the biggest stressor for either group as measured using subscales of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ). This study partially incorporated minority-stress theory as applied to sexual minorities. This study used subscales from the DHEQ in anonymous, online surveys. Because of the low response rate, the study changed to compare the group of lesbian and gay police officers' self-reports …

An Analysis Of Employee Motivation After Metamorphose, Conglomerated Public Health Care Systems, Aleta Marie Lymon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A global epidemic of metamorphosed, conglomerated health care systems changed the face of public health care organizations. The problem is, public health care organizations merge into new systems, but the culture for each merged organization has not been formed under the new system. Public administrators, health care workers and the Department of Health and Human Services are affected when there are issues in health care behavioral practices and performance outcomes. Research found that employee motivation is hard to achieve when there are issues within the internal structure of a new system. Using Herzberg's motivation-hygiene and Tajfel and Turner's social identity …

Associations Between Income, Acculturation, Country Of Origin, And Type Ii Diabetes Among African Immigrants To Ontario, Canada, Girma Aman Goshe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes has become a longstanding public health challenge around the world. Over the last 3 decades, the number of people with Type II diabetes (T2DM) has grown to an epidemic level in Canada. Prior research indicated African immigrants residing in Ontario, Canada experienced a 2-4 times higher prevalence of T2DM than Canadian-born individuals. The social determinants of health theoretical framework guided this study assessing the relationship of the risk factors with T2DM. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using the 2007-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey data. The random sample included 1,526 African immigrants residing in Ontario, Canada. Descriptive, bivariate, and …

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 …