Midcareer women are leaving the information technology (IT) career field at a much higher rate than are men. This attrition has contributed to a decreasing percentage of women in the IT field, hindering the creativity, innovation, and productivity that can result from a diverse workforce. This phenomenological study addressed a gap in the current research by examining the lived experience of women who have left the IT field. The conceptual frameworks of the study included Rhodes and Doering's integrated career change model based on traditional turnover theory, a model of gender and power in careers by Ragins and Sundstrom, and a career commitment model from Fu that accommodates the unique occupational culture of IT. The research questions explored the experiences, thoughts, and feelings that led these women to leave the IT profession after gaining years of experience. Participants were interviewed using a researcher-designed interview instrument and data were analyzed using a priori codes derived from the conceptual framework and literature review to guide analysis, assisted by software designed for this purpose. The main themes emerging from this study included: negative aspects of the IT culture and organizational climate, challenges of work/life balance, and gender bias and discrimination. The social change implications of knowledge gained through this study include positive changes in the experience of midcareer women in IT, improved retention of midcareer women in IT in corporations and government, and the increased productivity and innovation that is possible with a fully staffed and more diverse workforce.

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Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) had its beginning in 1918, when Congress granted to the Federal Board of Vocational Education the power to provide for the training of "any disabled veteran who was unable to carry on a gainful occupation, to resume his former occupation, or to enter upon some other occupation, or having resumed or entered upon such occupation was unable to continue the same successfully." (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1972). Called the Soldiers Rehabilitation Act, this measure made clear the basic goals of vocational rehabilitation. In 1943, a milestone year, services were extended to all disabled individuals who met the basic criteria of (a) having a disability (physical, emotional, or mental) which (b) poses a substantial handicap to employment, and (c) for whom a reasonable expectation exists that upon receiving services the individual can again (or for the first time) engage in gainful employment.

U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness Test, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Stress Management Questionnaire, the Lifestyle Assessment Inventory, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if personal (intellectual capabilities and physical fitness), behavioral (lifestyle and stress management), and/or environmental (supervisor leadership) factors predict self-efficacy and body mass index in a convenience sample of battalion personnel. The analysis showed that lifestyle and stress management behavioral factors predict self-efficacy, whereas physical fitness predicts body mass index. In addition, there were significant correlations between self-efficacy, personal factors, and behavioral factors; between personal factors, behavioral factors, and body mass index; and between behavioral and environmental factors. Positive social change implications include the U.S. Army using these findings to promote healthy lifestyles, reduce stress, and increase physical fitness among soldiers to achieve higher self-efficacy and a lower body mass index. These findings also suggest that the military services would see better physical readiness by considering personal, behavioral, and environmental factors to meet standards.

Researchers have found that minorities suffering from traumatic stress report increased levels of stress in the absence of supportive and committed work environments; however, a paucity of empirical research exists for First Nations Peoples (FNP). The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the nature of the relationship between FNP's associated symptoms of historical loss, assessed by the Historical Loss and Associated Symptoms Scale, and organizational commitment, as measured by the Three Component Employee Commitment Survey. A total of 118 residential school survivors completed surveys. Correlation analysis was used to determine the significance of historical loss in relation to organizational commitment among survivors. Results showed an inverse relationship between affective commitment and associated symptoms of historical loss and between continuance commitment and associated symptoms. No statistically significant correlation was found between normative commitment and historical loss or associated symptoms. Findings can help inform targeted engagement, recruitment, and retention initiatives designed to accommodate FNP perspectives and experiences into organizational culture and systems. Implications for positive social change include better understanding of factors impacting career progression among FNP, such as organizational commitment. Results may also inform culturally safe interventions that help FNP to be successful.

Although structured decision making and risk assessment protocols have successfully been used in human service programs, little research has been done on their applicability in the child support program. In this study, problems identified with child support case management were examined, along with positive and negative attributes of various risk assessment tools utilized in other arenas. The overall research problem asserted that there are no structured decision making protocols in the child support program to support case assignment by enforcement difficulty. The primary research question asked whether or not a process stratified by risk and level of enforcement difficulty could be developed to increase child support collections and improve program cost-effectiveness using custodial parent data obtained at time of intake. The theoretical foundation of the study revolved around descriptive decision theory and specifically, risk assessment as means to stratify child support caseloads. A nonparametric quantitative research methodology was utilized to examine 1501 cases from the program. The goal was to identify those variables that had the greatest impact on case payment so that they could be incorporated into a structured decision making protocol. The results of the data analysis, using a Cramer's V test for association, indicated that of the 11 independent variables chosen for the study, seven variables appeared to be very strongly associated with the dependent variable. Those variables were custodial parent age, gender, ethnicity, welfare status, number of children, relationship to each child and the ages of the children. Ultimately, the social change implication is to improve collection of child support payments for low income children and families. Enhancing the economic lifestyles of these individuals has the potential to reduce government dependency and to improve economic self sufficiency.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles internal locus of control and self-efficacy play in moderating how employees manage their perceived work stress and positively engage in the behaviors that facilitate autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and purpose in life. Investigators have documented the relationship between perceived workplace stress and strain and showed that how employees cope with perceived stress influences their psychological and physical health. However, there is less information available about the relationship between how employees cope with perceived workplace stress and engage in behaviors that facilitate their psychological well-being. A quasi-experimental methodology was used; male and female tire manufacturing production workers working in a shift work manufacturing environment were surveyed using a secure online server. Data collection tools included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Form C 4 subscales, the Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, and Ryff's 6 Scales of Psychological Well-Being. Hypotheses were analyzed using moderated multiple regression analyses. Employees who operate from an internal locus of control and who demonstrate high levels of self-efficacy reported lower levels of perceived stress and higher levels of self-acceptance. The implications for social change provide organizational leaders with insight into the potential benefits and saving of both financial and human capital by screening and training employees to better understand how to evaluate and develop their abilities to operate from an internal locus of control, as well as how to improve their self-efficacy skills.