Empathy, the ability to feel and/or understand another’s emotional state, plays a significant role in interpersonal interactions, mitigating hostility and enhancing affiliation and helping. However, empathy also biases interpersonal reactions. For example, at the group level empathy can become amplified towards members of their ingroup and blunted towards individuals in outgroups, a term called parochial empathy. Currently, no validated measures of parochial empathy at the dispositional level exist, and development of such a scale would be important to understanding the role of group-based emotions in prejudice and discrimination against outgroups. I conducted five studies to develop and validate a self-report Trait Parochial Empathy Scale (TPES) that could measure tendencies to respond with parochial empathy across any set of group membership categories. Study 1 assessed the factor structure of the TPES through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses while Study 2 attempted to replicate the Study 1 factor structure and assess concurrent and divergent validity of the TPES using attitudinal measures. Study 3 assessed the temporal consistency of the TPES. Study 4 examined whether the TPES could be flexibly used across a variety of groups by assessing its relation to various outcomes across different ingroup and outgroup combinations. Finally, Study 5 assessed the ability of the TPES to predict in vivo behavior.

Divorce rates have consistently risen over the past several decades along with the subsequent increase in parental alienation occurring after the breakup of the family. Parental alienation has long-term negative effects on children who have experienced it, including mental health issues, increased risk of substance abuse, lower levels of self-sufficiency, and decreased physical health. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to determine whether alienation from a parent during childhood impacts the quality of adult romantic and marital relationships of the children when they become adults. The Bowen family systems theory and theory of attachment were used as the framework for the study. A convenience sample included 170 adult participants over the age of 18 who were either married or involved in a dating relationship who had parents that divorced during their childhood between the individual's birth and the age of 14. The results from multiple regression analyses indicated that alienation from father was a significant predictor of marital or dating relationship quality, and alienation from mother was a significant predictor of relationship happiness, satisfaction, and quality. As alienation from father or mother scores increased, the criterion variable scores decreased. Anxious attachment was also a significant predictor of relationship satisfaction as higher scores on anxious attachment resulted in lower relationship satisfaction scores. These findings have positive social change implications as practitioners may use the results to help individuals better understand their relationships and identify the negative lasting effects of parental alienation in adult relationships.

The problem addressed in the study was that Georgia's economic development leadership faced obstacles that challenged the state's growth in attracting new business and developing existing business. The purpose of this case study was to explore the obstacles encountered by a specific agency to attract businesses to generate economic growth. Accessing obstacles that hinder leaders to promote the state of Georgia growth is pertinent, including exploring where the system may be constrained. The theory of constraints guided this study to investigate what obstacles state leaders face in economic development. An embedded case study was conducted using purposeful sampling to select 11 participants for interviews, including managers, directors, and a deputy commissioner from a state agency in Atlanta with significant experience in attracting and maintaining businesses for growth. Inductive coding using Attride-Stirling, Braun and Clark's 6-step approach resulted in 4 themes. Themes that emerged as findings were: low quality education, time delays deterred corporations to locate to Georgia, perception of limited public transportation and affiliated crime, and infrastructure and accessibility dilemmas. The implications for positive social change included needed improvements to education, elimination of traffic barriers, expansion of public transportation, and development of infrastructure to benefit and enhance a better life for Georgia residents.

Nigerian women have become more integrated into the workforce, but this integration has led to conflicts between work and family responsibilities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Nigerian women regarding challenges and strategies in management and leadership positions in relation to their domestic lives and responsibilities. Liberal and social feminist theory and gendered leadership theory were used as the conceptual framework of the study. The findings of this study came from data obtained from semistructured interviews with 15 Nigerian women in leadership and management positions regarding their perceptions and lived experiences of balancing work and family responsibilities. The data analysis consisted of using a modified Van Kaam process, which resulted in 7 themes including multiple roles make balance difficult, supportive husband as a key to balance, and the role of God in supporting and guiding the women. The findings of this study could contribute to positive social change by providing necessary information regarding how Nigerian women perceive their roles in management and leadership positions as they grapple with the challenges of pursuing a career and maintaining their families, leading to more informed organizations and policymakers. This study includes findings about how women perform and are evaluated as managers, which could eventually influence hiring practices by highlighting the barriers and strategies to overcome them as experienced by Nigerian women in management positions.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) accumulates annual data from state department of corrections. The information that the BJS accumulates annually is relevant to this study because it shows the possibility of the many African American women as well as other women in need of assistance while their loved one is incarcerated. The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of African American women involved with an incarcerated spouse, partner, or mate. The focal point of interest was how lived experiences affect African American women's physical and psychological well-being. The theoretical framework for this study comprised both the resilience theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The research question that guided this study was: What are the significant experiences acquired during the incarceration process of the spouse, partner, or mate? Data were collected using semi structured interviews conducted with African American women over the age of 18 from a metropolitan city in the northeastern United States with incarcerated spouses, partners, or mates. NVivo software was used to find emergent themes from the data. The conclusions from the research, has endorsed positive social change by enlightening the helping professional. There are psychological implications that these women encountered during their lived experiences such as anxiety disorder, depression, trauma, stigma and shame, as well as criminality by association by staying in the relationship. The community should sustain these anguished women and be a factor in their well-being during the incarceration of their spouses, partners, or mates, as well as guiding them through the penal system via a resource center.

Studies have found links between physician relationships with nurses, patient safety culture, and patient outcomes, but less is known about a similar link between physician relationships with allied health professionals (AHPs), patient safety culture, and patient outcomes. The purpose of this exploratory quantitative, survey study was to investigate whether physician interactions with AHPs contribute to improved patient-safety culture, AHP empowerment, and self-efficacy. Based on a theoretical framework consisting of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, and self-efficacy, it was hypothesized that self-efficacy is predicted by structural and psychological empowerment and self-efficacy predicts a positive patient safety culture. The AHP Survey of Physician Collaboration was constructed using psychometrically sound items from instruments that have studied similar phenomena. A purposive sample with 95 respondents consisted of occupational and physical therapists currently working in hospitals. Pearson Product-Moment correlation, standard multiple regression analysis, independent groups t-tests, and one-way between groups analyses of variance were employed. Although the survey results did not indicate a statistically significant relationship between psychological empowerment and patient-safety culture, findings in this study indicated that patient-safety culture has a significant positive correlation with structural empowerment and self-efficacy. Structural empowerment and self-efficacy were found to significantly predict patient-safety culture. The results did not show differences based on gender, profession, age, or years of service. By illustrating the nature of the relationship between physicians and AHPs, the results of this study can affect social change through enhancing the ability to reduce the number of preventable negative health outcomes in hospitals.

Employee turnover continues to be an issue in federal organizations, including the Social Security Administration (SSA). While issues such as retiring baby boomers and budget constraints are beyond the control of any agency, retaining employees is critical to maintain essential services. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore SSA employee's lived experiences of job satisfaction and employee turnover to uncover motivators and satisfaction strategies. The conceptual framework for the study was based on Maslow's human needs and Herzberg's two-factor theory. Data were collected from 20 SSA frontline employees using 6 open-ended interview questions. The data were analyzed using a modification of van Kaam's method of analysis of phenomenological data and NVivo 11 Pro. Study results revealed that time, stress, pay and benefits, public service, and interoffice relationships were the prime intrinsic and extrinsic factors participants perceived as directly related to their job satisfaction. They highly valued job enrichment programs, cohesive teams, and pay and benefits, which override daily stressors inherent to the public demands strategies for the agency. Conducting the study in depressed socioeconomic areas might also provide significant insights, particularly since stress and workload were essential dissatisfiers. SSA provides critical services to many vulnerable groups. Strategies that employees perceive as motivating enhance the quality of services and benefits to eligible American citizens, many of whom rely on these services for quality of life, thereby reducing the burden of local communities to support these individuals if SSA services fail.

Voluntary employee turnover in the fast-food industry is 50%. Employee turnover costs fast-food restaurants $10 billion annually. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the strategies of 5 fast-food restaurant managers in the Midwestern United States who achieved higher employee retention than did peers in their districts. The conceptual framework was the 8 motivational forces of voluntary employee turnover. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews, recruiting materials, retention activities, policy manuals, and overall voluntary termination reports. Data were compiled, disassembled into groups, reassembled into patterns and themes, and interpreted for conclusions, revealing 3 themes that influenced the managers' employee retention: organizational support, communication, and employee training. These findings suggest that proactively developing a culture of support, implementing communication and feedback channels for employees, and maintaining a training and development program can improve employee retention. Findings might contribute to social change by helping managers develop strategies for improving employee retention, and in turn, financial performance. Employees of fast-food restaurants could benefit from improved retention and financial performance, as they could contribute to new employment opportunities and increased career longevity. Society could benefit from expanded aggregate employment and tax revenue.

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 the effects of CIT training on arrest and diversion rates of mentally ill subjects. The theoretical foundation for the study was evidence-based policing. Reports from a single police department in the southwestern United States were reviewed, and arrest and diversion incidents from 6-months pre and post CIT training for 30 police officers were collected. A paired-samples t test was used to analyze the data, which indicated that there was not a statistical difference in arrest rates or diversion rates between pre and post CIT training. Results corroborated the findings of other studies showing that arrest and diversion rates are not affected by CIT programs. Law enforcement agencies that currently have or are looking to implement a CIT program may find the study useful, as it reports an increase in resources being provided to mentally ill subjects following contact with a CIT officer. Recommendations include additional research into the effectiveness of the CIT program as well as the continuation of collaboration between community mental health organizations and police, both of which may lead to positive social change.

African American high school students face considerable personal and circumstantial challenges such as poverty, living in high crime neighborhoods, a lack of positive role models, low socioeconomic status, and social inequity in their efforts to achieve academic success. Finding solutions for persistent academic underperformance and closing the achievement disparity gap for minority children are challenging. This generic qualitative study examined the motivations of high-achieving African American high school students to persevere and achieve academic success despite their personal and circumstantial challenges. Social cognitive theory framed the study. Semistructured interview data were collected from 10 high achieving African American high school juniors and seniors from 2 local schools. Data were thematically analyzed via open coding. The following themes were identified; (a) utility of school and the importance of education; (b) importance of organization; (c) importance of involvement in extracurricular and creative activities; (d) positive home support, parent involvement, and communication; (e) positive sibling/peer influence; (f) positive adult role models; (g) high expectations of self; (h) importance of perseverance, and; (i) seeing barriers and challenges as opportunities. The findings of this study promote social change by providing information to individuals, families, and school systems that may lead to the development of interventions that could enhance school engagement in African American students.