Master of Arts (M.A.), Xavier University, 2017, Psychology

Work centrality was examined as a possible moderator of the job satisfaction and life satisfaction relationship. Participants included in the study were MTurk workers who were employed in at least one full-time job and lived in the United States of America. Data were collected using self-report items in an online survey and 93 participants were included in the study. In support of earlier research, life satisfaction and job satisfaction did have a significant positive correlation, r(91) = .426, p < .001. Work centrality also had significant, positive correlations with both job satisfaction, r(91) = .315, p = .002, and life satisfaction, r(91) = .252, p = .015. The results of the moderated regression analysis indicated that work centrality did not significantly moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction, ¿R2 = .002, F(1,89) = .232, p = .631. These results indicate that work centrality may have important implications for both job and life satisfaction, and may be helpful to career counselors when advising individuals about career and work choices. Also included are recommendations for future researchers wanting to examine work centrality as a moderator of the life satisfaction-job satisfaction relationship.

Doctor of Business Administration, Cleveland State University, 2012, Nance College of Business Administration

This study is one of few on customer satisfaction, delight, and behavioral intentions and the first in a hospital setting. Data, collected through phone interviews with 250 patients discharged from a hospital, support that: (1) patient delight and satisfaction have positive influences on behavioral intentions; (2) environmental and interpersonal service quality have positive influences on patient satisfaction and patient delight; however, (3) patient satisfaction mediates the relationship between environmental and interpersonal service quality and patient delight.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

The current study uses a strengths-based framework to identify the process of marriage satisfaction among 1 same-sex African American married couple and 5 heterosexual African American married couples. Six themes emerged through qualitative analysis demonstrating that marriage satisfaction is a co-constructed experience created between couples through a series of interactions cultivating healthy conditions that strengthen relationship functioning and promote well-being. Based on the results the experience of marriage satisfaction is formed by the organizing concepts of connection, intentionality, purpose, sentiments of peace, authentic communication, and well-being. Results are discussed in association with existing research, as well as, Self-Determination, and Relationship Motivation Theories.

Master of Gerontological Studies, Miami University, 2012, Gerontology

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a five-star rating system of nursing homes in the United States. These star ratings have been widely publicized both by CMS and in the national and state media. Although the components of the star rating system take into account various dimensions of quality, the satisfaction of nursing home residents and their families are not taken into consideration. The current study compares the CMS star rating system to the satisfaction ratings of nursing homes provided by residents and their families throughout the state of Ohio. Findings indicate that the star rating system does not adequately reflect consumer satisfaction and recommend that the star rating system be refined to include a consumer component.

PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

Many couples are not satisfied in their relationships and are looking for ways to communicate better in order to avoid the devastating effects of divorce. One way for couples to improve their satisfaction is to learn how to communicate their love for one another effectively and equitably. This study identifies the means by which individuals communicate romantic love and explores the effect these behaviors have on relational, sexual, and communication satisfaction using equity theory as the framework. Through an extensive study of relevant literature, a clear conceptualization and preliminary measurement of romantic love was created. Five hundred heterosexual married individuals were surveyed through an online questionnaire. Survey instruments measured both the individual's use of romantic love communication behaviors (RLCB) as well as his/her perception of their partner's use. In addition, measures of relational equity, romantic love communication behavior equity, marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and communication satisfaction were included. The results provided support that Relational Equitability predicts RLCB use; RLCB use predicts Relational, Sexual, and Communication Satisfaction; and RLCB Equitability predicts Relational, Sexual, and Communication Satisfaction for underbenefited individuals, but only Communication Satisfaction for overbenefited individuals. The dissertation offers a valuable contribution to the literature on romantic love by providing a typology of romantic love communication behaviors rooted in theory. In addition it provides a clearer understanding of the relationships between romantic love communication behaviors, equity theory, and relational outcomes (relational, sexual, and communication satisfaction). This study has shown the positive effect that romantic love communication behaviors have on Relational, Sexual, and Communication Satisfaction as well as the importance of an equitable exchange of such behaviors. Because results (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2011, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

This dissertation presents a model of translator satisfaction along with an instrument and empirical data that can be used for the assessment of translator satisfaction in the language industry (LI). The model has been adapted to address specific trends widely prevalent in the industry. These trends have emerged over the last two decades due to the widespread adoption of internet technologies and other technological advancements. The subcontracting model has become a very common mode of operation among large corporations and language service providers, leading to the replacement of the traditional translation processes by mass-production methods. Division of labor, higher specialization of skills and higher process standardization are some of the inevitable consequences of mass-production. Subcontracting has radically reshaped the work environment, with increasing virtual teamwork, outsourcing and telecommuting becoming widespread. Subject matter and technical expertise, terminology management and project management skills have become essential in the new professional profile that has emerged due to the trends in the current LI. The model proposed in this dissertation implements Herzberg's framework of job satisfaction in order to investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic predictors that influence three facets of satisfaction among active professionals in the LI—task, job and professional. A survey has been designed to collect data from active translation professionals, and the survey results are comprehensively post-processed and statistically analyzed in order to comprehend the factors and variables for each facet of satisfaction. Study of the work behavior of a highly skilled labor force is important because translators remain a crucial component of the LI despite all the technological advancements. The findings suggest that most predictors come from the intrinsic sources of satisfaction found in individuals, tasks or the profession. Thus, new retention strategies (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

This study critically assesses and extends Seckin's (2018) research on work boredom in public organizations. While Seckin (2018) identified a partial mediation of turnover intentions between work boredom and life satisfaction, with organizational support moderating the relationship, this study only partially replicated those findings. A full mediation of turnover intentions between work boredom and life satisfaction and a non-significant moderation effect by organizational support was revealed. Plausible explanations include perceiving work boredom as a hinderance stressor, cultural and political distinctions between regions influencing responses, and linguistic variations affecting boredom appraisal. Despite the absence of significant moderation, the study introduces valuable insights, demonstrating an improved model fit by substituting variables and advocating for job satisfaction and boredom proneness as superior measures, enriching our understanding of the complexities in work-related psychological phenomena.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

The current study is quantitative research that used a web-based survey from multiple religious denominations in the United States to examine the relationships among perceptions of stress, work-family spillover, marital satisfaction, and family functioning of pastors. Emotional exhaustion, hours worked, personal accomplishment, and social support were analyzed as predictors from the work domain. Two measures of spillover were used to evaluate family stressors and enhancers. The stressors and enhancers were tested as mediators between work domain and personal/family life. Life satisfaction, marital satisfaction and family dysfunction were analyzed as outcome variables. The sample included 83 pastors from a convenience sample including 62 males and 21 females, with backgrounds diverse in culture, education, and denomination. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS (Version 26), including Pearson's correlations along with regression analysis using PROCESS macro to test for mediation. It was found that social support does increase family enhancers and work-family positive spillover but contrary to predictions, personal accomplishment appeared to impact family life by increasing emotional exhaustion, stressors, and family dysfunctions. Greater incidents of emotional exhaustion and hours worked were found to reduce the incident of enhancers and work-family positive spillover and increase family stressors and work-family negative spillover. Greater incidents of emotional exhaustion were found to reduce marital satisfaction and increase family dysfunctions. This research has practical and clinical implications for pastors, spouses, and children of pastors, educators, family scientists, therapists, and organizations who employ pastors.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2022, Higher Education

Although much has been written on shared governance, research at faith-based institutions has been limited. This study sought to answer what factors influence full-time undergraduate faculty's attitudes toward shared governance, specifically shared governance satisfaction, at 10 other religious, 4-year private institutions and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) members. Astin's theory of student involvement formed the theoretical framework and his I-E-O model was the conceptual framework. The dataset contained 51 input and environmental variables from the 2016–2017 HERI Faculty Survey and had 685 faculty respondents. A blocked form of stepwise linear regression determined which independent variables related to faculty involvement in teaching, research, service, spirituality, and intermediate educational outcomes had a statistically significant impact on the dependent variable. The findings showed 14 variables had a statistically significant relationship with shared governance satisfaction; most of them were opinion, satisfaction and stress-related variables, clustered in the intermediate educational outcomes block, which explained 80.5% of the variance in the dependent variable. This study has several policy implications: institutions should have effective policies (a) pertaining to faculty hiring, and specifically to increase faculty diversity, (b) that better promote work–life balance, (c) that recognize faculty's involvement in governance activities and a differentiated faculty reward system, and (d) on faculty advancement and promotion decisions. Practice implications include scheduling research talks to connect faculty cross-departmentally and offer research opportunities, regular communications about research conducted, hiring departmental leaders carefully, promoting work–life balance through varied methods, and helping faculty incorporate community service as part of their coursework.

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2021, Psychology

Formal and informal caregivers experience both negative and positive aspects of caregiving, such as burnout and compassion satisfaction. However, the existing literature primarily focuses on the experiences of family caregivers and nurses, but neglects nursing assistants. This study examined the relationships among personality, burnout, compassion satisfaction, work engagement, and job satisfaction in a sample of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) employed in healthcare settings. Additionally, this study compared CNA data collected prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed self-report surveys measuring burnout, compassion satisfaction, personality factors, work engagement, job satisfaction, intent to quit, and demographics. Results indicated significant positive relationships between compassion satisfaction and agreeableness and extraversion, as well as between burnout and neuroticism. Significant negative relationships were found between burnout and agreeableness and extraversion, as well as between compassion satisfaction and neuroticism. Work engagement and job satisfaction were not found to moderate these relationships. CNAs who participated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic reported lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction compared to CNAs who participated during the pandemic. However, there were no differences in job satisfaction or intent to quit. The current study provided novel information about CNA personality, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and levels of job satisfaction and work engagement. The findings may be useful in developing interventions for CNAs to bolster compassion satisfaction and decrease burnout to potentially reduce turnover rates.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Marriage and Family Counseling/Therapy

Minimalism aids in the elimination life's excess and allows for focus on the essentials, happiness, fulfillment, and freedom. Benefits of a minimalistic lifestyle include reclaiming time and the elimination of excess. Minimalism is a topic yet to be explored by marriage and family therapists (MFTs). Medical family therapy (MedFT) is a systemic, biopsychosocial model utilized to provide therapeutic services to patients and their families who are experiencing or have experienced physical health problems. The research question driving this study asks, how could benefits of minimalism be understood from MedFT lens? Descriptives, frequencies, correlations, t-tests, ANOVAs, and hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to answer three research questions. Results found that materialist values are a statistically significant predictor of relational satisfaction and mental health. Additionally, results indicated that materialist values are not a statistically significant predictor of physical health. Limitations of the study, implications for clinical practice, and future directions are discussed.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2020, Education

While research on the superintendent, principal, or teacher may be prevalent, research on the assistant principal is lacking. This qualitative study based on phenomenological research was focused on determining overall job satisfaction of high school assistant principals in Ohio as well as the factor that role ambiguity, role conflict, and/or facet satisfaction play on the overall job satisfaction. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 12 high school assistant principals in Ohio, both male and female with 0-5 or 6 or more years of experience in a rural, suburban, or urban school district. Data were initially analyzed and coded by hand. Further coding was accomplished by using MAXQDA, a computer-assisted qualitative analysis software. Findings followed the theoretical framework used for the study, Lawler's (1994) Theory of Facet Satisfaction. This framework, and the study, showed that assistant principals often have different actual job responsibilities than those they assumed they would have or those they identified as ideal. Most assistant principals in the study experienced instances of role ambiguity and role conflict. The majority of the assistant principals had a high rating of job satisfaction regardless of the differences in job responsibilities or instances of ambiguity and conflict. Recommendations were given based on the findings of this study for both high and low job satisfaction.

Doctor of Nursing Practice, Mount St. Joseph University , 2020, Department of Nursing

Transfer of care report is one of the most frequent hand-off communication opportunities in healthcare for nurses. The goal of this report is to provide information in a standardized format that allows accurate data to be transferred to the oncoming nurse in a clear, concise manner. Literature reveals this report occurring at the patients is the best nursing practice; however, it does come with obstacles, competing priorities, and distractions. A breakdown in communication can cause disruptions to care, inaccurate information, or even harm and death to the patient in certain circumstances. Identifying a standardized approach to bedside report is a priority for patient safety and the hospital's safety culture. The Nurse Knowledge Exchange Plus (NKE plus) created by Kaiser Permanente was designed with a multifaceted team and front-line nursing staff to engage the team in helping break down the obstacles and distractions. NKE plus was chosen as the standardized tool for beside reporting for this project because of the engagement of staff, ability to work through barriers and distractions, and provide a comprehensive tool that uses the electronic health record, safety checks, and inclusion of the patient and family (Lin, Heisler, Fahey, McGinnis, & Whiffen, 2015). This evidence-based quality improvement project looked at the nurse's perceptions of bedside reports and Press Ganey's communication with nurse's scores for improvements. The results of this Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) project did not support the evidence that NKE plus improved nurses' perception of bedside reports or improved communication with nurses' scores. However, several areas did show statistical significance. Those areas included: (a) the nurse I follow from a previous shift completes job responsibilities; (b) interpersonal relationships between shifts are good; (c) the patient's condition matches what I get in the report; and (d) the current system of report fosters a partnership between t (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2020, Psychology

The current study investigated the relationship between technology readiness (TR; Parasuraman, 2000) and job satisfaction. Participants were recruited via MTurk and assessed on their TR and job satisfaction. The final sample consisted of 93 participants. Findings indicated that overall TR, as well as combined TR drivers, were positively correlated with overall job satisfaction. The TR driver optimism was positively correlated to ability utilization, as well as independence. The TR driver innovativeness was positively correlated with creativity. Combined TR inhibitors were not significantly related to overall job satisfaction, nor were the individual TR inhibitor facets significantly related to the chosen job satisfaction facets. These findings suggest that TR may play a significant role in employee job satisfaction in the modern workplace, and that TR driver facets may hold a more significant role in this relationship.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2019, Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

The present study explores relationships between work-family conflict and turnover via affective mechanisms, expanding beyond organizational turnover to also examine occupational turnover. Extant theories of turnover also highlight the importance of the labor market in both organizational and occupational turnover processes, such as alternative opportunities that are available to the individual (e.g., Mobley et al. 1979), yet the labor market is often not included in empirical tests of turnover theory. The present study expands this literature by examining occupation-specific unemployment (N=328) and projected occupation growth (N=347) in both the organizational and occupational turnover processes. Results indicate that occupation-specific unemployment rates may play a role in both forms of turnover, providing evidence that researchers and practitioners should measure and assess labor market characteristics in future practical, empirical, and theoretical endeavors. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as future research directions, are also discussed.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Psychology/Clinical

Tantra is a religious tradition that holds sex as nourishing to the spiritual life. Within popular culture and scholarly works alike, there are reports claiming that tantric sex results in deepening intimacy, increasing sexual passion, and increasing relational and sexual satisfaction. To date, there is a complete absence of empirical research concerning the purported effects of tantric sex. Given the reported benefits associated with tantric sex, there is a basis for empirical inquiry. This study examined tantra empirically by developing, testing, and validating a brief measure of tantric sexual practice. Additionally, this work demonstrates how this measure of tantric sex might predict relevant outcomes such as relationship and sexual satisfaction. An exploratory factor analysis approach was used with a goal of reducing a large item bank (81 items) to a briefer, 25-item scale. Three subscales emerged: Sexual-mindfulness, Spiritual Purpose, and Genital/orgasm Overlook. Further hypothesis testing was conducted using both correlation and regression analyses. Sexual-mindfulness was associated with Relationship and Sexual Satisfaction in correlational and regression analysis. Spiritual Purpose was negatively associated with Relationship Satisfaction in correlational and regression analysis. Genital/orgasm Overlook was positively associated with Relationship Satisfaction in correlational and regression analysis. Implications of the results are discussed exploring possible implications for romantic relationships.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Agricultural and Extension Education

Employee turnover and turnover intention are key indicators of human resource development practice and overall organizational leadership effectiveness. Employees' perceptions about job satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, and organizational commitment are thought to be related to turnover intention. However, empirical studies that examine the relationship between job satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, organizational commitment and turnover intention are limited, specifically in the Extension system. Almost all Cooperative Extension employees' turnover studies investigated Extension agents, called educators in some states, as a subject of study; however there is no research that examines turnover intention among the focus of this study, Extension program assistants. Ohio State University Extension (OSU Extension) program assistants, are responsible for recruiting individuals for educational programs, use standardized curriculum to provide informal teaching, and use standardized evaluation instruments to assess program impact. The Cooperative Extension System is experiencing significant changes, which may affect voluntary. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of demographics, job satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, and organizational commitment on turnover intention for Extension program assistants. The quantitative research methodology was based on the descriptive–exploratory study and correlational research design. The target population for this study was full time OSU Extension program assistants. An online survey was used to collect data from 149 OSU Extension program assistants. Respondents were asked to provide their perceptions and feelings related to their job satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, organizational commitment, and turnover intention. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, chi-squared test of independents, correlation analysis, binary linear regression, hierarchical multipl (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1981, Graduate School

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2016, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

The age cohort of 65 years and older is a growing population. It is part of the group referred to as Baby Boomers, the generation born between the years 1946–1964. It will be the largest population to reach late adulthood to date. In the United States alone, the Baby Boomer cohort is expected to reach 70 million by 2030. In response to this growing elderly population much research has been conducted on Baby Boomer quality of life issues. Such research uncovered the phenomenon known as the well-being paradox. The well-being paradox refers to the findings that older adult's life satisfaction remains stable or can even increase with age despite age-related losses. Utilizing the theories of positive psychology and socioemotional selectivity, the Happy Boomer project offers an explanation for the well-being paradox. Using data from The Gross National Happiness Index Survey (Happiness Alliance, 2011), the Happy Boomer project analyzed associations between the dependent variable of life satisfaction and the independent variables of positive affect, negative affect, and feeling of belonging for 1,268 individuals ages 65 years and older. No previous research has been found that compares the predictive powers of these specific independent variables on the dependent variable, life satisfaction. Through an ordinal multiple regression, results showed that positive affect had the strongest association with levels of life satisfaction, followed by negative affect and feeling of belonging. Gender was not predictive of life satisfaction. The results also demonstrated the independence of positive affect and negative affect associations with life satisfaction. These findings suggest that affect, specifically positive affect, could mediate the effects of age-related loss as they pertain to life satisfaction for older adults. Furthermore, these findings suggest that Baby Boomers may be able to maintain or increase levels of life satisfaction by focusing on activities that increase posit (open full item for complete abstract)

BA, Kent State University, 2015, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Work-home interference is increasing due to challenges in balancing the demands of home and work environments. Yet, certain individuals are more susceptible to interference than others. We predicted that individuals' attachment styles would influence the effects of work-home interference on relationship and job satisfaction. Participants (N = 150) completed online questionnaires measuring relationship satisfaction, job satisfaction, perceived work-home interference, and attachment styles. We examined the associations between work-home interference and relationship/job satisfaction, and attachment styles as moderators of these associations using regression analysis. Results indicated significant negative main effects of attachment avoidance on relationship satisfaction, and work-to-home interference on job satisfaction. Contrary to our predictions, attachment styles did not moderate the effects of work-home interference on job and relationship satisfaction. Although results indicate associations between attachment styles and relationship satisfaction, as well as work-home interference and job satisfaction, it is unclear how individual differences influence the effects of work-home interference.