Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Katrina M. Pann

Committee Member

John Kellmayer

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

barriers, employment, hiring, human resources, human resources professionals, job embeddedness, midsize organizations, qualitative research, retention, semi structured interviews, Southeast Florida, substance abuse disorder, substance use, substance use disorder, thematic analysis, workplace, women, women with substance use disorder history

Abstract

This study was an exploration of human resources professionals’ (HRP) perceptions about employment and retention of women with a substance abuse disorder history. Job embeddedness was used as a critical lens to understand HRPs’ motivations for their actions and to gain insight into their choices.

A generic qualitative methodology was used to understand the complexity of HRPs’ experiences in employing and retaining women with substance use disorder history. The data-collection method consisted of semi structured interviews of 10 HRPs from midsize organizations in the Southeast Florida region.

The results of the thematic analysis revealed 10 themes that addressed the research questions. The HRPs’ perspectives on these substance use disorder women revealed the obstacles to their employment and retention, and viable options to circumvent these barriers. To align with the remaining research gap and limitations of the current study, recommendations for future research were provided. The investigation contributed to understanding and potentially improving HRPs’ hiring and retention procedures for women with substance use disorder in the workplace.

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