The construct validity of empowerment among consumers of mental health services

Schizophr Res. 1999 Jul 27;38(1):77-84. doi: 10.1016/s0920-9964(98)00180-7.

Abstract

Subscales of the Empowerment Scale (Rogers, E. S., Chamberlin, J., Ellison, M. L., Crean, T., 1997. A consumer-constructed scale to measure empowerment among users of mental health services. Psychiatr. Serv. 48, 1042-1047) were examined to see whether they fit a model of consumer empowerment that distinguishes self- and community orientations. In addition, the relationship of these two superordinate factors to several psychosocial factors was examined. Thirty-five participants in a partial hospitalization program were administered the Empowerment Scale and measures of quality of life, social support, self-esteem, psychiatric symptoms, needs and resources, global functioning, and verbal intelligence. Analysis of the subscales of the Empowerment Scale yielded two factors consistent with self- and community orientations to empowerment. Correlational analyses revealed that the two superordinate factors were associated with different sets of psychosocial variables. A self-orientation to empowerment was significantly associated with quality of life, social support, self-esteem, and psychiatric symptoms. Community orientation was correlated with self-esteem, resources, verbal intelligence, and ethnicity. The implications of these findings for a model of consumer empowerment are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bipolar Disorder / psychology
  • Bipolar Disorder / rehabilitation*
  • Chicago
  • Community Mental Health Services*
  • Consumer Advocacy
  • Day Care, Medical
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / psychology
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / rehabilitation*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Patient Satisfaction*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Power, Psychological*
  • Psychotic Disorders / psychology
  • Psychotic Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Schizophrenia / rehabilitation*
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*
  • Self Concept
  • Social Support