Measuring empowerment in client-run self-help agencies.
"Empowerment" connotes a process of gaining control over one's life and influencing the organizational and societal structures in which one lives. This study defines and validates three measures: the Personal Empowerment Scale, the Organizational Empowerment Scale, and the Extra-Organizational Empowerment Scale. Measurement efforts are based on observational work, baseline interviews (N = 310), and six month follow-ups (N = 241) in four client-run self-help agencies (SHAs) for persons with severe mental disabilities. All three study scales demonstrated strong internal consistency and stability. They were sensitive to user changes over time and have construct validity.
Segal
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Mental Health and Social Welfare Research Group, School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley 94720, USA.
Silverman
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Temkin
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D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D003255:Consumer Organizations; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000523:psychology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D012657:Self-Help Groups