title: Does empowerment mediate the effects of psychological factors on mental health, well-being, and recovery in young people?
abstract: There is consensus that empowerment is key to recovery from mental health problems, enabling a person to take charge of their life and make informed choices and decisions about their life. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which empowerment affects mental health in young people. The current study involved young people aged 16-29 years and examined empowerment as a potential mediator of the relationship between psychological factors (psychosocial, cognition, coping, and control) and mental health, well-being, and recovery from personal problems.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional, Internet-based questionnaire study recruited 423 young people aged between 16 and 29 attending universities in England (n = 336) and Ireland (n = 87). Psychological factors, mental well-being, empowerment, and recovery from personal problems were measured using self-report measures.
  
  
  
  Mediation analysis in both the single and one over-arching mediator models revealed that empowerment mediates the relationship between psychological factors (psychosocial, self-efficacy, thinking style, coping, and control) and mental health, well-being, and recovery from general life problems.
  
  
  
  This study demonstrates the importance of empowerment, showing that it mediates the relationship between psychological processes and mental health, well-being, and recovery in young people. Clinical implications for working with young people within mental health services, and facilitating their empowerment are discussed.
  
  
  
  Empowerment is currently a poorly defined concept. This study demonstrates how empowerment mediates the relationship between psychological processes and mental health, well-being, and recovery in young people. Clinicians working with young people might benefit from a structured means of understanding and assessing the different ways in which individuals manage their thinking styles. Empowerment in young people is influenced by the manner in which clinicians facilitate them in establishing social networks in support of employment, education, family/social relations and to encourage young people to take an assertive role in their own care.
authors.affiliation: Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Annmarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grealish
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biostatistics, Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Emsley
authors.affiliation: Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murrells
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.|Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011209:Power, Psychological; D020377:Self Efficacy; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: empowerment; mediation analysis; mental health; psychological factors; recovery; wellbeing; young people