Empowerment Scale

Abstract

The Empowerment Scale (ES) is a widely utilized psychological scale developed specifically to measure the multifaceted concept of empowerment among consumers of mental health services. Initially constructed in 1997 by Rogers, Chamberlin, Ellison, and Crean, it was unique because it was a consumer-driven instrument designed to reflect the lived experiences and priorities of those using services. A subsequent validation and shortening effort was published in 2010 by Rogers, Ralph, and Salzer. The scale assesses an individual’s sense of personal competence, control over their life and future, and their engagement in social and community change, providing a critical measure for evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitative and recovery-oriented mental health programs.

The scale is structured around five distinct dimensions of empowerment, ranging from internal psychological states like self-esteem to external factors like political and community efficacy. Although the original version contained 28 items, validation efforts often utilize the refined version, which typically removes three items identified during psychometric testing.

Keywords

Empowerment, Mental health services, Consumer-constructed scale, Self-esteem, Autonomy, Community activism, Power and powerlessness, Recovery, Psychiatric Services.

Authors

Elizabeth S. Rogers, Judith Chamberlin, Marsha I. Ellison, Thora Crean, Olinda Ralph, Mark S. Salzer.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Empowerment Scale (ES) is to provide a robust and clinically relevant measure of empowerment, especially within the context of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery models. It serves as a tool for clinicians and researchers to assess changes in an individual’s sense of control, competence, and ability to influence their environment following therapeutic or service interventions.

Furthermore, the scale was developed to validate the core principle that consumers of mental health services should have a central role in making decisions regarding their treatment and life outcomes. By quantifying the level of empowerment experienced by users, the instrument helps service providers tailor interventions that maximize personal autonomy and promote greater community integration and advocacy.

Construct

The ES measures empowerment as a multi-dimensional construct comprising five conceptually distinct but related factors. This structure moves beyond simple measures of self-efficacy to include both personal (intrapsychic) and socio-political (interpersonal/community) dimensions.

The five dimensions of empowerment measured by the scale are:

• Self-esteem and Efficacy: Reflects an individual’s sense of worth, capability, and competence in managing personal affairs.
• Power and Powerlessness: Measures the perception of personal control versus external limitations or societal barriers.
• Optimism and Control over the Future: Assesses the expectation of positive outcomes and the ability to plan and execute future goals.
• Community Activism and Autonomy: Focuses on the belief that collective action can lead to change and the importance of individual rights and self-determination.
• Righteous Anger: Measures the constructive use of anger as a catalyst for personal or social change, contrasting with passive acceptance of injustice.

Validity

The scale has demonstrated strong face validity, given its consumer-constructed origins, ensuring that the items are relevant to the experiences of service users. Construct validity was supported through factor analytic methods, which confirmed the five-factor structure.

The 2010 validation study by Rogers, Ralph, and Salzer used a multisite sample of consumers of mental health services, confirming the scale’s stability and relevance across various clinical settings. This rigorous testing confirmed that the ES effectively measures the intended dimensions of empowerment.

Reliability

Internal consistency estimates, assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha (α), vary across the five subscales, suggesting acceptable to moderate reliability depending on the dimension measured. The overall reliability of the total scale is generally considered good.

Specific reliability coefficients reported for the subscales are:

• Self-esteem (α =.82)
• Power and Powerlessness (α =.59)
• Community Activism and Autonomy (α =.59)
• Optimism and Control over the Future (α =.45)
• Righteous Anger (α =.64)

While the Self-esteem subscale demonstrates excellent internal consistency, some subscales, particularly Optimism and Control over the Future, show lower alpha values, indicating potential limitations in measuring those specific dimensions consistently.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Empowerment Scale consistently supported a multi-dimensional structure. The analysis confirmed the presence of five distinct factors corresponding to the conceptual domains identified by the scale developers: self-esteem and efficacy, power and powerlessness, optimism and control over the future, community activism and autonomy, and righteous anger.

The identification of these five factors reinforces the idea that empowerment is not a monolithic construct but rather a complex interplay of personal belief systems (e.g., self-efficacy) and socio-political engagement (e.g., ability to influence community). The 2010 validation specifically utilized the factor structure to refine the scale, resulting in the recommended removal of certain items that did not load cleanly onto the intended factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: 28 items (Original/Long Form); Revised Shortened Version is often used. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Primary validation language).

Population Group: Consumers/Users of mental health services.

Age Group: Adults.

Population Details: Individuals receiving psychiatric rehabilitation or utilizing mental health support systems.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with statements using the following response options: 1= Strongly Agree, 2= Agree, 3= Disagree, 4= Strongly Disagree. The scale requires scoring and aggregation across the five subscales.

Keywords

Psychiatric rehabilitation, Scale development, Consumer movement, Self-efficacy, Autonomy, Internal consistency, Righteous anger, Social justice.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (E.S. Rogers).

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original scale was developed in 1997 (Rogers, Chamberlin, Ellison, & Crean). The revised and validated shortened version was published in 2010 (Rogers, Ralph, & Salzer). Information regarding specific permissions and fees for commercial use should be directed to the corresponding author, E.S. Rogers.

The instrument is often made available for non-commercial research purposes. The original PDF describing the technical paper and instrument details can be downloaded here: http://cosp.mimhtraining.com/media/cosp%20technical%20papers/COSP%20TR%203_Empowerment.pdf

Reference’s

The primary references for the development and validation of the Empowerment Scale are:

• Rogers‚ E.S.‚ Chamberlin‚ J.‚ Ellison‚ M.I.‚ & Crean‚ T. (1997). A consumer-constructed scale to measure empowerment among users of mental health services. Psychiatric Services‚ 48‚ 1042-1047.
• Rogers‚ E. S.‚ Ralph‚ O.‚ & Salzer‚ M. S. (2010). Validating the empowerment scale with a multisite sample of consumers of mental health services. Psychiatric Services‚ 61‚ 933–936. (This article can also be found at http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ps.2010.61.9.933).
• Rogers‚ E. S.‚ Ralph‚ O.‚ & Mark‚ (2010). The Empowerment Scale brief sense of community scale. In: Simmons C. A.‚ Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation‚ New York‚ NY: Springer‚ pp. 360-363. (2013).

Items of the Empowerment Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I can pretty much determine what will happen in my life.
2. People have more power if they join together as a group.
3. Getting angry about something never helps.
4. Getting angry about something never helps. *
5. I have a positive attitude toward myself.
6. I am usually confident about the decisions I make.
7. People have no right to get angry just because they don’t like something.
8. Most of the misfortunes in my life were due to bad luck.
9. I see myself as a capable person.
10. Making waves never gets you anywhere.
11. People working together can have an effect on their community.
12. I am often able to overcome barriers.
13. I am generally optimistic about the future.
14. When I make plans‚ I am almost certain to make them work.
15. Getting angry about something is often the first step toward changing it.*
16. Usually I feel alone.
17. Experts are in the best position to decide what people should do or learn.
18. I am able to do things as well as most other people.
19. I generally accomplish what I set out to do.
20. People should try to live their lives the way they want to.
21. You can’t fight city hall.*
22. I feel powerless most of the time.
23. When I am unsure about something‚ I usually go along with the rest of the group.
24. I feel I am a person of worth‚ at least on an equal basis with others.
25. People have the right to make their own decisions‚ even if they are bad ones.
26. I feel I have a number of good qualities.
27. Very often a problem can be solved by taking action.
28. Working with others in my community can help to change things for the better.

* 3 items to be removed from the ES (Items 4, 15, and 21 are noted for potential removal in the shortened version.)