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Toward the assessment of psychological empowerment in health promotion: initial tests of validity and reliability

MPH Epidemiologist Public Health Unit and Needs Assessment & Health Outcomes Unit Central Sydney Area Health Service L6 W Queen Mary Building, RPAH Grose Street Camperdown, NSW Australia

C. Perry

MPH Epidemiologist Public Health Unit and Needs Assessment & Health Outcomes Unit Central Sydney Area Health Service L6 W Queen Mary Building, RPAH Grose Street Camperdown, NSW Australia

J. Finnegan

Division of Epidemiology School of Public Health University of Minnesota 1300 South Second Street Suite 300 Minneapolis MN 55454-1015 USA

Because of the importance of empowerment in health promotion, the measure ment of empowerment is a priority for health promotion research. The present study sought to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess psychological empowerment and to resolve the theoretical question of whether psychological empowerment is a topic-specific or general construct. University of Minnesota employees (n = 160) completed two different versions of empowerment questionnaires. One of the questionnaires measured general empowerment; the other was specific to alcohol use prevention. Reasonable reliability was demonstrated in a previously developed general empowerment instrument (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.84) and for an alcohol-specific instrument (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.78). Construct validity for the alcohol- specific instrument was demonstrated by appropriate significant correlations between sub- scales and overall scores for both instruments. Predictive validity tests partially supported the concept that psychological empowerment is topic-specific, although further testing with a more representative population may be needed to resolve this question. The results suggest that the alcohol-specific psychological empowerment instrument could be used in the evaluation of community alcohol abuse prevention programmes.

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