Measuring empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities: A brief questionnaire.

Abstract

This paper describes the development and empirical examination of a brief questionnaire for assessing empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities. The questionnaire is based on a two-dimensional conceptual framework of empowerment derived from the literature. One dimension reflects empowerment with respect to the family, service system, and larger community and political environment; the other dimension reflects the expression of empowerment as attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors. The paper outlines the questionnaire's conceptual basis, describes its development, and presents analyses of reliability and validity based on 440 responses of family members. Applications of the instrument in both research and service delivery are discussed. Family empowerment is increasingly seen as a central goal of efforts to improve services for families whose children have disabilities. The emergence of this concept reflects recent developments in the consumer, practice, and research communities. Among these developments are the growth of the consumer movement with its emphasis on self-help and self-reliance (Moxley, Raider, & Cohen, 1989), the widespread application ofpractice models that focus on family strengths rather than deficits (Cochran, 1987; Dunst, Trivette, & Deal, 1988; Poertner & Ronnau, 1992), the explicit incorporation of empowerment values within public policies and programs (Gallagher, Trohanis, & Clifford, 1989; Stroul & Friedman, 1988), and the increasing recognition that services can be delivered in ways that either promote or inhibit self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977, 1982; Dunst & Paget, 1991; Dunst & Trivette, 1987). The concept of family empowerment has also benefited from the synergistic effect that comes from many different disciplines focusing on one idea at the same time. Virtually all the helping professions that serve families of children with disabilities have adopted this concept to some degree, and thus it is beginning to emerge as a common value across disciplines.