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Powell KG, Peterson NA, Treitler PC, Lardier DT, Rashid M, Reid RJ. Measuring Youth Empowerment: An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth. Am J Community Psychol 2021; 68:471-485. [PMID: 34237162 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sociopolitical control (SPC) has been identified as a key element of the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment. The Sociopolitical Control Scale (SPCS) is a widely used measure and has been modified for use among youth (SPCS-Y). In light of the emerging interest in SPC among youth within community-based research, this study applied item response theory (IRT) to examine the psychometric properties of the SPCS-Y and to explore a brief version. Data were collected between 2006 and 2013 from a convenience sample of high school students (N = 1,808), located in a midsized, economically disadvantaged urban community in the northeastern United States. Findings indicate that the two subscales, leadership competence, and policy control, were unidimensional and items functioned well. Most items functioned particularly well at low and moderate levels of the construct, but a few were able to capture higher levels of the construct. Based on our IRT analyses of the performance of items on the subscales, we selected items to create a brief version of the SPCS-Y (BSPCS-Y) and performed structural equation modeling for further examination. Results provide empirical evidence to support the reliability and validity of the SPCS-Y and suggest a brief version based on high-performing items is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Gilmore Powell
- Center for Prevention Science and Northeast & Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center, School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - N Andrew Peterson
- Center for Prevention Science and Northeast & Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center, School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Peter C Treitler
- School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - David T Lardier
- Department of Individual, Family, and Community Education, College of Education and Human Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of New Mexico School of Medicine, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Mariam Rashid
- School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Robert J Reid
- Department of Family Science & Human Development, College of Education and Human Services, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
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Abstract
Psychological empowerment (PE) is a multicomponent construct that involves the mechanisms through which people and groups gain control over their lives and environments. Psychological empowerment has previously been operationalized using measures of sociopolitical control among young people, with findings indicating links between PE and other positive developmental outcomes. Sociopolitical control, however, is only an indicator for the emotional component of PE. Research has largely neglected the cognitive component of PE, particularly in studies of younger people. In fact, few studies to date have presented and empirically tested measurement instruments for the cognitive component of PE among youth. In this study, we adapted a measure, which previously had been validated and used among adults, for use among young people and tested it in a sample of high school students (53% female, 75% Hispanic) in an urban school in the northeastern U.S. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the hypothesized three-factor structure of cognitive empowerment, and the measure was examined for association with the construct of social justice orientation. Results indicate an adequate fit for the second-order factor, and an expected relationship with the related construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul W Speer
- Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Paloma V, Lenzi M, Furlanis N, Vieno A, García-Ramírez M. Sociopolitical Control for Immigrants: The Role of Receiving Local Contexts. Am J Community Psychol 2018; 62:41-50. [PMID: 30006985 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the individual and contextual factors associated with sociopolitical control expressed by immigrants in southern Spain. We used hierarchical linear modeling to evaluate the relations between individual (community participation, social connectedness, and perceived cultural competence of receiving community services) and municipality characteristics (city community participation, city social connectedness, and city community services' cultural competence) and immigrants' feelings of sociopolitical control. Data were analyzed using a two-level model based on 707 Moroccan immigrants in 25 municipalities. After adjusting for gender, educational level, and psychosocial confounding factors, we observed a positive association between social connectedness and sociopolitical control at the individual level. At the contextual level, we observed a positive association between (a) city community participation, (b) city social connectedness, and (c) city community services' cultural competence, and sociopolitical control. Indeed, living in a municipality where there are community services with high levels of cultural competence and where, on average, many people participate in organizations and neighbors are connected, was associated with higher levels of perceived control in the sociopolitical domain for immigrants. We also discuss implications for community-based research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Paloma
- Department of Social Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Michela Lenzi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Nicola Furlanis
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessio Vieno
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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