Table 1 Characteristics of the empowerment measurement adopted in the review

Anderson, Funnell [30]

USA

To evaluate the effectiveness of a problem-based empowerment patient education program targeting urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes

N = 239

Mean age = 61

Mean years since diagnosis = 8.5

Currently Married = 31%

Completed

high school = 73%

Without insurance = 73%

Diabetes Empowerment Scale Short-Form (DESSF)

NR

8

Self-administered

8 domains:

1) assessing the need for change

2) developing a plan 3) overcoming barriers 4) asking for support 5) supporting oneself 6) coping with emotion 7) motivating oneself; 8) making diabetes care choices appropriate for one’s priorities and circumstances

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Bhatta and Liabsuetrakul [31]

Nepal

To assess effectiveness of an empowerment intervention to HIV infected people receiving prevention and antiretroviral therapy

N = 132

Mean age (intervention group) = 36.3 Mean age (control group) = 35.8 The majority had a low family income, was married and had children

Empowerment Scale

NR

28

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

5-Point Likert Scale

NR

Blanchard, Mohan [15]

India

To assess effectiveness of empowerment program for HIV prevention among female sex workers

N = 1750

Mean age = 32, majority were unable to read or write

Empowerment survey

Adapted from previous surveys

NR

interviewer-administered

3 domains:

1) power with: a sense of individual self-esteem and confidence

2) power within: collective identity and solidarity

3) power over: reflects access to social entitlements

4-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Borghei, Taghipour [32]

Iran

To development and validation of a new tool to measure Iranian pregnant women’s empowerment

N = 161

Mean age = 25.8

A great majority of pregnant mothers (92.5%) were primigravidae and most of them (87.0%) lived independently with their husbands

Self-Structured Pregnancy Empowerment Questionnaire

Literature review, panel consultation and pilot testing

32

Self-administered

3 domains:

1) educational empowerment

2) autonomy

3)socio-political empowerment

4-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Cheung, Mok [33]

Hongkong, China

To examines the relationship between personal empowerment and life satisfaction among self-help group members

N = 719

31 to 40 years old (27.1%)

41 to 50 years old (30.2%)

51 to 60 years old (16.1%)

Above 61 year old (19.4%)

majority had a rather low education level

Personal empowerment

Scale

NR

20

Self-administered

3 domains:

1) intrapersonal empowerment

2) interpersonal empowerment 3) extrapersonal empowerment

6-Point Likert Scale

NR

Contreras-Yáñez, Ruiz-Medrano [20]

Mexico

To adapt the Spanish version of the Health Empowerment Scale (S-HES) in RA patients from Latin American

N = 270

Patients were primarily middle-aged females, married, had basic education and medium-low socioeconomic status

RA Empowerment Scale for Hispanic patients (RAEH)

Literature review, panel consultation and pilot testing

8

Self-administered

8 domains:

1) satisfaction and dissatisfaction related to health

2) identification and achievement of personally meaningful goals

3) application of a systematic problem-solving process

4) coping with the emotional aspects of living with health

5) stress management

6) appropriate social support

7) self-motivation

8) making cost/benefit decisions about making behavior changes

5-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Corrigan [34]

USA

To assess relationship between participation in consumer operated services and measures of recovery and empowerment in people with psychiatric disability

N = 1824

1094 were women (60%) Mean ± SD = 41.8 ± 10.4 1356 (74%) was European American

Empowerment Scale

NR

28

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Dempsey and Dunst [35]

USA, and Australia

To investigate how help-giving practices operate to produce variations in family empowerment

N = 141

Most respondents were mothers;

Majority of Children of Australian respondents were more likely to be over 3 years of age

Family Empowerment Scale (FES)

NR

34

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) level of empowerment (individual, service and community)

2) expression of empowerment (attitude, knowledge and behaviour)

NR

EFA

Diamond-Smith, Treleaven [36]

India

To explore whether measures of women’s empowerment are associated with their experiences of mistreatment at their last childbirth

N = 759

young women aged 16–30 living in slum

areas;

All women had given birth in the last 5 years

Gender Equitable Men scale

NR

24

Self-administered

4 domains:

1)violence

2) sexual relationships

3) reproductive health and disease prevention

4) domestic chores and daily life

3-Point Likert Scale

NR

Farber and Maharaj [37]

USA

To evaluate effectiveness of a group-based education curriculum empowerment program on high-risk African American families with children with developmental delays

N = 39

32 participants (82%) aged 30–49

Participants had on average about three children listed

as living at home and under 18 years of age

Shortened Family Empowerment Scale (FES)

NR

16

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) level of empowerment (individual, service and community)

2) expression of empowerment (attitude, knowledge and behaviour)

5-Point Likert Scale

NR

Godoy, Patel [38]

Bolivia

To explore nutritional status and spousal empowerment among native Amazonians

N = 440

Of the 231 households, 209 households were headed jointly by a wife and by a husband, and 22 were headed by a single adult

Individual

empowerment survey

Literature review

10

Self-administered;

Cross-checking

2 domains:

1)Decider

2) tie breaker

5-Point Likert Scale

NR

Hansson and Björkman [39]

Sweden

To assess reliability and validity of the Swedish version of an empowerment scale in people with a mental illness

N = 92

Mean age = 47

Approximately 60% of the subjects had a schizophrenia diagnosis and a further 20% other psychosis diagnoses

Making Decisions scale

Adaption from the original empowerment scale (ES)

28

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

4-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Haswell, Kavanagh [17]

Australia

To validate psychometric properties of the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) in Indigenous Australians

N = 184

Mean age = 39.9

163 Aboriginal (88.6%), 13 Torres Strait Islander (7.1%) or both (4.3%)

Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM)

Literature review, panel consultation and pilot testing

14-item and 12 Scenarios

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES) (Self-Capacity; Inner Peace)

2) 12S (Healing and Enabling Growth, Connection and Purpose)

EES:5-Point Likert Scale

12S: 7-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Homko, Sivan [40]

USA

To examine the effect of self-monitoring blood glucose on feelings of self-efficacy in women with gestational diabetics

N = 58

Maternal mean age (mean ± SD)

SMBG group: =30.3 ± 5.4

PM group: 29.0 ± 6.4

Diabetes Empowerment scale

NR

23

Self-administered

5 domains:

1) setting goals

2) solving problems

3) obtaining support 4) motivating oneself 5) making decisions

5-Point Likert Scale

NR

Jersky, Titmuss [13]

Australia

To evaluate effectiveness an urban art-based community health program on improving health service access and wellbeing of young Aboriginal parents

N = 92

88 females, 4 males

Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM)

NR

14-item and 10 Scenarios

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES) (Self-Capacity; Inner Peace)

2) 10S (Healing and Enabling Growth, Connection and Purpose)

EES:5-Point Likert Scale

12S: 7-Point Likert Scale

NR

Kaczinski, Rosenheck [41]

USA

To assess psychometric property of empowerment and confidence among veterans with psychiatric disabilities

N = 296

Mean age = 48.5; Majority participants

male (95%) and white (66%)

Empowerment Scale

NR

28

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Kameda and Shimada [42]

Japan

To develop an empowerment scale for pregnant women

N = 171

Mean age (Mean ± SD) = 29.1 ± 4.4;

gestational age = 27.8 ± 9.8

Empowerment Scale for pregnant women

Literature review, panel consultation and pilot testing

27

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy

2) future image

3)self-esteem

4) support and assurance from others

5) joy of an addition to the family

4-Point Likert Scale

EFA

Klima, Vonderheid [43]

USA

To develop a Pregnancy-related Empowerment Scale and adapted in Spanish-speaking population

N = 365

Mean age (mean ± SD) = 27.1 ± 6.40 36.1% were Black non-Hispanic, 42.6% were White non-Hispanic and 21.3% were Hispanic

Pregnancy-Related Empowerment Sscale (PRES)

Literature review, panel consultation and pilot testing

16

Self-administered

4 domains:

1) provider connectedness

2) skilful decision-making

3) peer Connectedness

4) gaining voice

4-Point Likert Scale

CFA

Koren, DeChillo [44]

USA

To measure empowerment in families with children having emotional disabilities

N = 440

Mean age (mean ± SD) = 40 ± 6.6

Majority are female, white

Family Empowerment Scale (FES)

Literature review, pilot testing

34

Self-administered

3 domains:

1)Family

2) service system

3)community/political

5-Point Likert Scale

EFA

LoGiudice, Josif [45]

Australia

To describe demographic features and wellbeing of carers of Aboriginal Australians

N = 124

Mean age (mean ± SD) =38.8 ± 15.0

majority (97.6%) identified as Aboriginal

Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM)

NR

14-item and

A 6 item short form (Core6)

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES) (Self-Capacity; Inner Peace)

2) Core 6 (Healing and Enabling Growth, Connection and Purpose)

EES:5-Point Likert Scale

12S: 7-Point Likert Scale

NR

Patil, Klima [14]

Africa

To investigate how antenatal care affects aspects of women’s sense of control over their pregnancy

N = 218

All participants aged 16 years old, and 20–24 weeks pregnant

Pregnancy-Related Empowerment Scale (PRES)

NR

16

Self-administered

4 domains:

1) provider connectedness

2) skilful decision-making

3) peer Connectedness

4) gaining voice

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Nishita, Cardazone [46]

USA

To examine effectiveness of empowerment program: life coaching and pharmacist counseling for employed adults with diabetes

N = 190

Mean age (mean ± SD) =48.46 ± 0.71

6% of whom were Asian and 35% of whom were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Diabetes Empowerment Scale Short-Form (DESSF)

NR

8

Self-administered

8 domains:

1) assessing the need for change

2) developing a plan 3) overcoming barriers 4) asking for support 5) supporting oneself 6) coping with emotion 7) motivating oneself; 8) making diabetes care choices appropriate for one’s priorities and circumstances

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Yamada and Suzuki [47]

Japan

To assess the levels of empowerment in Japanese patients with chronic schizophrenia

N = 72

Mean age (mean ± SD) =41.7 ± 10.7, men, n = 43; women, n = 29

Empowerment Scale-J

28

Self-administered

5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

4-Point Likert Scale

NR

Castelein, van der Gaag [48]

Netherlands

To compare three instruments that are used to measure empowerment of people with psychotic disorders

N = 50

Mean age (mean ± SD) =31.4 ± 13.0

mean duration of illness was 6.5 ± 6.3 years

The diagnostic criteria for 39 participants were diagnosed with schizophrenia and 11 had a related psychotic disorder

Empowerment Scale (ES);

the Personal Empowerment Scale (PES);

the Mental Health Confidence Scale (MHCS)

NR

ES: 28

PES: 20

MHCS:

16

Self-administered

ES 5 domains:

1)self-efficacy/self-esteem

2)power-powerlessness 3) community activism and autonomy 4) optimism and control over the future 5) righteous anger

PES 2 domains:

1)discretion

2) reduction in chance

MHCS 3 domains:

1)optimism

2) coping

3) advocacy

NR

NR

Bovill, Bar-Zeev [49]

Australia

To pilot the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) with a sample of pregnant Aboriginal women who smoke

N = 15

Mean age = 27.2 ± 5.5

and the average duration of pregnancy in weeks was 19.2

Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM)

NR

14-item and

a 6 item short form (Core6)

Self-administered

2 domains:

1) Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES) (Self-Capacity; Inner Peace)

2) Core 6 (Healing and Enabling Growth, Connection and Purpose)

EES:5-Point Likert Scale

12S: 7-Point Likert Scale

NR

Berry, Crowe [50]

Australia

To examines the sensitivity to change of the new Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) for Indigenous Australians in Substance Abuse Treatment

N = 103

included 57 Indigenous and 46 non-Indigenous males over 18 years of age

Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM)

NR

14-item and

A 6 item short form (Core6)

Self-administered

2domains:

1) Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES) (Self-Capacity; Inner Peace)

2) Core 6 (Healing and Enabling Growth, Connection and Purpose)

EES:5-Point Likert Scale

12S: 7-Point Likert Scale

NR