Arlene Laliberté

Psychometric validation of the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) applied with Indigenous Australians

Objective: Empowerment is a complex process of psychological, social, organizational and structural change. It allows individuals and groups to achieve positive growth and effectively address the social and psychological impacts of historical oppression, marginalization and disadvantage. The Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) was developed to measure change in dimensions of empowerment as defined and described by Aboriginal Australians who participated in the Family Well Being programme. Method: The GEM has two components: a 14-item Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES14) and 12 Scenarios (12S). It is accompanied by the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale (K6), supplemented by two questions assessing frequency of happy and angry feelings. For validation, the measure was applied with 184 Indigenous Australian participants involved in personal and/or organizational social health activities. Results: Psychometric analyses of the new instruments support their validity and reliability and indicate two-component structures for both the EES (Self-capacity; Inner peace) and the 12S (Healing and enabling growth, Connection and purpose). Strong correlations were observed across the scales and subscales. Participants who scored higher on the newly developed scales showed lower distress on the K6, particularly when the two additional questions were included. However, exploratory factor analyses demonstrated that GEM subscales are separable from the Kessler distress measure. Conclusion: The GEM shows promise in enabling measurement and enhancing understanding of both process and outcome of psychological and social empowerment within an Australian Indigenous context.

Listening, sharing understanding and facilitating consumer, family and community empowerment through a priority driven partnership in Far North Queensland

Objectives: This paper provides an example of a mental health research partnership underpinned by empowerment principles that seeks to foster strength among community organizations to support better outcomes for consumers, families and communities. It aims to raise awareness among researchers and service providers that empowerment approaches to assist communities to address mental health problems are not too difficult to be practical but require long-term commitment and appropriate support. Methods: A collaborative research strategy that has become known as the Priority Driven Research (PDR) Partnership emerged through literature review, consultations, Family Wellbeing Program delivery with community groups and activities in two discrete Indigenous communities. Progress to date on three of the four components of the strategy is described. Results: The following key needs were identified in a pilot study and are now being addressed in a research-based implementation phase: (i) gaining two-way understanding of perspectives on mental health and promoting universal awareness; (ii) supporting the empowerment of carers, families, consumers and at-risk groups through existing community organizations to gain greater understanding and control of their situation; (iii) developing pathways of care at the primary health centre level to enable support of social and emotional wellbeing as well as more integrated mental health care; (iv) accessing data to enable an ongoing process of analysis/sharing/planning and monitoring to inform future activity. Conclusion: One of the key learnings to emerge in this project so far is that empowerment through partnership becomes possible when there is a concerted effort to strengthen grassroots community organizations. These include social health teams and mens and womens groups that can engage local people in an action orientation.

The healing journey: empowering Aboriginal communities to close the health gap.

Objectives: This paper presents two arguments relevant to both past and present efforts to improve Indigenous health. It advocates for ways of thinking about and doing health promotion that begin with empowerment to help people gain a greater level of control over their lives and circumstances. Conclusion: A combination of the strengths of different approaches is in fact an empowering, dialectical view that can be achieved by considering Aboriginal people not as children in need, but as capable and efficacious individuals.

Promoting traditions: an evaluation of a wilderness activity among First Nations of Canada.

Objectives: Several native American communities face serious social problems brought about by the loss of culture. Many First-Nation communities organize traditional activities in a wilderness setting to promote culture and prevent social problems, among them suicide. The activities evaluated in this study were organized by the Atikamek community of Manawan (Quebec, Canada) for adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years. The main goals of these activities were to increase self-esteem, re-establish cultural continuity, encourage pro-social behaviours among the participants and ultimately empower and mobilize the community. Methods: Within the context of an honours thesis project, this research assessed the process and the effects of these traditional activities on a group of First-Nation youth. The evaluation used a mixed methodology consisting of two self-esteem scales and participatory observation. The results of this evaluative study show that this type of traditional activity is an innovative tool to increase cultural pride, foster pro-social behaviour and empower First-Nation youth. Conclusions: Obstacles met during the course of this research project highlight the importance of developing methodologies able to capture the rich and specific outcomes of traditional activities in an Aboriginal context.

Promoting the health of Aboriginal Australians through empowerment: eliciting the components of the Family well-being empowerment and leadership programme

Most policies addressing Aboriginal health in Australia promote initiatives that are based on empowerment principles. Articulated programme components are necessary to support personal and group empowerment and to assist individuals in gaining the sense of control and purposefulness needed to exert their political and personal power in the face of the severe stress and powerlessness faced by the Australian Aboriginal people. This paper aims to provide a detailed description of the mechanisms underpinning a ‘bottom-up’ empowerment initiative, the Family well-being empowerment and leadership programme (FWB), and to analyze how the programme supports empowerment. The five stages of FWB were described and the validity of this model was assessed through the combination of participatory observation, documentation analysis, literature review, semi-structured interviews and iterative feedback with different analytical perspectives. Our study results articulated four distinct programme components: the setting plus inter-relational, educational and experiential actions. FWB is an example of the promotion of both outcome and process pathways towards empowerment. Potential applications of the programme are discussed.