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Measuring Relational and Intrapersonal Empowerment: Testing Instrument Validity in a Former Soviet Country with a Secular Muslim Culture

  • Original Article
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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Research and evaluation studies measuring the construct of empowerment within international community development and human rights initiatives are rare due to a lack of validated measures appropriate for the cultural context. This study represents an initial effort to develop and test the Brief Azerbaijani Empowerment Scale (BAES), an instrument designed to assess relational and intrapersonal components of psychological empowerment among adult community residents (n = 350) in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet country with a predominantly Muslim culture. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the underlying dimensionality of the BAES, and path analysis was used to examine relationships between subscales of the BAES and a set of conceptually relevant variables (i.e., alienation, sense of community, and involvement in community organizations). Findings supported the reliability and validity of the BAES, which may be useful to future efforts to develop more comprehensive measures of intrapersonal and relational empowerment. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Steven Young, Irada Mammadova, Feride Abbasova, Aytakin Huseynli, Humay Akhundzadeh, Avaz Hasanov, Zerife Quliyeva, Tinay Mushdiyeva, Matanat Guliyeva, and Nazim Ibadov who assisted in developing measures and collecting data in Azerbaijan.

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  1. School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 536 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Alexander Cheryomukhin & N. Andrew Peterson

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  1. Alexander Cheryomukhin
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  2. N. Andrew Peterson
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Correspondence to Alexander Cheryomukhin.

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Cheryomukhin, A., Peterson, N.A. Measuring Relational and Intrapersonal Empowerment: Testing Instrument Validity in a Former Soviet Country with a Secular Muslim Culture. Am J Community Psychol 53, 382–393 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9649-z

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