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Psychological Empowerment and Adolescent Health

Authors: Nicholas, Szoko; Daniela, Brissett; Casey D, Hanner; Stephen, Strotmeyer; Elizabeth, Miller; Alison J, Culyba;

Psychological Empowerment and Adolescent Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Psychological empowerment, referring to one’s agency, self-efficacy, and meaningful participation in society, supports positive social and behavioral outcomes in adolescence; however, research examining psychological empowerment in the context of health remains limited. We sought to describe relationships between psychological empowerment and aspects of adolescents’ mental and physical health. METHODS School-based surveys were administered across 17 high schools in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. We measured psychological empowerment with items adapted from a validated instrument. Health-related measures included past-year depressive symptoms, lifetime substance use, and measures of overall health and receipt of health care. Multilevel regression models examined associations between psychological empowerment and each health-related measure. RESULTS Among 3685 youth, the majority (n = 3391; 92.0%) were aged 14 to 17 years. Most were white (n = 1737; 47.1%) or Black/African American (n = 1166; 31.6%). Many identified as gender/sexual diverse (n = 1397; 37.9%). Youth with high psychological empowerment were less likely to report hopelessness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50–0.75), nonsuicidal self-injury (aOR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.44–0.73), and suicidal ideation (aOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.42–0.75). Psychological empowerment was inversely associated with lifetime use of e-cigarettes (aOR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56–0.86), alcohol (aOR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61–0.92), and marijuana (aOR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62–0.94). Psychological empowerment was additionally linked to positive perception of health (aOR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.29–2.31), receipt of preventive care (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.02–1.55), and less foregone care (aOR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61–0.94). CONCLUSIONS Findings underscore the importance of psychological empowerment as a modifiable protective factor in adolescence, particularly in youth-facing interventions focused on health and well-being.

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citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
2
Top 10%
Average
Average
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