Increasing Financial Empowerment among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Growth Curve Analysis

Abstract

Financial empowerment interventions are often used with survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) to improve their financial well‐being. However, few evaluations actually measure financial empowerment as an outcome. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a conceptual model for financial empowerment and then use the model to evaluate the effectiveness of a financial literacy intervention at increasing financial empowerment for survivors. The conceptual model was guided by Christens’ nomological network for psychological empowerment and included four components: emotional, cognitive, relational, and behavioral. The analyses used data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating Moving Ahead, a financial literacy program developed for IPV survivors (n = 449). To determine whether this intervention was effective at increasing financial empowerment for survivors over time, confirmatory factor analyses were run to test for longitudinal measurement invariance, followed by a curve‐of‐factors growth model (CFM) with assignment as a time‐invariant predictor of change. Strict partial longitudinal measurement invariance was achieved and CFM results found assignment to be significantly associated with both initial status (.054, p = .042) and change over time (.114, p = .000). Results suggest that this conceptual model for financial empowerment fit the data well and the intervention was effective.

Psychometric properties of a Recovery Empowerment Scale: Testing emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and relational domains

“…Future studies also are needed to examine the RES among youth samples to expand validation and utility of this measure. Unlike prior empowerment recovery scales, we drew on the four dimensions of PE, which aligns more accurately with theory (Christens, 2012) and recent research in this area (Figueroa et al, 2020; Johnson, 2020; Rodrigues et al, 2018). It is important to recognize, however, that empowerment operates at three broad levels of analysis that includes the psychological, organizational, and community (Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995; Zimmerman, 2000).…”

“…There have been few attempts to develop and test measures that represent relational empowerment. To our knowledge, there have been only three quantitative studies to date that have included relational empowerment into the broader conceptualization and measurement of PE (i.e., Figueroa et al, 2020; Johnson, 2020; Rodrigues et al, 2018). For instance, among Portuguese youth, Rodrigues et al (2018) tested Zimmerman's (1995, 2000) model of PE by adding Christens' (2012) proposed fourth component, relational empowerment, and examining Peterson's (2014) proposed formative (aggregate) and reflective (superordinate) models of PE.…”

“…Yet, Christens (2012) noted that although the psychological sense of community (i.e., the way in which Rodrigues et al, 2018, conceptualized relational empowerment) may help identify some experiences and help our understanding of relational empowerment, it does not fully capture the range of the construct's meaning. More recently, L. Johnson (2020) used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the measurement invariance of a psychological empowerment financial dependence (PEFD) measure across four time points. They found that the model for the PEFD scale fit the data well and, supporting Christens' (2012) model of PE, represented a four‐dimensional (e.g., emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and relational) construct.…”

“…While the latter contemporary investigations by L. Johnson (2020) and Figueroa et al (2020) begin to address Christens' (2012) concern with using psychological sense of community to capture experiences related to relational empowerment, it remains vital to develop scales that examine the full four‐dimensional model of PE inclusive of the relational component in various contexts. Furthermore, with some notable exceptions (e.g., Hunter et al, 2013), studies have often failed to adequately measure PE among populations in recovery from substance misuse, despite a rich history in which empowerment has been frequently applied in intervention design and programming.…”

Improving Quality of Life Among Latina Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Through Economic Empowerment

“…According to Cattaneo & Chapman (2010), empowerment is “…an iterative process in which a person who lacks power sets a personally meaningful goal oriented toward increasing power, takes action toward the goal, and observes and reflects on the impact of this action, drawing on his or her evolving self-efficacy, knowledge, and competence related to the goal” (p. 647). Economic empowerment, as discussed in this article, is conceptualized as a form of psychological empowerment at the individual level (Johnson, 2020) and refers to the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage one’s financial well-being (Postmus et al, 2013). Postmus (2010) conceptualized economic empowerment in the context of IPV.…”