Sadie Barash
Research Mentor: Katie Edwards
Mentor Department: Social Work, Social Work
Author(s): Sadie Barash, Katie Edwards, Thalia Wilson, Skyler Hopfauf
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 49
Abstract
Past studies have displayed the importance of empowerment in positive health outcomes, economic independence, and self-worth among girls and women. While previous research has examined the relationship between adolescent girls and empowerment, none have done so with an acute attention to the Indigenous population. Indigenous adolescent girls face high rates of sexual violence, sexual harassment, depression, and other struggles, making their empowerment particularly vulnerable. The present study aims to answer two questions: 1) To what extent are Indigenous adolescent girls reporting feelings of empowerment? and 2) What are psychological and behavioral correlates of empowerment in Indigenous adolescent girls? Participants were 75 predominantly Indigenous middle school girls. Regarding aim one, participants on average agreed with statements regarding their empowerment; however, girls reported relatively low empowerment for certain items. For example, nearly 50% of the sample said they were afraid they would be forced to do something sexual. Regarding aim two, all three domains of empowerment were found to be correlated. Empowerment was also correlated with some psychological and behavioral correlates. For example, increased empowerment (subscale self-love) correlated to lower levels of depression and higher levels of academic/career commitment. These findings support the importance of empowerment in the wellbeing of Indigenous girls and can be linked to improved health and behavioral outcomes. Results of this study can be used to create and expand upon empowerment programs for Indigenous girls, as well as offer avenues for future research: future studies could explore the optimal methods to address the identified correlates of empowerment or research the potential correlation of other factors.
