Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the service user psychological empowerment scale in a sample of youth service users

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated Chinese version of the Service User Psychological Empowerment Scale (C-SUPES) in a youth service setting in Hong Kong. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 381 youth residing in Hong Kong and participating in services provided by community-based children and youth services centres. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicate a good fit for the proposed threefold factor structure with the original Positive Attitude and Involved Attitude subscales combined. The scale's criterion validity was supported by significant correlations between creative self-efficacy, youth – adult partnerships, and civic engagement in the community, and its internal consistency reliability was satisfactory. Overall, youth service users with a higher level of participation in youth services reported a higher level of psychological empowerment. Altogether, the results suggest that C-SUPES is a reliable, valid instrument for measuring psychological empowerment among youth service users in Hong Kong.