Disentangling the connections between psychological empowerment, sense of community, and participation in a sample of Colombian women at risk of social exclusion

Psychological empowerment is a central construct in understanding processes of social transformation related to subjective well-being. The sense of belonging and community participation are two key predictors of empowerment. The objective of this study is to determine which has a greater effect on the psychological empowerment level in a sample of women at risk of social exclusion, considering the possible moderating and conditional effect of the degree of cohesion of personal support networks and the time subjects have lived in the community. To answer this question, several models of moderated mediation were developed. The sample consisted of 141 women, aged 18 to 80 years (M = 37.7; SD = 15.1), at severe risk of exclusion residing in two rural communities located in Caribbean Colombia. Involvement in community activities is the most potent predictor of psychological empowerment when sense of community mediates the relationship between participation and empowerment. The results suggest that the indirect conditional effects produced by time living in the community and the cohesion of personal networks are accentuated in women with less time living in the community. This study identifies alternative pathways for understanding factors that determine psychological empowerment in rural women in situations of social vulnerability.