P0161 - Evaluating self-efficacy and empowerment levels among urban high school students

BACKGROUND
High levels of self-efficacy and empowerment among youth are recognized as strong predictors of engagement in academic work and achievement, as well as feelings of control over different aspects of life and one’s community. However, previous research has shown lower levels of empowerment and self-efficacy among minority youth residing in under-resourced communities due to structural marginalization. In an effort to better understand these differences, this study aimed to assess these two constructs among a diverse group of urban high school students enrolled in a health advocacy and education program.

METHODS
Ninety-five students from 16 public high schools in Chicago participated in a program designed to help students become health leaders by creating peer-facing educational materials on health issues often seen in their communities. They were recruited to participate through an invitational flyer sent to all district principals and science teachers. Exclusion criteria included students over the age of 18 or parents unable to provide consent. At baseline, the students completed two validated scales: The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSF) and Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS-Y) short form. Mean composite scores were calculated, and descriptive statistics and comparison chi-squared tests were run to understand score associations by race/ethnicity, year in school, and gender.

RESULTS
Of the 95 students who completed the surveys, 44.21% (CI: 34.22-54.20) identified as Hispanic (CI: 34.22-54.20), 23.16% Black (CI: 14.68-31.64), 18.95% Asian (CI: 11.07-26.83), and 14.74% White (CI: 7.61-21.86). The students were primarily female (82.11%) and at a sophomore or junior grade level (81.06%). The average composite self-efficacy score was 32.31 (CI: 31.59-33.04) out of 40, and the average composite SPC score was 29.03 (CI: 28.14-29.92) out of 40, with no significant differences seen across race, gender, or grade level. One SPC question, which asked if children felt like they often took leadership roles, resulted in White children (4.14, CI: 3.69-4.59) having significantly higher scores than Hispanic children (3.36, CI: 3.04-3.67). While there were no other significant differences, White children had the highest scores for the majority of the SPC questions and Asian children had the lowest scores for the majority of the self-efficacy questions.

CONCLUSION
Overall, there were fewer observed differences in self-efficacy and empowerment scores by race among these students than hypothesized. Empowerment is understood to be context specific, which may explain these results, as respondents were already part of a leadership and empowerment program. Research has highlighted youth empowerment as an effective strategy to support healthy development and reduce risk of negative outcomes. Future research should assess if similar programs can markedly improve perceived self-efficacy and empowerment in urban high school students.