Diabetes Empowerment Scale – DES
Measures the diabetes-related psychosocial self-efficacy of individuals managing diabetes.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Diabetes Empowerment Scale – DES was developed by Robert M. Anderson, Martha M. Funnell, James T. Fitzgerald, David G. Marrero (2000). It is designed to measure Diabetes-related psychosocial self-efficacy. The scale is intended for use with Adults with diabetes.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 28 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Managing the psychosocial aspects of diabetes, Assessing dissatisfaction and readiness to change, Setting and achieving goals.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Managing the psychosocial aspects of diabetes | 18,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27 | 9 |
| Assessing dissatisfaction and readiness to change | 1,2,3,4,15,16,17,19,28 | 9 |
| Setting and achieving goals | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 | 10 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 28 to 140. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Empowerment: 28 – 84
- Moderate Empowerment: 85 – 112
- High Empowerment: 113 – 140
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Managing psychosocial aspects: alpha = 0.93; Assessing dissatisfaction/readiness: alpha = 0.81; Setting/achieving goals: alpha = 0.91.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.