Diabetes Empowerment Scale – DES
Measures the diabetes-related psychosocial self-efficacy of individuals with diabetes.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Diabetes Empowerment Scale – DES was developed by Robert M. Anderson, J.T. Fitzgerald, M.M. Funnell, D.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 custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Somewhat Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Somewhat Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low self-efficacy: 1 – 2
- Moderate self-efficacy: 3 – 3
- High self-efficacy: 4 – 5
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.