Table of Contents
Abstract
The Empowered Veteran Index (EVI; McDaniel et al. 2023) is an assessment of psychosocial reintegration outcomes among military veterans. Development of the EVI was based on the findings from semi-structured interviews about veteran reintegration with veteran members of The Mission Continues (TMC) for pilot testing. Two authors (JTM, DLA) developed Likert-type instrument items based on the qualitative interviewing conducted in the first study. Following the creation of a first draft with 60 items, five additional items were included to the EVI based on feedback across three constructs (i.e., personal growth, connectedness, community impact). Validation of the questionnaire was conducted using a sample of individuals who served in the United States Armed Forces. Results from exploratory factor analyses showed that the three-factor model was a good fit to the data. However, items were removed that cross-loaded onto an incorrect construct and exhibited a factor loading of <0.40, resulting in retaining a final 35 items. The psychometric properties, reported across the two studies, of the reliability and validity were reported. The authors noted future research should seek to examine potentially confirmatory factor analysis.
Keywords
Community Impact; Connectedness; Military Veterans; Personal Growth; Psychosocial Reintegration; Psychosocial Readjustment; Military Measures; Social Connectedness; Military-Civilian Transition
Authors
McDaniel, Justin T.; Rosen, Gina; Albright, David L.; York, Mary; Miller, Kyle; Pekios, Heather; Kundan, Shivam
Purpose
The EVI was developed to assess aspects of psychosocial reintegration, such as personal growth, connectedness, and community impact, among military veterans.
Construct
Community Impact; Connectedness; Personal Growth; Psychosocial Reintegration
Validity
Convergent Validity: In the second round of OLS EFA, all factor loadings were =0.40, providing initial evidence of convergent validity.
Reliability
Internal consistency: The Cronbach’s alpha for the full scale was .96, with the alpha values for the factors ranging from .90 to .95. Inter-Rater Reliability: The inter-rater reliability (IRR) was 85%.
Factor Analysis
Exploratory Factor Analysis: After removing items that cross-loaded onto an incorrect construct and items that exhibited a factor loading of <0.40, OLS EFA revealed that the three-factor model was a good fit to the data, with eigenvalues of 8.11, 5.50, and 4.92, respectively, on the personal growth (PG), connectedness (C), and community impact (CI) constructs. Model fit indices were also acceptable for this model (SRMR = 0.03; RMSEA = 0.06).
Instrument
Test Type: Original; Inventory/Questionnaire
Format: The items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale: strongly disagree, disagree, somewhat disagree, neutral, somewhat agree, agree, and strongly agree. Higher scores on the instrument indicate higher amounts of “veteran empowerment.” This is a 35-item measure.
Language Available: English
Population Group: Human; Male; Female
Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Population Details: Location: United States; Respondents: Military Veterans
Test Methodology: Test Validity; Convergent Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Interrater Reliability; Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis
Keywords
Community Impact; Connectedness; Military Veterans; Personal Growth; Psychosocial Reintegration; Psychosocial Readjustment; Military Measures; Social Connectedness; Military-Civilian Transition
Authors
Author ORCID Identifier and Affiliation:
McDaniel, Justin T.: Southern Illinois University
Rosen, Gina: Opportunity@Work
Albright, David L.: University of Alabama
York, Mary: Southern Illinois University
Miller, Kyle: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7675-3215
Pekios, Heather: Mission Continues
Kundan, Shivam: Southern Illinois University
Email addresses:
McDaniel, Justin T.: [email protected]
Correspondence Address:
McDaniel, Justin T.: Southern Illinois University, School of Human Sciences, 475 Clocktower Drive, Carbondale, Illinois, United States, 62901, [email protected]
Permissions & Fee and Test Year
Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching
Fee: No
Commercial: No
Test Year: 2023
Reference’s
McDaniel, J. T., Rosen, G., Albright, D. L., York, M., Miller, K., Pekios, H., & Kundan, S. (2023). Validity and reliability of the Empowered Veteran Index among military veterans. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 4(2), 167–199. https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770231167355
Items of the Empowered Veteran Index (EVI)
This is a 35-item measure. The test items are available in the appendix of the source publication (McDaniel et al., 2023) on pages 188-190.
Response scale for all questions:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Somewhat Disagree | Neutral | Somewhat Agree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
Personal Growth
| Item | |
| 1. | I like to try new things even if they are hard. |
| 2. | I want to get new skills for work. |
| 3. | I want to get new skills for my social life. |
| 4. | I want to get new skills for my hobby. |
| 5. | I am learning new skills now. |
| 6. | I like to learn new things. |
| 7. | I can think of others before myself. |
| 8. | I like to set goals for myself. |
| 9. | I want to make my life better. |
| 10. | My life has a purpose.* |
| 11. | I consider opinions that are not my own. |
| 12. | I try to achieve my goals even during hard times. |
| 13. | I have stable source of income.* |
| 14. | I maintain a healthy weight. |
| 15. | I use health care services when I need them.* |
| 16. | I can manage stress in my life. |
| 17. | I have thoughts of hurting myself. [REVERSE CODE] |
| 18. | I am satisfied with my health care provider. |
| 19. | I can manage pain well. |
| 20. | I eat 2–3 cups of vegetables each day.* |
| 21. | I eat 2 cups of fruits each day.* |
| 22. | I do not have a healthy diet. [REVERSE CODE] |
| 23. | I can sleep for at least 7hr a night. |
| 24. | I never drink >4 drinks of alcohol (men) or 3 drinks of alcohol (women) within 2 hr.* |
| 25. | I do not use tobacco. |
| 26. | I do not have high blood pressure.* |
Connectedness
| Item | |
| 1. | I get along with my relatives. |
| 2. | I get along with my friends. |
| 3. | I have a veteran friend who I can talk to.* |
| 4. | I have a nonveteran friend who I can talk to. |
| 5. | I have a coworker who I can talk to.* |
| 6. | I use social media to connect with others.* |
| 7. | I am building camaraderie with other people. |
| 8. | I find comfort in my religion or spirituality. |
| 9. | I talk to someone at least once per week. |
| 10. | I have someone who I can rely on for help. |
| 11. | I have someone who relies on me for help. |
| 12. | I have a friend who shares the same values as me. |
| 13. | I avoid isolation.* |
| 14. | I am involved with a group of people who think like me. |
| 15. | I am involved with a group of people who are the same ethnicity as me. |
| 16. | I am involved with a group of veterans. |
| 17. | I am part of an online community.* |
| 18. | I am getting to know my neighbors.* |
| 19. | I go to neighborhood events.* |
| 20. | Some of my neighbors are veterans.* |
| 21. | I live near a military base.* |
| 22. | I network with people in my profession. |
Community Impact
| Item | |
| 1. | I like to improve my community.* |
| 2. | I help my neighbors when they need it.* |
| 3. | I serve on committees where I live. |
| 4. | I help people in my community who live in poverty. |
| 5. | I help with cleaning the parks in my community. |
| 6. | I help with a food pantry in my community. |
| 7. | I help to build gardens in my community. |
| 8. | I volunteer in my community. |
| 9. | I like to come together with others to make a change where I live. |
| 10. | I am a part of something larger than myself. |
| 11. | I donate time to community projects. |
| 12. | I donate money to community projects. |
| 13. | I help people using social media. |
| 14. | I am a mentor for someone. |
| 15. | I am being mentored by someone. |
| 16. | Volunteering makes me feel good.* |
| 17. | Volunteering makes a good impact on the lives of others.* |
Note. Items marked with an asterisk were highlighted in the original document and dropped from the final instrument.
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Empowered Veteran Index (EVI). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/empowered-veteran-index-evi/
Mohammed looti. "Empowered Veteran Index (EVI)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 6 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/empowered-veteran-index-evi/.
Mohammed looti. "Empowered Veteran Index (EVI)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/empowered-veteran-index-evi/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Empowered Veteran Index (EVI)', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/empowered-veteran-index-evi/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Empowered Veteran Index (EVI)," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Empowered Veteran Index (EVI). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.