Personal Empowerment and Life Satisfaction among Self-Help Group Members in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between personal empowerment and life satisfaction among self-help group members in Hong Kong. Personal empowerment is viewed as a form of social capital derived from engagement in the social relations within the self-help group that allows members to obtain benefits such as increasing their life satisfaction. Sense of mastery and self-esteem are introduced as intervening variables between personal empowerment and life satisfaction. A path model is constructed to compare the direct effects and indirect effects of personal empowerment, sense of mastery, and self-esteem on life satisfaction. The same model is also tested across various sociodemographic subgroups. Findings support a significant and positive relationship between personal empowerment and life satisfaction and show that there are sociodemographic differences in the effect of the former on the latter. Implications of the findings for future research and services pertaining to personal empowerment and its outcomes in Hong Kong are discussed.