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The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research
Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 1/2019

01-01-2019

Agency-Based Empowerment Interventions: Efforts to Enhance Decision-Making and Action in Health and Development

Authors: Anita Shankar, PhD, Siddhi Sundar, Genevieve Smith

Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

This paper outlines the critical role of personal agency in influencing health and development outcomes and presents a framework for implementing non-therapeutic cognitive-behavioral interventions that foster agency, especially for women, in resource-poor settings. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has placed “empowerment” at the center of global targets, particularly to improve individuals’ health and development. Despite extensive research on individual and community empowerment, there is limited focus on the role of psychological and behavioral approaches directly fostering individual and collective agency in health programs. Fundamental to this process is the understanding that decision-making is an interaction between mental processes and one’s current context. Approaches that allow individuals to understand how their beliefs, values, emotions, and thoughts impact their behaviors and can be modulated to increase their personal agency are needed. This model is illustrated through a pilot behavioral intervention with women engaged in sex work in Pune, India, demonstrating substantive benefits.
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Metadata
Title
Agency-Based Empowerment Interventions: Efforts to Enhance Decision-Making and Action in Health and Development
Authors
Anita Shankar, PhD
Siddhi Sundar
Genevieve Smith
Publication date
01-01-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 1094-3412
Electronic ISSN: 2168-6793
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-018-9592-0

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