Developing Measures for and Testing the Theory of Communicative Disenfranchisement (TCD) in the Context of Chronic Pain

The post-positivist articulation of the theory of communicative disenfranchisement (TCD) asserts that people subjected to disenfranchising talk (DT; talk that discredits, silences, and stereotypes) experience proximal consequences (PCs; reduced agency, perceived credibility, and ability to exercise rights and privileges) and make negative inferences about others' future interactional goals (negative goal inferences [NGIs]). Through the mediators of PCs and NGIs, DT is theorized to lead to more distal health and well-being outcomes. This article developed measures of DT, PCs, and NGIs to test the TCD's post-positivist model in the context of chronic pain. Items were developed and refined in a pilot study. Then, in two validation studies, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted and health and well-being outcomes were assessed. Findings offer initial empirical support for the reliability and convergent, divergent, and predictive validity of the DT, PCs, and NGIs measures, as well as the model proposed in the post-positivist articulation of the TCD.