Using the Five Field Map to Describe the Social Network of Children: A Methodological Study

There is a persistent need to find usable ways of measuring social network and support for children. Up to now virtually nothing is known about the social network from the child's viewpoint. In order to evaluate whether drawing a structured social network map (the Five Field Map) could serve as a way of elucidating important aspects of the social world of children, the maps of different samples of children were studied. In a school class of 27 children, aged 11 years, a test-retest study was undertaken. The essential aspects of the map showed good stability over time. The map was compared with other instruments of social interaction in different samples. Predicted associations were found in the nonclinical samples. Aspects of the map measuring dissatisfaction, negative contacts, and conflicts were found to be associated with behaviour problems. The closeness factor of the map and reported dissatisfaction and conflicts differentiated a normal group of children living in single-parent families from a similar group of children with psychiatric problems. The Five Field Map contributes important knowledge about how children perceive their social world. It can thus be considered a suitable instrument to describe the social network from the child's point of view.