The Social Networks of Preadolescent Children in Sweden

Abstract

A study was undertaken to assess the influence of personal and environmental factors on the composition of children's networks and the relative amounts and use of time spent with people of various ages, sexes, and roles. Seventy-two Swedish children between the ages of eight and eleven replied to interview questions about their family members, relatives, friends, and the non-relative adults they knew. A four-way ANOVA was performed to assess the influence of the child's sex and school grade, the presence or absence of a father in the child's home, and the type of neighborhood the child lived in. Boys reported having contact with more peers more often than girls, while girls reported spending more time in peer dyads and with their families. Differences by school grade suggest movement toward fewer, more intensive friendships with school mates and away from family members. Children in father-absent homes seemed to have more limited peer networks than children in two-parent families and reported spending less time with their families. Children in neighborhoods with more commercial and social services reported knowing more adults not related to them.

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