Is the Ecomap a Valid and Reliable Social Work Tool to Measure Social Support?

• Main Author: Calix, Alexandra R
• Other Authors: Catherine Lemieux
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: LSU 2004
• Subjects: Social Work
• Online Access: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04072004-180134/

The ecomap, developed in 1975, is a tool used in social work practice to measure social support (Hartman, 1995). Although the ecomap is widely utilized, due in part to its ease of administration, it has not been validated in the literature as a reliable and valid tool in the measure of social support. This study aims to quantify the ecomap, explore its psychometric soundness, and begin the process of validation using two empirically validated social support measurement tools, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) and the Young Adult Social Support Inventory (YA-SSI) (McCubbin & Thompson, 1991). These efforts are expected to contribute to evidence-based practice in social work.