Publications [#185532] of Linda Burton

Journal Articles

1. Burton, L.M., & Bromell, L., Childhood illness, family comorbidity, and cumulative disadvantage: An ethnographic treatise on low-income mothers' health in later life, Annual Review of Gertontology and Geriatrics (2010), pp. 231-263
   (last updated on 2010/12/27)

   Abstract:
   Using longitudinal ethnographic data on low-income families residing in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, we explore the ways in which childhood illness, family comorbidity, and cumulative disadvantage shape behavioral and social contexts for young mothers’ physical and mental health in later life. Data are from the Three-City Study ethnography which examined, over a 6-year period, the lives of 256 low-income Latino, African American, and White mothers and their children (N=685). Grounded theory analysis of the data revealed a markedly high prevalence of chronic physical and mental health conditions among the mothers and their children, with 80% of the mothers being categorized as comorbid and 72% of their children as such. Mothers’ current illnesses were related to their childhood health problems - - problems which were similarly demonstrated in the morbidity patterns of their children. Moreover, 68% of the families were designated comorbid as they included both mothers and children with multiple concurrent physical and mental health problems. Family comorbidity was associated with cumulative disadvantages anchored in mothers’ educational histories and unstable low-wage employment. The implications of these findings for future research on low-income mothers’ health and the utility of ethnographic methods for studying these issues are discussed.