Voices from the battlefield: reports of the daily experiences of urban Black mothers.
There are persistent disparities in maternal child health in the United States. In this study I used an ethnographic design to portray the everyday lives of 130 Black, low-income, urban mothers. The women described daily battles related to a lack of material and human resources. To deal with these challenges, they assumed the role of soldiers, developed new tactical maneuvers, trusted in God for justice, shared their resources with their comrades, took short-lived breaks when they were wounded in action, and used escape mechanisms. Public health interventions are needed to deal with infrastructural deficits and support the women's defenses.
Cricco-Lizza
Roberta
R
Center for Health Disparities Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. rcricco@nursing.upenn.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009519:New York City; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*