title: Cushioning, weathering, place, and community in rural grandmother-mothering.
abstract: Place influences rural women's health when distance and lack of anonymity contribute to a reluctance to seek care. A qualitative design was used to explore relationships between place and the health of rural grandmothers raising grandchildren. The study generated findings concerning theory related to perceptual experience of rurality, identifying "Cushioning," as a basic social concept and "Weathering," "Paradoxical Place," and "Community Mothering" as subconcepts. Physical and mental wear and tear, distance, isolation and unraveling community mothering undermined "Cushioning" and reflected in self-health neglect narratives. Findings underscore the importance of place to the health of rural women raising grandchildren.
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing, Lubbock, Texas 79430-6264, USA. betsy.thomas@ttuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth Ann
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012423:Rural Health; D012944:Social Support; D014887:Weather; D016387:Women's Health