Transactions in Suffering: Mothers, Daughters, and Chronic Disease Comorbidities in New Delhi, India
Open accessAbstract
The biomedical definition of comorbidity belies the complexity of its lived experience. This article draws on case studies of women with diabetes and various comorbidities in New Delhi, India, to explore intergenerational transactions surrounding suffering in contexts of comorbidity. The analysis synthesizes sociological theories of chronic disease work, psychological theories of caregiver burnout, and anthropological approaches to suffering and legitimacy to explore how, when, and by whom women's comorbid sources of suffering become routinized in everyday life. The analysis demonstrates, first, that comorbid suffering is not simply a matter of the addition of a second source of suffering to an existing one; rather, it comprises complex interactions between suffering, disability, family dynamics, and quality of life. Second, it illustrates several social routes through which comorbid suffering can fade into the background of everyday life, even when it is severe. Close attention to how suffering works in cases of comorbidity will be important as comorbid conditions become increasingly commonplace around the world.
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“Only two articles provided no explicit definition of a syndemic [26,29], but the authors’ rationale and”
- Authors
- Weaver, L. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Alabama (US)
- Corresponding author
- Weaver, Lesley Jo
- ORCID
- Weaver, Lesley Jo
- Venue
- Medical Anthropology Quarterly
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-07-06
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 498-514
- ISSN
- 0745-5194 (ISSN-L)
- 1548-1387
- OpenAlex
- W2336672178
- Semantic Scholar
- c3414a1af60cfc917e631a495de980e44bc35553
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 6.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Medical Anthropology Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Family Support in Illness
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Chronic Disease Management Strategies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Gender, Health, and Social Inequality
- Keywords
- chronic comorbidities, diabetes mellitus, women's health, intergenerational relations, mother and daughter, suffering, legitimacy, caregiver burnout, disability, family dynamics, quality of life, New Delhi
- MeSH terms
- Anthropology, Physical, Chronic Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Humans, India, Mothers, Nuclear Family, Comorbidity
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