Household food insecurity hits moms and caregivers especially hard, and it leads to negative mental health impacts, according to a new study.
Researchers at Virginia Tech conducted the study with low-income moms and caregivers.
“We wanted to see how moms’ mental health was affected when food security levels varied within the household,” said Sarah Misyak, assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise and the assistant director of the Family Nutrition Program. “Mothers experience negative mental health impacts due to household food insecurity, especially if they are the ones going without food or using a sizable portion of it. This evidence shows that a mother’s mental health suffers based on who in the household is affected by food insecurity.”
The research team included Rachel Liebe Ph.D., now in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University, and Chanit’a Holmes, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
The research was recently published in Nutrients.
The study shows an increase in depression in homes struggling to put food on the table. Food insecurity was found to happen more during the holidays or during the summer when school meals are not offered.
“Moms in households with any food insecurity had worse mental health and had to use more strategies to cope with the food shortage compared to moms in food-secure households,” said Misyak.
“They (Moms) also reported higher anxiety and depression levels than those in food-secure homes.”
The researchers would like to see strategies to help moms and caregivers manage their mental health in trying times. Often nutrition education and budgeting tips are offered, but the researchers believe additional support is needed to help mothers or caregivers with their mental health needs.
Future research should focus on creating screening tools to identify families experiencing food insecurity, Misyak said.
“This way, we can connect families with the resources they need to ensure everyone has enough to eat,” she said.
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Crystal Graham
