Poster #93 - How Do Maternal Self-Efficacy and Depression Impact Infants’ Experiences of Household Food Insecurity?

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Household food insecurity (HFI) disproportionately affects families with young children living in poverty. However, research on predictors of HFI rarely studies families with infants under one-year-old, a critical developmental period for forming caregiver-child attachments. Further, while there is evidence of a bidirectional relationship between maternal depression and HFI, the mechanisms driving this relationship are unclear. Therefore, our study asks whether and to what extent: 1) do low-income families with infants under one-year-old experience HFI; and 2) how do these infants’ experiences of HFI vary based on levels of postnatal depression, parenting stress and maternal self-efficacy? Participants (n = 219) had infants four- to seven-months-old and were recruited for the Kids in Columbus Study (KICS) from Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) centers in a Midwestern state. They completed a: a) Family Background Questionnaire; b) Institutional Resources and Economic Hardship questionnaire; c) US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form; d) Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI); e) Maternal Self-Efficacy questionnaire; and f) Edinburgh Post-Natal Depression Scale (EPDS). The majority reported incomes of $10,000 or less (45%), were single (42%), and had less than a college degree as their highest level of education earned (89%). Most reported low HFI (45%); but about 38% reported high or very high HFI. Participants averaged scores in the medium range (M = 59.9, SD = 17.53) on the PSI and 5.86 on the EPDS (SD = 4.94). A series of regression analyses were run to probe the relationship between postnatal depression and HFI. Results suggest that mothers who were experiencing economic hardship and postnatal depression reported higher levels of HFI. Analyses also revealed that the relationship between postnatal depression and HFI differs depending on maternal self-efficacy, with the probability of experiencing high HFI being significantly higher for mothers who reported higher depression and lower maternal self-efficacy. Importantly, mothers reporting high depression and low maternal efficacy also reported significantly higher levels of parenting stress and lower levels of education relative to mothers who reported both high depression and high maternal self-efficacy. Implications for future research will be discussed, including exploring whether interventions aimed at improving maternal self-efficacy and parenting stress could be important for reducing HFI in low-income mothers of infants.

Authors

• Elaine Marie Joy, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Abel J Koury, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jaclyn Dynia, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jessica Logan, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Justice, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Pamela Salsberry, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kelly M Purtell, The Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mihaiela R. Gugiu, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
  Non-Presenting Author