Household Food Insecurity and Psychosocial Adjustment in Early Adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Almost 14% of households with children in the US experienced non-voluntary reductions in food intake, or disruptions in eating patterns at some point within the past year (Coleman-Jensen, 2019). These non-voluntary reductions in food intake indicate food insecurity and are typically accompanied by feelings of worry or doubt about the variety, quality, quantity, or social acceptability of food in the household (Doudna et al., 2015). Unlike hunger, a personal and physical sensation, food insecurity occurs at the household level and is associated with negative health outcomes, such as obesity (Kaaur et al., 2015). However, food insecurity has also been linked with negative psychosocial consequences for children, such as depression and behavior problems (Sullivan et al., 2020; Whitsett et al., 2019). Adolescents may be especially sensitive to these effects due to the impact of food insecurity on self-esteem (Godrish et al., 2019) and its link to depression during adolescence (Moksnes & Reidunsdatter, 2019). Additionally, little is known about the relationship between food insecurity and academic behaviors, such as attention problems and study skills, that may impact academic achievement. Therefore, the current study examines the relationship between food insecurity and internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems, as well as study skills, in early adolescents.
The sample included 288 middle school students (Mage = 12.09; 54% female; 46% Black, 38% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% other) recruited from 15 middle schools in the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area. Youth completed self-report measures of household food insecurity using the Food Security Survey for Children (Connell et al., 2004), as well as anxiety/depression, aggression, rule breaking, and social problems subscales from the Youth Self Report (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Teachers reported on the students’ attention problems and study skills using the Academic Competency and Evaluation Scales (DiPerna & Elliot, 1999).
After controlling for child sex, race (white/non-white), parent education, and household income, multiple regression analyses determined that greater food insecurity was linked with higher levels of anxiety/depression (β = .19; p<.01), aggression (β = .19; p<.01), rule breaking (β = .25; p<.001), and attention problems (β = .16; p<.01), as well as lower study skills (β = -.12; p<.05). Regarding demographic variables, higher parent education was associated with better study skills (β = .15; p<.05) and fewer social problems (β =.19; p<.01). Females and whites also had better study skills (β = .38 and .15; p<.05), whereas males had more attention problems (β = -.04; p<.001).
These results demonstrate that food insecurity is associated with a number of psychosocial problems and academic behaviors that can compromise school success. Future studies should examine the combined role of food insecurity with related economic factors in the home, such as income instability, in adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment and academic achievement.

Authors

• Callista Cox, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  Presenting Author

• Catheryn Orihuela, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sylvie Mrug, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author

• Retta Evans, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Non-Presenting Author