Basic Needs Insecurities Are Associated with Anxiety, Depression, and Poor Health Among University Students in the State of New Mexico

Abstract

Basic needs insecurities affect university students disproportionately and may impact health and academic performance. This study examined associations between food insecurity (FI), housing insecurity (HI) and a novel basic needs insecurity score, and mental and physical health among university students. Eight-thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students at a large university in the southwestern U.S. were selected via stratified random sampling to complete an online cross-sectional survey in April 2021. The survey included the USDA 10-item food security module, a 9-item housing insecurity measure, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 screener (GAD-2), the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) assessing depression, and self-rated health. Sociodemographics were self-reported and integrated from the university’s enterprise system. Multiple logistic regression was utilized to examine odds of depression, anxiety, and fair/poor health by food and housing security status. Multiple linear regression was utilized to examine predictors of food insecurity score (range = 0–10), housing insecurity score (range = 0–9), and an overall basic needs insecurity score (range = 0–19). Eight-hundred thirty-three students participated (response rate = 10.4%; mean age = 28.3 years, 66% female, 40% Hispanic, 60% undergraduates). Nearly 26% were food insecure in the past month and 44% were housing insecure in the past year. Basic needs insecurities significantly increased odds of anxiety (FI aOR = 4.35, HI aOR = 3.43), depression (FI aOR = 3.18, HI aOR = 3.16), and fair/poor health (FI aOR = 2.84, HI aOR = 2.81). GAD-2 score explained the most variance in food ( r -squared = 0.14), housing ( r -squared = 0.12), and basic needs insecurity scores ( r -squared = 0.16). Basic needs insecurities remain concerns among university students due to associations with mental and physical health, prompting a critical need for multifaceted interventions.

Basic Needs Insecurity and College Students’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…For one, there should be coordinated collaborations between counseling centers and basic needs insecurity resource centers. When assessing the needs of students, mental health practitioners may find it useful to administer assessments Soria of food and housing insecurity or ask students about their experiences with food and housing insecurity in counseling sessions (Coakley et al, 2022). It may be useful to promote mental health and counseling services within services or centers designed to support students who may experience basic needs insecurity (e.g., food pantries, off-campus housing services), engage in cross-promotion of services using websites or social media, or embed services within both spaces (e.g., adding a smaller food pantry in the counseling center, offering walk-in counseling sessions near a food pantry).…”

Methods for Assessing Health Outcomes Associated with Food Insecurity in the United States College Student Population: A Narrative Review

“…Immediate memory recall; attention test 1. ↓ Cognitive performance Coakley et al, 2022 [ 100 ] 833 University of New Mexico Female: 65.8% Non-White: 62.8% FI: 25.6% 10-item 1. Depression 2.…”

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“…Young individuals, particularly freshmen students, are more likely prone to various types of mental disorders [3]. Entering to new locations and experiencing new residency (dormitory life), having new food patterns, meeting new friends, and a wide range of uncertainties lead them to experience conditions of depression and anxiety, besides posing them to risk of emotional and mental vulnerabilities [4][5][6].…”