Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health in an Undergraduate Student Population

Diamond, Kate K.; Stebleton, Michael J.; delMas, Robert C.

doi:10.1080/19496591.2019.1679158

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Food insecurity exists when there is insufficient or inappropriate access to food, while housing insecurity occurs when housing is unstable, unaffordable, unsafe or unavailable ( 83 ). There is growing recognition that food insecurity is tied to mental well-being on university campuses and many researchers are starting to conclude that food insecurity is likely to be a consistent and main factor associated with anxiety and depression among university students ( 84 – 87 ). A recent systematic review of 58 empirical studies from countries across the globe suggest that nearly one-third of university students may be food insecure and it is likely that that they suffer from “poorer nutritional outcomes, higher stress and depression and adverse learning, academic outcomes and/or productivity” as a consequence [( 88 ), p. 1,780; see also ( 89 )].…”

Section: Predicting Student Mental Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?

Defeyter

Stretesky

Long

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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This paper draws upon the concept of recreancy to examine the mental well-being of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Briefly, recreancy is loss of societal trust that results when institutional actors can no longer be counted on to perform their responsibilities. Our study of mental well-being and recreancy focuses on the role of universities and government regulators within the education sector. We surveyed 600 UK students attending 161 different public higher education providers in October 2020 during a time when many UK students were isolated in their residences and engaged in online learning. We assessed student well-being using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (scored 7–35) and found the mean score to be 19.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.6, 20.2]. This level of well-being indicates that a significant proportion of UK students face low levels of mental well-being. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicates that high recreancy—measured as a low trust in universities and the government—is associated with low levels of mental well-being across the student sample. While these findings are suggestive, they are also important and we suggest that government and university leaders should not only work to increase food and housing security during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also consider how to combat various sector trends that might intensify recreancy.

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Section: Predicting Student Mental Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?

Defeyter

Stretesky

Long

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Students’ well-being can be affected when they are food-insecure, thus leading to mental health challenges that can then cause students to experience higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression [ 28 ]. Furthermore, higher levels of perceived stress and depression were significantly associated with short-term and long-term food insecurity among a diverse sample of undergraduate students at a public university in the Midwest [ 29 ]. Similar to other university student populations [ 30 ], the COVID-19 pandemic likely heightened psychological distress in our sample of undergraduate students, regardless of food security status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between Food Security Status and Psychological Distress and Loneliness among Full-Time Undergraduate Students at a Minority-Serving Institution

Guzman

Lange

McClain

2022

IJERPH

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Little is known about the relationship of food security (FS) status with mental health among students at minority-serving institutions. We aimed to elucidate the association of FS status with psychological distress and loneliness among full-time undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution. We used data from the National Collegiate Health Assessment III (n = 441). To assess FS, students responded to the USDA 6-item short form (range: 0–6) and responses were categorized as high (0), marginal (1) or low/very low (2–6) FS. The Kessler 6 scale assessed psychological distress (range: 0–24). The UCLA loneliness scale assessed loneliness (range: 3–9). Higher scores indicated higher psychological distress and loneliness. Using adjusted linear regression models, we examined the association of FS with psychological distress and loneliness. Compared to students with high FS (mean (SD): 9.4 (0.8)), students with marginal (11.4 (1.0); p < 0.05) or low/very low (11.8 (0.8); p < 0.01) FS had higher psychological distress scores. Compared to students with high FS (5.5 (0.3)), students with low/very low FS (6.0 (0.3); p < 0.05) had higher loneliness scores. Future studies should further explore these relationships using mixed methods, to provide complementary quantitative findings with the emic perspective of students and their experiences, which can inform programming to prevent and reduce food insecurity.

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“…They were even able to quantify the magnitude of those factors’ predictive power; for example, students who identified as African American were three times more likely than their white peers to be classified as experiencing food insecurity. Ultimately, Diamond et al.’s (2020) findings illuminated the disproportionate burden experienced by students of already marginalized identities when it comes to food insecurity. Using logistic regression to better understand the role of multiple factors in predicting experiences of food insecurity helped inform collective efforts to most effectively market and distribute resources to the students on campus who are most likely to benefit.…”

Section: Quantitative Analytic Methods In Student Affairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are countless other salient applications of logistic regression in student affairs worth noting. One example was provided by Diamond et al (2020), who sought to predict the probability that college students would experience food insecurity. They found that several factors increased the likelihood that students would be classified as food insecure, including racial identity, financial concerns, and sexual orientation.…”

Section: Making Predictionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advanced skills in quantitative assessment

Winkler

2022

New Drctns for Student Srvcs

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With examples and emerging possibilities for quantitative research to advance equity and social justice in education, this article provides a conceptual foundation in applied quantitative methods for student affairs professionals, including an overview of common themes in inferential statistical tools, introduction to latent constructs, and guidance for evaluating the quality of quantitative measures and results.

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Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health in an Undergraduate Student Population

Cited by 23 publications

References 27 publications

Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?

Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?

The Association between Food Security Status and Psychological Distress and Loneliness among Full-Time Undergraduate Students at a Minority-Serving Institution

Advanced skills in quantitative assessment

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