The number of people who are food insecure tends to be higher among families with children—nearly three in 10 families according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This can have negative impacts on physical as well as mental well-being.
“Mothers who have any experience with food insecurity in their household, whether it’s them, their children, other folks, were more likely to have negative mental health outcomes, like anxiety or depression,” said Sarah Misyak, a research assistant professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech. She and other researchers have spent the past several years interviewing moms in Virginia and across the South to learn more about the connections between food insecurity and mental health among mothers.
She said many times, when financial strains affect a family, say if one parent loses a job, or they go back to school, moms are the most likely person in that house to go without a meal. Moms are also more likely to eat less food so their children can get as much nutrition as possible.
“That’s where you really saw an impact on depression and anxiety,” Misyak said. “Cause that’s hard on people to do, it’s physically difficult and can be mentally challenging.”
One of the moms who was interviewed for the study recalled what this was like. “The pantry was down to little to nothing, so it was like one night, we had enough meat to do for the kids to eat and I ate a can of green beans.”
Another interviewee said, “sometimes I don't eat as much as I probably should just so that my kids will have food... So, if they want extras or something else, they can have that.”
She said mental health challenges also surround the pressure moms feel in providing food. “Mothers are often the ones responsible for making the food decisions, making sure there’s food on the table, and also the ones who are more responsible for making parenting decisions on a day-to-day basis,” Misyak said.
Some of the moms researchers interviewed also worried they weren’t giving their kids the highest quality food, like fresh fruits and vegetables, because those are often the most difficult foods to get in a food pantry. They can also be expensive.
Misyak said stigmas and shame around struggling to get all the resources a family needs can lead moms to have negative mental health outcomes.
“We put a lot of pressure on mothers, in the U.S.,” Misyak said. “So there’s a lot of stigma and shame attached with not being able to get your kids certain types of food, or the best food that you can.”
One of the moms told researchers, “You see on [social media] all the time people putting other people down because you're not able to do more for your own family.”
Misyak said organizations like the Federation of Virginia Foodbanks are working to give families better and more flexible access to resources that might help.
“Like mental health services, or job skills and readiness or helping apply for snap at food pantries, so that people can access more services at one location,” Misyak said. “Which I think is a really great strategy.”
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
