scholarly journals Food Security, Financial Resources, and Mental Health: Evidence during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Jackie Yenerall ◽  
Kimberly Jensen

COVID-19 has negatively impacted many households’ financial well-being, food security, and mental health status. This paper investigates the role financial resources play in understanding the relationship between food security and mental health among U.S. households using data from a survey in June 2020. Results show job loss and savings draw down to pay for household bills had a significant relationship with both lower food security and greater numbers of poor mental health days during the pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Boring ◽  
Kaitlyn T. Walsh ◽  
Namrata Nanavaty ◽  
Vani A. Mathur

The experience of pain is subjective, yet many people have their pain invalidated or not believed. Pain invalidation is associated with poor mental health, including depression and lower well-being. Qualitative investigations of invalidating experiences identify themes of depression, but also social withdrawal, self-criticism, and lower self-worth, all of which are core components of shame. Despite this, no studies have quantitatively assessed the interrelationship between pain invalidation, shame, and depression. To explore this relationship, participants recounted the frequency of experienced pain invalidation from family, friends, and medical professionals, as well as their feelings of internalized shame and depressive symptoms. As shame has been shown to be a precursor for depression, we further explored the role of shame as a mediator between pain invalidation and depressive symptoms. All sources of pain invalidation were positively associated with shame and depressive symptoms, and shame fully mediated the relationship between each source of pain invalidation and depression. Relative to other sources, pain invalidation from family was most closely tied to shame and depression. Overall, findings indicate that one mechanism by which pain invalidation may facilitate depression is via the experience of shame. Future research may explore shame as a potential upstream precursor to depression in the context of pain. Findings provide more insight into the harmful influence of pain invalidation on mental health and highlight the impact of interpersonal treatment on the experiences of people in pain.


2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL KARUS ◽  
VICTORIA H. RAVEIS ◽  
KATHERINE MARCONI ◽  
PETER SELWYN ◽  
CARLA ALEXANDER ◽  
...  

Objective:To describe mental health status and its correlates among clients of three palliative care programs targeting underserved populations.Methods:Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) scores of clients from programs in Alabama (n= 39), Baltimore (n= 57), and New York City (n= 84) were compared.Results:Mean MHI-5 scores did not differ among sites and were indicative of poor mental health. Significant differences were noted among sites with regard to client sociodemographics, physical functioning, and perceptions of interpersonal relations. Results of multivariate regression models estimated for each site suggest variation in the relative importance of potential predictors among sites. Whereas poorer mental health was primarily associated with history of drug dependence at Baltimore and more physical symptomatology at New York, better mental health was most strongly correlated with more positive perceptions of interpersonal relationships at Baltimore and increasing age and more positive perceptions of meaning and purpose in life at New York.Significance of results:The data presented suggest the importance of assessing clients' history of and current need for mental health services. Evidence of a relationship between positive perceptions of meaning and purpose and better psychological function underscores the importance of existential issues for the overall well-being of those who are seriously ill.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Muir ◽  
Michael R. Cope ◽  
Leslie R. Angeningsih ◽  
Jorden Jackson ◽  
Ralph B. Brown

Migration is a standard survival strategy in the context of disasters. While prior studies have examined factors associated with return migration following disasters, an area that remains relatively under explored is whether moving home to one's original community results in improved health and well-being compared to other options such as deciding to move on. In the present study, we seek to address this gap in the literature through examining whether return migration, compared to other migration options, results in superior improvements to mental health. We draw upon data from a pilot study conducted 16 months after a series of volcanic eruptions in Merapi, Indonesia. Using ordinal logistic regression, we find that compared to respondents who were still displaced, respondents who had ``moved home'' were less likely to report poor mental health status (OR = 0.50 [95\% CI = 0.26, 0.95]). Likewise, respondents who had ``moved on'' were less likely to report poor mental health status (OR = 0.38 [95\% CI = 0.13, 1.04]). The results suggest that while moving home was an improvement from being displaced, it may have been better to move on, as this yielded superior associations with self-reported mental health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Mani ◽  
Ali Reza Estedlal ◽  
Mahsa Kamali ◽  
Seyede Zahra Ghaemi ◽  
Leila Zarei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The current corona virus pandemic is acting as a stressor or trauma, which not only threats physical health status, but also threats mental health status and well-being of people. Currently, COVID-19 pandemic is a life-threatening unpredictable condition accompanied with a large number of uncertainties. The present study has mainly aimed to assess mental health and the relevant social factors during this pandemic in Fars province. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 922 participants in Fars province, Iran, using internet-based data collection technique. All the included participants filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Moreover, demographic variables and some social factors were evaluated by asking some questions. All the participants were ensured of the confidentiality of the collected data, and willingly completed the questionnaire. Results Among the participants, there were 629 women (68.2%) and 293 men (31.2%). The mean age of the participants was 36.98 ± 11.08 years old. Four hundred twenty-five subjects (46.1%) obtained GHQ-28 scores above the cut-off point, and accordingly, they were suspected of having poor mental health statuses. Women, in comparison to men (OR = 2.034, 95%:1.62–3.28), and individuals aged < 50 years old, in comparison to those aged > 50 years old (OR: 4.01 95%:2.15–7.50), have poorer mental health statuses. Trusting on media, health authorities, and cooperation with policy makers, as well as having uncertainty on information about Coronavirus pandemic were also shown to be associated with poor mental health condition (P < 0.05). Conclusion The present study revealed that the number of those people with suspected poor mental health in Fars province significantly increased compared to a previous study using the same questionnaire. Furthermore, the participants who had less trust in media and policymakers were more prone to mental health problems. Therefore, it can be concluded that supporting people in these life-threatening pandemic crises is of great importance, so the policy makers and media must present reliable and valid information to people as soon as possible.


2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranae J. Evenson ◽  
Robin W. Simon

Unlike other major adult social roles in the United States, parenthood does not appear to confer a mental health advantage for individuals. However, while research has examined parental status differences in emotional well-being, relatively little is known about variations in emotional distress among parents. In this article, we clarify the relationship between parenthood and current symptoms of depression using data from the National Survey of Families and Households. The analyses provide support for our first hypothesis: Parenthood is not associated with enhanced mental health since there is no type of parent who reports less depression than nonparents. We also find support for our second hypothesis: Certain types of parenthood are associated with more depression than others. Additionally, although we find marital status differences in symptoms among parents, there are no gender differences in the association between parenthood and depression. We discuss the implications of our findings for ongoing theoretical debates about the advantages of social role involvement for mental health as well as the meaning of contemporary parenthood in the United States.


1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharan B. Merriam ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
Geneva Adkins ◽  
Leonard Poon

Research investigating how the recall of one's past functions in maintaining psychological well-being and/or adaptation to the aging process is widely scattered and generally inconclusive with regard to significant findings. One way to address the lack of a systematic research thrust is to replicate previous work. The purpose of the study reported herein was to replicate Costa and Kastenbaum's 1967 study of the relationship between past memories and future ambitions of centenarians using data from the Georgia Centenarian Study. Ninety-seven centenarians and 189 eighty- and sixty-year-olds were asked the same four questions as found in the Costa and Kastenbaum study. Contrary to Costa and Kastenbaum's results, no significant relationship was found between the ability to recall three types of past events and being able to conceive of the future in the Georgia study. Other similarities and differences in findings between the two studies are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-85
Author(s):  
Mélanie Varin ◽  
Elia Palladino ◽  
Tanya Lary ◽  
Melissa Baker

The Positive Mental Health Surveillance Indicator Framework (PMHSIF) provides estimates of positive mental health outcomes and associated risk and protective factors for youth aged 12 to 17 years in Canada. This study explored the relationship between sociodemographic factors and psychological and social well-being among youth in Canada using data from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey 2016–2017. Grade and province were significantly associated with psychological and social well-being


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A423-A424
Author(s):  
J Moore ◽  
A Seixas ◽  
G Casimir ◽  
J Nunes ◽  
F Matadiaby ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Inadequate sleep has been found to be associated with poor mental health. This is especially true in low-income and minority populations, who are concentrated in cities. It is not understood to what degree living in a city vs. a rural environment affects sleep and resulting mental health outcomes. This study seeks to understand how living in an urban environment affects the relationship between inadequate sleep and mental health. Methods The study used data from the 2018 US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS,) a nationwide health dataset collected by telephone. Respondents were classified as living in either an urban or rural environment based on their zip code. Respondents reported hours of sleep per night and mental health status. This study classified mental health status based on whether the respondent reported one or more incidences of poor mental health in the previous 30 days. Results After filtration, 348,540 respondents were split into urban and rural groups. Binary logistic regression was run in each group to compare how much living in an urban environment contributed to the relationship between sleep duration and mental health. Sleep in the analysis was found to significantly contribute to both models; urban X2(15, N=295,796) = 11,485.70, p &lt;0.001 rural X2(15, N=52,744) = 2,465.64, p &lt;0.001. The estimated odds ratio resulted in a decrease of 13.9% [Exp(B) = 0.861] in reported poor mental health for every unit increase of sleep in the urban population, and decrease of 14.9% [Exp(B) = 0.851] in the rural population. Conclusion In urban and rural dwellers, sleep duration predicted poor mental health. Contrary to expectations, sleep was more strongly tied to mental health in rural than urban populations. This was true even after controlling for sex, income, and education level. Further research should seek to understand how environment affects sleep and mental health. Support This study was supported by funding from the NIH: R01MD007716, R01HL142066, R01AG056531, K01HL135452, and K07AG052685.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2095922
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Zhou ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Qi Wang

Friendship may be significantly associated with adolescents’ psychological well-being. Among various kinds of friendships, this study investigated two types of intergroup friendships among Chinese adolescents, specifically cross-hukou-location and cross-gender friendship. Fixed-effects modeling with a two-wave national dataset—the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS)—was performed to evaluate the relationship between within-individual changes in cross-hukou-location friendship, cross-gender friendship, and mental health status ( N = 5,297, boys: 50.18%, average age: 12.92 at wave 1). The relationship pattern among different genders was also explored. The results showed that cross-hukou-location friendship is positively associated with male adolescents’ mental health status. The cross-gender relationship is negatively related to mental health in the overall sample and female subsample. The findings not only emphasized the vital role of intergroup contact but also shed light on understanding the role of gender in intergroup friendship-making and the relationship with psychological well-being.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482092108
Author(s):  
Maureen Canavan ◽  
William T. Gallo ◽  
Gillian L. Marshall

Background: Job loss is a stressful life event that is associated with changes in somatic, behavioral, and affective well-being. This cohort study investigates whether social support and social integration moderate the relationship between job loss and mental health. Methods: Data from four waves of the Americans’ Changing Lives data set were collapsed into three wave-pairs. Our sample comprised 1,474 observations, from which we identified 120 job losses. We applied longitudinal regression models in benchmark moderation analysis; finite mixture modeling was then applied to investigate complex heterogeneity. Results: Our findings suggest that social support, and not social integration, buffered the involuntary job loss–depressive symptoms relationship among a subgroup of individuals who were more likely to be White, higher educated, and have higher social support prior to job loss. Conclusion: Policies that incentivize education, promote financial and health literacy, and strengthen families may reduce vulnerability to the mental health effects of job loss.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document