Premium
Intra‐and Interpersonal Factors Buffer the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Mental Well‐Being Among Middle Schoolers
Author(s) -
Brinkman Jesse,
Garnett Bernice,
Kolodinsky Jane,
Wang Weiwei,
Pope Lizzy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12982
Subject(s) - feeling , psychology , suicidal ideation , clinical psychology , mental health , suicide prevention , poison control , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , environmental health
BACKGROUND Food insecurity (FI) is a significant predictor of feelings of isolation in children, as well as suicide ideation and depression. Using a census of public middle school‐aged children, we seek to determine whether FI is associated with suicide ideation and feelings of hopelessness and how individual and school community factors can alleviate or exacerbate this relationship. METHODS We analyzed data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, conducted statewide by the Vermont Department of Health and administered to all public middle schoolers (N = 13,648). Questions were asked about FI, suicidal thoughts, feelings of hopelessness, perceptions of teaching and community care, physical activity, breakfast consumption, and demographics. Bivariate and cross‐tabular analyses were conducted in SPSS, and regressions and Sobel tests were conducted in STATA. RESULTS Results show that FI is associated with decreases in psychological well‐being as measured by suicide ideation and feelings of hopelessness in students. However, students who reported eating breakfast regularly, feeling connected to their community or having a positive relationship with a teacher had significantly lower instances of suicide ideation and hopelessness. CONCLUSION Suicide prevention programs should focus on enhancing community connection and student‐teacher relationships and increasing funding for breakfast programs in schools.