The association of food insecurity with mental health in preschool-aged children and their parents

Background: Household food insecurity (HFI) is associated with poor general and mental health. Prior studies assessed parent and child mental health separately and did not assess other social risks.Objective: To assess the relationship between HFI and both parental and child mental health.Methods: Parents of 3-5-year-old children completed validated measures of food insecurity and mental health. Separate linear regression models were used for unadjusted analysis for each mental health outcome (parent depression, anxiety, and stress, and child mental health). Multivariable analysis was performed using hierarchical regression to adjust for relevant covariates.Results: Children (n = 335) were racially and socioeconomically diverse. HFI was reported in 10% of participants. HFI was associated with worse parent depression and stress in unadjusted analyses; however, after adjusting for covariates, the associations became insignificant. HFI was significantly associated with worse child mental health in unadjusted and multivariable analysis (a beta 2.24, 95% CI 0.59-3.88) compared to those without HFI.Conclusion: HFI was not associated with parental mental health outcomes when other social risks were included in the analyses; however, HFI was significantly associated with worse childhood mental health in all analyses. Pediatric providers should screen for and develop interventions to target both HFI and mental health.