Food Insecurity, Hunger, Stress, and Homelessness Among Young Adults

Background: Compared to the effects of stress on hunger, the temporal effect of hunger on stress levels is less understood, especially in the context of everyday lives of vulnerable populations with unstable access to food. Objective: Our objective was to examine the effects of food insecurity and momentary hunger on momentary stress and stress variability in a sample of currently and formerly homeless young adults. Method: We used a 7-day ecological momentary assessment study querying affect, hunger, and risky behaviors. A mixed-effects location scale model was used to examine the effects of hunger on mean levels and within- and between-subjects variability of stress with 100 currently homeless and 69 formerly homeless young adults ages 18-29 in Los Angeles County, California. Results: When individuals experienced greater-than-average hunger, they then experienced greater stress variability at the next prompt, showing the impact of hunger on stress at the momentary level. Those with higher average levels of stress, regardless of hunger, became substantially more stressed when becoming hungry compared to their generally less stressed counterparts. Conclusions: The study shows the extent to which food insecurity results in erratic stress among vulnerable populations and how high levels of hunger may lead to a more inconsistent stress response. Findings reinforce the need for more mental health services and food programs for young adults who have experienced homelessness.