Household food insecurity and mental distress among pregnant women in Southwestern Ethiopia: a cross sectional study design

Abstract

BackgroundThere are compelling theoretical and empirical reasons that link household food insecurity to mental distress in the setting where both problems are common. However, little is known about their association during pregnancy in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the association of household food insecurity with mental distress during pregnancy. Six hundred and forty-two pregnant women were recruited from 11 health centers and one hospital. Probability proportional to size (PPS) and consecutive sampling techniques were employed to recruit study subjects until the desired sample size was obtained. The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to measure mental distress and a 9-item Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used to measure food security status. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed accordingly. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of food insecurity on mental distress.ResultsFifty eight of the respondents (9 %) were moderately food insecure and 144 of the respondents (22.4 %) had mental distress. Food insecurity was also associated with mental distress. Pregnant women living in food insecure households were 4 times more likely to have mental distress than their counterparts (COR = 3.77, 95 % CI: 2.17, 6.55). After controlling for confounders, a multivariate logistic regression model supported a link between food insecurity and mental distress (AOR = 4.15, 95 % CI: 1.67, 10.32).ConclusionThe study found a significant association between food insecurity and mental distress. However, the mechanism by which food insecurity is associated with mental distress is not clear. Further investigation is therefore needed to understand either how food insecurity during pregnancy leads to mental distress or weather mental distress is a contributing factor in the development of food insecurity.

Factors associated with psychological distress among young women in Kisumu, Kenya

“…Food insecurity can have effects on at least two levels. Insecurity can cause a feeling of lack of control, which can result in disorders such as depression and anxiety, and lack of adequate nutrition can adversely affect brain function, including cognition and mood regulation; lack of proper nutrition has been shown to be associated with disorders such as depression and anxiety 38–41…”

Investigating tangible and mental resources as predictors of perceived household food insecurity during pregnancy among women in a South African birth cohort study

“…Depression may also impact a pregnant woman’s work productivity and, in turn, her wages (Stewart, Ricci, Chee, Hahn, & Morganstein, 2003). Although less research has been conducted investigating the impact of stressful life events and psychological distress on perceived household food insecurity, one can hypothesize that the process may be similar to depression and perceived household food insecurity (Becerra et al, 2015; Jebena et al, 2015). Childhood trauma has also been shown to negatively impact a pregnant woman’s ability to procure food because of its lifelong income consequences caused by poor schooling and job performance (Chilton, Knowles, Rabinowich, & Arnold, 2015) as well as also being a significant risk factor for mental disorders in adulthood (Norman et al, 2012).…”

Prevalence and associated factors of antenatal depression among women attending antenatal care follow up at Michu Clinic in Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia 2019.

“…A research conducted in University Hospital in Bydgoszcz has been mentioned that women using substance like khat and alcohol are associated with AD (27). On a systematic review of the prevalence of antenatal depression among Women with Substance use, an abuse history, or Chronic illness by including seventeen papers on patient health questionnaire 9 assessing depression between 3 and 36 weeks of antenatal period there were high rates of AD among substance-using women of khat and alcohol and those with current or past experiences of abuse in Southwest Ethiopia (39,45).…”