Lived Experiences of Food Insecurity and Mental Health: The Role of Socio-Demographic Inequalities

Background Food insecurity is strongly associated with mental health, and also varies by demographic group but the role that socio-demography plays in shaping the relationship between food insecurity and mental health remains under-researched, particularly in the United Kingdom where food insecurity is a rapidly increasing public health emergency. This article explores how socio-demographic characteristics – specifically, income, parenting, and ethnicity – shape the lived experience of food insecurity and mental health in the UK. Methods A diverse sample of 62 people living on a low income in England were interviewed three times over two years. Interviews addressed lived experiences of food insecurity and food aid, mental health, and experiences of discrimination. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The pressures of and inability to afford food exacerbate the existing stress of navigating life on a low income, aggravating anxiety, and contributing to social exclusion and depression. Source of income shapes the nature of anxiety surrounding food, with people in receipt of welfare benefits reporting acute food insecurity and related anxiety, isolation and depression. Parents experienced heightened stress from their financial inability to provide food for their children, generating shame and precipitating parental and family isolation, which contributed to anxiety and depression. A complex matrix of structural and cultural factors increased the importance of food in the connection between financial insecurity and mental ill-health among minority ethnic participants. The high cost of ‘traditional’ foods created stress and necessitated dietary change, impacting self-identity and socialisation. Conclusions Our findings underscore the interconnection of inequalities, food insecurity and mental health; it is vital that policy recognises its responsibility in mitigating mental ill-health and food insecurity among all demographic groups.