Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, USA.
Center for Global Health Equity, NYU Shanghai, China.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2024 Dec;70(8):1542-1551. doi: 10.1177/00207640241277152. Epub 2024 Sep 4.
Food insecurity, a pervasive global issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. However, the role of social capital in mitigating this relationship remains understudied, particularly in the Chinese context.
This study investigated the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and examined the potential moderating effects of bonding and bridging social capital among Chinese adults in Shanghai.
This cross-sectional study included 3,220 Chinese adults (mean age: 34.45; 51.5% male) in Shanghai. Food insecurity was assessed using the modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, psychological distress was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and social capital was evaluated using the Revised Personal Social Capital Scale.
Multivariable linear regression analyses revealed that food insecurity was significantly positively associated with both depressive (β = 0.449, = 0.024) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.391, = 0.022), after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and COVID-19-related factors. Higher levels of bonding and bridging social capital were significantly associated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Significant interactions ( < .001) between bonding social capital and food insecurity indicated that the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress were less pronounced among adults with higher bonding social capital.
These findings highlight the critical role of food insecurity as a risk factor for psychological distress and the importance of bonding social capital in mitigating its impact on mental health. Policies and interventions targeting food insecurity prevention and bonding social capital enhancement may promote better mental health outcomes among Chinese adults.
食品不安全是一个普遍存在的全球性问题，由于 COVID-19 大流行而加剧，与不良心理健康结果有关。然而，社会资本在减轻这种关系中的作用仍未得到充分研究，特别是在中国背景下。
本研究调查了食品不安全与心理困扰（抑郁和焦虑症状）之间的关联，并研究了在上海的中国成年人中，结合和桥接社会资本对这种关系的潜在调节作用。
这项横断面研究包括 3220 名上海的中国成年人（平均年龄：34.45 岁；51.5%为男性）。使用改良家庭食品不安全访问量表评估食品不安全，使用患者健康问卷-9 和广泛性焦虑症-7 评估心理困扰，使用修订个人社会资本量表评估社会资本。
多变量线性回归分析显示，在调整了社会人口特征、健康状况和 COVID-19 相关因素后，食品不安全与抑郁（β=0.449， =0.024）和焦虑症状（β=0.391， =0.022）显著正相关。较高水平的结合和桥接社会资本与较少的抑郁和焦虑症状显著相关。结合社会资本和食品不安全之间的显著交互作用（ < .001）表明，在具有较高结合社会资本的成年人中，食品不安全与心理困扰之间的关联不那么明显。
这些发现强调了食品不安全作为心理困扰风险因素的重要性，以及结合社会资本在减轻其对心理健康影响方面的重要性。针对食品不安全预防和结合社会资本增强的政策和干预措施可能会促进中国成年人的更好心理健康结果。
