Department of Geography and Rural Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, PBM University Post Office Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Department of Social Science, Offinso College of Education, Offinso, Ashanti Region, Ghana.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Sep 27;24(1):2612. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20087-7.
Data on the association between food insecurity and depression in single parents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited, and no study has reported the serial mediation effects of psychosocial factors in this association. This study examines the extent to which anxiety and sleep serially explain the food insecurity and depression link among single parents in Ghana.
Data on 627 single parents were obtained through a multi-stage stratified sampling technique. Food insecurity was assessed using the Food and Agriculture Organization Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). Multivariable OLS models and bootstrapping serial mediation analyses were performed to evaluate the hypothesized associations.
The mean age (SD) was 45.0 (14.7) years; 67.3% females. After full adjustment, food insecurity was significantly associated with increases in anxiety symptoms (β = 0.61, 95%CI = 0.476 - 0.737), sleep problems (β = 0.04, 95%CI = 0.02 - 0.07), and depression (β = 0.24, 95%CI = 0.12 - 0.36). Food insecurity indirectly related to depression via anxiety (β = 0.35, 95%CI = 0.26-0.44) representing 55.8%, sleep (β = 0.03, 95%CI = 0.0032-0.0575) suggesting 4.0%, and anxiety→sleep (β = 0.013, 95%CI = 0.0024-0.0265) yielding 2.0% of the total effect.
Food insecurity was positively associated with depression. This association was partially and serially explained by generalized anxiety and sleep problems. Efforts to address depression among single parents should consider interventions for food insecurity and psychosocial problems, particularly in LMICs.
在中低收入国家（LMICs），有关单亲父母中粮食不安全与抑郁之间关联的数据有限，尚无研究报告该关联中社会心理因素的序列中介效应。本研究旨在检验焦虑和睡眠在多大程度上可以解释加纳单亲父母中粮食不安全与抑郁之间的关联。
通过多阶段分层抽样技术获得了 627 名单亲父母的数据。使用粮农组织粮食不安全体验量表（FIES）评估粮食不安全状况，使用流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CES-D-10）评估抑郁状况。采用多变量 OLS 模型和自举序列中介分析来评估假设的关联。
平均年龄（标准差）为 45.0（14.7）岁；女性占 67.3%。在充分调整后，粮食不安全与焦虑症状增加（β=0.61，95%CI=0.476-0.737）、睡眠问题（β=0.04，95%CI=0.02-0.07）和抑郁（β=0.24，95%CI=0.12-0.36）显著相关。粮食不安全通过焦虑（β=0.35，95%CI=0.26-0.44）间接与抑郁相关，占 55.8%；通过睡眠（β=0.03，95%CI=0.0032-0.0575）间接相关，占 4.0%；通过焦虑→睡眠（β=0.013，95%CI=0.0024-0.0265）间接相关，占 2.0%。
粮食不安全与抑郁呈正相关。这种关联部分且连续地通过广泛性焦虑和睡眠问题来解释。在中低收入国家，针对单亲父母的抑郁问题，应考虑针对粮食不安全和社会心理问题的干预措施。
