Food insecurity and risk of depression among refugees and immigrants in South Africa

The growing number of refugees in South Africa raises the need to evaluate the relationship between food insecurity and mental health in this vulnerable population. Maharaj et al. (2017) recruited 335 adult refugees for their study, evaluating their status via a self-report of food insecurity and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. Participant reports showed that 23.1% of the participants often did not have enough to eat, while 54.3% reported eating less. Moreover, 49.4% of the participants reported substantial levels of anxiety, while 54.6% were depressed. Analysis of the results revealed a substantial relationship between not eating enough, or eating less with anxiety and depression. The authors comment that prevailing food insecurity and its relationship with mental illness demonstrates the critical vulnerability of the refugee population and highlights their lack of basic resources. [NPID: Refugees, South Africa, depression, anxiety, food security]

Year: 2017

Reference: Maharaj, V., Tomita, A., Thela, L., Mhlongo, M., & Burns, J. K. (2017). Food Insecurity and Risk of Depression Among Refugees and Immigrants in South Africa. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 19(3), 631–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0370-x