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The interplay of food insecurity, resilience, stress mindset, and mental distress: Insights from a cross‐sectional study
In the United States, food insecurity (FI) poses a significant public health concern and may negatively impact brain function. Although neuroimaging studies suggest that diet quality can affect brain activity, little is known about how it influences resilience, stress perception, and psychological distress, especially when considering age and gender differences. This cross-sectional study by Begdache et al. (2025) explored these associations using data from 1,099 individuals, the majority of whom were under 30 years old, with 26.19% female and 70.39% male participants. The findings revealed that FI was significantly associated with lower resilience and higher mental distress but had no notable effect on stress mindset. Factors such as age, gender, education, and physical activity significantly influenced psychological outcomes, with physical activity showing the strongest link to improved resilience. Women demonstrated a more pronounced relationship between FI and psychological variables than men. The study concludes that promoting physical activity and gender-sensitive mental health support could strengthen resilience and reduce mental distress, particularly in women. Community-level strategies that address both gender and age disparities may be effective in enhancing mental well-being. [NPID: Food insecurity, resilience, mental distress, gender differences, physical activity, stress mindset, community interventions]
Year: 2025
