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Food Insufficiency, Food Stamp Participation, and Mental Health

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  • Colleen M. Heflin
  • James P. Ziliak

Abstract

Objectives. This study examines whether the mental health consequences associated with food insufficiency vary by food stamp participation status and/or the value of the food stamp benefit received. Methods. We use longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics along with fixed‐effect methods that control for unobserved heterogeneity to test our hypotheses. Results. We find that, conditional on the food stamp benefit amount, the emotional distress associated with food insufficiency is higher among food stamp participants. Moreover, we find evidence of a dosage effect such that food‐insufficient individuals who receive higher amounts of food stamp benefits suffer greater emotional distress than food‐insufficient individuals who receive lower levels of food stamp benefits. However, the negative mental health effects of food insufficiency and food stamp participation are driven primarily by periods of transition onto the Food Stamp Program and into food insufficiency. Conclusions. The negative mental health aspects of participating in the Food Stamp Program seem to outweigh the positive mental health aspects, at least during the period of application and initial receipt, suggesting that programmatic reform is needed to improve overall well‐being among new participants.

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  • Colleen M. Heflin & James P. Ziliak, 2008. "Food Insufficiency, Food Stamp Participation, and Mental Health," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(3), pages 706-727, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:89:y:2008:i:3:p:706-727
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00556.x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Chad D. Meyerhoefer & Muzhe Yang, 2011. "The Relationship between Food Assistance and Health: A Review of the Literature and Empirical Strategies for Identifying Program Effects," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 33(3), pages 304-344.
    3. Noonan, Kelly & Corman, Hope & Reichman, Nancy E., 2016. "Effects of maternal depression on family food insecurity," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 201-215.
    4. Lucie Schmidt & Lara Shore‐Sheppard & Tara Watson, 2023. "The Effect of Safety Net Generosity on Maternal Mental Health and Risky Health Behaviors," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 706-736, June.
    5. Heflin, Colleen M. & Acevedo, Sharon Kukla, 2011. "Non-income effects of welfare receipt on early childhood cognitive scores," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 634-643, May.
    6. Jensen, Helen H. & Kreider, Brent E. & Pepper, John V. & Zhylyevskyy, Oleksandr & Greder, Kimberly A., 2023. "Causal effects of mental health on food security," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    7. Plutzer, Eric, 2010. "Do highly exclusive social welfare programs increase political inequality? A comparative analysis of the 50 US states," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Inequality and Social Integration SP I 2010-201, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    8. Kelly Noonan & Hope Corman & Nancy E. Reichman, 2014. "Effects of Maternal Depression on Family Food Insecurity," NBER Working Papers 20113, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Irma Arteaga & Colleen Heflin & Leslie Hodges, 2018. "SNAP Benefits and Pregnancy-Related Emergency Room Visits," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(6), pages 1031-1052, December.
    10. Audrey J. Murrell & Ray Jones & Sam Rose & Alex Firestine & Joe Bute, 2022. "Food Security as Ethics and Social Responsibility: An Application of the Food Abundance Index in an Urban Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-13, August.
    11. Cassandra J Nikolaus & Brenna Ellison & Sharon M Nickols-Richardson, 2019. "Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, April.
    12. James P. Ziliak & Craig Gundersen, 2016. "Multigenerational Families and Food Insecurity," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(4), pages 1147-1166, April.
    13. Wang, Julia Shu-Huah & Zhao, Xi & Nam, Jaehyun, 2021. "The effects of welfare participation on parenting stress and parental engagement using an instrumental variables approach: Evidence from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    14. Audrey Murrell & Ray Jones, 2020. "Measuring Food Insecurity Using the Food Abundance Index: Implications for Economic, Health and Social Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, April.
    15. Bergmans, Rachel S. & Berger, Lawrence M. & Palta, Mari & Robert, Stephanie A. & Ehrenthal, Deborah B. & Malecki, Kristen, 2018. "Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and maternal depressive symptoms: Moderation by program perception," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 1-8.

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