Testing the theoretical similarities between food and water insecurity: Buffering hypothesis and effects on mental wellbeing

Theoretical analyses by anthropologists suggest that food and water insecurity exhibit multiple conceptual parallels, hold similar consequences for wellbeing, and lead to analogous coping strategies aimed at mitigating those consequences. However, these deductions largely originate from studies conducted separately on either food or water insecurity. Thus, these similarities may not bear out when examined in populations facing high rates of both. In particular, some researchers argue that food and water insecurity exert independent but nonetheless iterative effects on mental wellbeing. Others hypothesize that food insecurity mediates the relationship between water insecurity and mental health, especially in agricultural communities. However, relevant studies are limited, and none test this hypothesis in urban areas. Moreover, no data exist on water insecurity and mental wellbeing in adolescents, which hampers comparative analyses of youth resource insecurity. In addition, resource buffering—a long-discussed coping strategy—remains contested with respect to food insecurity and effectively untested with respect to water insecurity. The buffering hypothesis suggests that adults cushion younger household members against resource inadequacies via tradeoffs that yield gender- and age-based disparities in intrahousehold resource distributions. For example, adults may forgo food quality, quantity, or variety in favor of children. It stands to reason that adults similarly buffer children against water scarcity, but, again, this has not been examined. Conducted December 2016-April 2017, this cross-sectional survey included 650 mothers, fathers, boys, and girls living in the slums of Jaipur, India. When controlling for food insecurity, the relationship between water insecurity and psychosocial stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10) was eliminated; water insecurity's effect on anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10) remained significant for fathers only. These findings are consistent with the mediation hypothesis. Moreover, pursuant to the buffering hypothesis, parents generally reported more severe resource scarcity than their children; however, girls reported slightly worse water insecurity than fathers.