Economic shocks, food insufficiency and mental health: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted both food sufficiency and mental health among Americans.

• Analysis used Household Pulse Survey data collected from April 23, 2020 to March 29, 2021
• The study covered the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak when millions of Americans experienced sudden income loss and hunger
• Findings were confirmed in various sensitivity analyses

Food insufficiency had a larger negative impact on mental health than income loss during the pandemic.

• Food insufficiency demonstrated a stronger negative association with mental health compared to income loss
• The relative magnitude of food insufficiency's effect exceeded that of income loss on mental health outcomes
• These findings held across sensitivity analyses

Unemployment did not have a statistically significant effect on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• No statistically significant effect of unemployment on mental health was found
• This finding was confirmed in various sensitivity analyses
• This distinguishes unemployment from food insufficiency and income loss, which did show significant mental health effects

Heterogeneous effects of food insufficiency on mental health were found across different socioeconomic groups.

• Larger effects of food insufficiency on mental health were found in mortgage-paying households
• Males experienced larger effects of food insufficiency on mental health compared to other groups
• Larger effects of food insufficiency were found in non-metro areas compared to metro areas

Heterogeneous effects of income loss on mental health varied across socioeconomic groups.

• Larger effects of income loss on mental health were found in rent-paying households
• Females experienced larger effects of income loss on mental health
• Larger effects of income loss were found in non-metro areas