“I'm Not Doing My Job As Their Mother” a Qualitative Analysis of Young Food Insecure Mothers at-Risk for Child Maltreatment

Purpose: For parents who experience food insecurity, the ability to meet the needs of their child(ren) is difficult. Overtime, such emotional turmoil may significantly impact a mother's psychosocial functioning, and consequently, her interactions with her children. While governmental initiatives such as SNAP and WIC can help food insecure parents with purchasing food, there are very limited mental health services available to assist with concerns such as depression. Research shows that mothers who are food insecure are more likely to have experienced a major depressive episode or symptoms of anxiety. Likewise, a study of SNAP participants founds that the prevalence of depression was nearly double amongst participants when compared to non-participants. When considering how food-insecure parents respond to this great amount of distress, one must consider their coping strategies. However, very few studies exist that examine the emotional experience of being food insecure while being a parent.

Methods: Twenty-five young food insecure mothers, between 18 and 25 years of age, of young children were interviewed. Participants were recruited from a community-based parenting program for families identified as being at-risk for child maltreatment. In this qualitative phenomenological study, we utilized a semi-structured interview protocol with open-ended questions to elicit details from mothers about the causes, effects, and coping strategies around food insecurity as well as how these factors influenced both their daily mental functioning and their parental behaviors. Interviews averaged 45 minutes, were transcribed verbatim, and coded thematically using NVivo qualitative software.

Results: Data analysis showed that for many mothers, the emotional, physical, and financial burden of food insecurity induced stress, frustration, and fatigue on an almost daily basis. Although mothers expressed feelings of pride when putting the needs of their children before themselves - as when refusing to eat so their children could have a more complete meal - many also conveyed feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy. This particular emotional response involved not only an awareness of responsibilities that accompany parenthood but also signaled a perception of failure to uphold such responsibilities when considering their child’s nutrition. Mothers reported hiding their emotions from their children whenever they became overwhelmed. One mother elaborated, “I don’t want them to think it’s their fault.” Only physical exhaustion from hunger resulted in changes to parenting practices, as some mothers were too tired to play with their children. When food was scarce, mothers relied on extended family members and resources in the community whenever available to help provide meals.

Conclusion: The results present a set of potentially amendable pathways between food insecurity, maternal feelings of inadequacy, and the physical fatigue of hunger. Strength-based prevention campaigns could be developed to lift up the instinct to feed children before themselves as validation of love and care in the face of extreme adversity. Results also imply that enacting policies to considerably increase the quantity and quality of food provisions in the homes of young, at-risk mothers is crucially important. Both approaches enacted simultaneously has the potential to substantially decrease maternal depression and improve parent-child interactions.