IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v70y2024i8p1542-1551.html

The mitigating role of social capital on the association between food insecurity and psychological distress among Chinese adults

Author

Listed:
  • Xiang Qi
  • Yaolin Pei
  • Gen Li
  • Yuming Liu
  • Weiming Tang
  • Brian J Hall
  • Bei Wu

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity, a pervasive global issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. However, the role of social capital in mitigating this relationship remains understudied, particularly in the Chinese context. Aims: This study investigated the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and examined the potential moderating effects of bonding and bridging social capital among Chinese adults in Shanghai. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,220 Chinese adults (mean age: 34.45; 51.5% male) in Shanghai. Food insecurity was assessed using the modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, psychological distress was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and social capital was evaluated using the Revised Personal Social Capital Scale. Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses revealed that food insecurity was significantly positively associated with both depressive (β = 0.449, SE  = 0.024) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.391, SE  = 0.022), after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and COVID-19-related factors. Higher levels of bonding and bridging social capital were significantly associated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Significant interactions ( p  

Suggested Citation

  • Xiang Qi & Yaolin Pei & Gen Li & Yuming Liu & Weiming Tang & Brian J Hall & Bei Wu, 2024. "The mitigating role of social capital on the association between food insecurity and psychological distress among Chinese adults," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 70(8), pages 1542-1551, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:70:y:2024:i:8:p:1542-1551
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640241277152
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640241277152
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00207640241277152?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Murayama, Hiroshi & Nishi, Mariko & Matsuo, Eri & Nofuji, Yu & Shimizu, Yumiko & Taniguchi, Yu & Fujiwara, Yoshinori & Shinkai, Shoji, 2013. "Do bonding and bridging social capital affect self-rated health, depressive mood and cognitive decline in older Japanese? A prospective cohort study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 247-252.
    2. Haroon Sseguya & Robert E. Mazur & Cornelia B. Flora, 2018. "Social capital dimensions in household food security interventions: implications for rural Uganda," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(1), pages 117-129, March.
    3. Elgar, Frank J. & Stefaniak, Anna & Wohl, Michael J.A., 2020. "The trouble with trust: Time-series analysis of social capital, income inequality, and COVID-19 deaths in 84 countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    4. repec:osf:socarx:64jwy_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Dou, Zhengxia & Stefanovski, Darko & Galligan, David & Lindem, Margaret & Rozin, Paul & Chen, Ting & Chao, Ariana M., 2020. "The COVID-19 Pandemic Impacting Household Food Dynamics: A Cross-National Comparison of China and the U.S," SocArXiv 64jwy, Center for Open Science.
    6. Scheffler, Richard M. & Brown, Timothy T., 2008. "Social capital, economics, and health: new evidence," Health Economics, Policy and Law, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(4), pages 321-331, October.
    7. Merryn Maynard & Lesley Andrade & Sara Packull-McCormick & Christopher M. Perlman & Cesar Leos-Toro & Sharon I. Kirkpatrick, 2018. "Food Insecurity and Mental Health among Females in High-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-36, July.
    8. Geneviève Jessiman-Perreault & Lynn McIntyre, 2019. "Household Food Insecurity Narrows the Sex Gap in Five Adverse Mental Health Outcomes among Canadian Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, January.
    9. Murayama, Hiroshi & Nofuji, Yu & Matsuo, Eri & Nishi, Mariko & Taniguchi, Yu & Fujiwara, Yoshinori & Shinkai, Shoji, 2015. "Are neighborhood bonding and bridging social capital protective against depressive mood in old age? A multilevel analysis in Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 171-179.
    10. Veeshan Rayamajhee & Alok K. Bohara, 2019. "Do voluntary associations reduce hunger? An empirical exploration of the social capital- food security nexus among food impoverished households in western Nepal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(2), pages 405-415, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. De Luca, Giacomo Davide & Lin, Xi, 2024. "The role of health and health systems in promoting social capital, political participation and peace: A narrative review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    2. Liu, Gordon G. & Xue, Xindong & Yu, Chenxi & Wang, Yafeng, 2016. "How does social capital matter to the health status of older adults? Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 177-189.
    3. Christina Mary Pollard & Sue Booth, 2019. "Addressing Food and Nutrition Security in Developed Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-5, July.
    4. Saeed Nosratabadi & Nesrine Khazami & Marwa Ben Abdallah & Zoltan Lackner & Shahab S. Band & Amir Mosavi & Csaba Mako, 2020. "Social Capital Contributions to Food Security: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Papers 2012.03606, arXiv.org.
    5. Christina M Pollard & Sue Booth, 2019. "Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-13, May.
    6. Gebka, Bartosz & Kanungo, Rama Prasad & Wildman, John, 2024. "The transition from COVID-19 infections to deaths: Do governance quality and corruption affect it?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 235-253.
    7. Muriuki, James & Hudson, Darren & Fuad, Syed & March, Raymond J. & Lacombe, Donald J., 2023. "Spillover effect of violent conflicts on food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    8. Eiji Yamamura, 2011. "Differences in the effect of social capital on health status between workers and non-workers," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 58(4), pages 385-400, December.
    9. Harris Hyun-soo Kim, 2018. "Investigating the Associations between Ethnic Networks, Community Social Capital, and Physical Health among Marriage Migrants in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, January.
    10. Khadija Anjum & Leonora Angeles, 2025. "Farm workers’ food security during food price hikes: a political economy of landless rice-wheat farm labourers in Pakistan’s Punjab," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(3), pages 1361-1378, September.
    11. Nauenberg, Eric & Laporte, Audrey & Shen, Leilei, 2011. "Social capital, community size and utilization of health services: A lagged analysis," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 38-46.
    12. Joan Costa-i-Font & Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto, 2023. "Health System Trust and Compliance with Covid-19 Restrictions," CESifo Working Paper Series 10291, CESifo.
    13. Huang, Kuan-Ju & Uchida, Yukiko & Takemura, Kosuke & Fukushima, Shintaro & Aida, Jun & Hanazato, Masamichi & Kanamori, Mariko, 2025. "Paradoxical effects of community social cohesion on mental health and help-seeking among older adults: The role of reputation concern and socioeconomic status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 380(C).
    14. Wegenast, Tim & Richetta, Cécile & Krauser, Mario & Leibik, Alexander, 2022. "Grabbed trust? The impact of large-scale land acquisitions on social trust in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    15. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Structural social capital and health in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 129-142.
    16. Sou Hyun Jang, 2022. "Social-ecological factors related to preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-14, March.
    17. Ye Luo & Darja Beinenson & Catherine Mobley & Leslie Hossfeld, 2025. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food-related behaviors of low-income rural residents in South Carolina of the United States of America," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 17(6), pages 1419-1427, December.
    18. Ourega-Zoé Ejebu & Stephen Whybrow & Lynda Mckenzie & Elizabeth Dowler & Ada L Garcia & Anne Ludbrook & Karen Louise Barton & Wendy Louise Wrieden & Flora Douglas, 2018. "What can Secondary Data Tell Us about Household Food Insecurity in a High-Income Country Context?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-17, December.
    19. Manyanga, Mark & Murendo, Conrad & Pedzisa, Tarisayi & Mutyasira, Vine & Ndou, Richard, . "Resilience capacities and implications for food security in Zimbabwe," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 17(4).
    20. Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Kafui & Kawachi, Ichiro & Subramanian, S.V. & Avendano, Mauricio, 2018. "High social trust associated with increased depressive symptoms in a longitudinal South African sample," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 127-135.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:70:y:2024:i:8:p:1542-1551. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.