FOOD INSECURITY, HOUSING CONDITIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AGED 9–19 YEARS

Abstract

South African school-going youth remain insufficiently studied. This cross-sectional study investigated food insecurity, housing insecurity, and psychological distress among 1,500 learners aged 9–19 years from public schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Western Cape, using multistage stratified random sampling. Variables included access to food and housing conditions obtained from the Child and Youth Mental Health Profiler System Questionnaire and DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Food insecurity was high in 46.9%, medium in 24.6%, and low in 28.5%. Less stable or vulnerable household conditions were reported by 64.0%, and unstable conditions by 36.0%. Psychological distress was high in 45.6%, medium in 28.1%, and low in 26.3%. Food insecurity had a weak relationship with psychological distress (r = .136, p < .001). Housing conditions and psychological distress showed a very weak relationship (r = .084, p = .001). Food insecurity was related to housing conditions (r = .245, p < .001). However, in the hierarchical regression analysis, food insecurity (β = .058, p = .106) and housing conditions (β = −.016, p = .536) were no longer statistically significant predictors of psychological distress after controlling for age, sex, province, adverse childhood experiences, and resilience. Adverse childhood experiences (β = −.616, p < .001) and resilience (β = −.158, p < .001) remained significant predictors, the final model explained 8.2% of the variance in psychological distress (R² = .082). The study highlights the importance of socio-economic and psychosocial environments in addressing young people's mental health through school-based mental, nutritional, familial, and social support.