Table 2: Literature review matrix for the association between food insecurity and depression, 2016
No Title
1 Food insecurity, stressful life
events and symptoms
Of anxiety and depression in
east Africa: evidence
From the Gilgel Gibe growth
and development study
2 The association of family
food security and
Depression in mothers
having primary school
Children in Ray-Iran
3 Food Insecurity and Risk of
Depression Among Refugees
and Immigrants in South
Africa
4 The Relationship Between
Food Insecurity and
Depression, Diabetes
Distress and Medication
Adherence Among Low-
Income Patients with Poorly-
Controlled Diabetes
Author Study design Finding Limitation
and SS
C Hadley C-S Food -Tool not validated
N=902 Insecurity and stressful life -Directionality?
events were independently
Associated with high symptoms
of depression, anxiety
And post-traumatic stress
Moloud Payab C-S 34.6% of mothers in the "food HHFS questionnaire was not
N=430 secure" group were depressed validated in the study
and 77.8% in "food insecure population
with hunger" group were
depressed and this difference
was statistically significant
Varsha Maharaj C-S Food insecurity is a significant Not representative of all
N=335 risk factor for depression and refugees in Durban
anxiety
Julie Silverm C-S Prevalence of food in security Small sample size
N=287 was 47.4%. Food insecurity is
associated with increased rates
of depression, diabetes distress
and low medication adherence,
and worse glycemic control
5 Household food insecurity
and mental distress among
pregnant women in
Southwestern Ethiopia: a
cross sectional study design
7 Mental Health Context of
Food Insecurity: a
Representative Cohort of
Families With Young
Children
Mulusew G. Prevalence of mental distress Cannot be generalized to the
Jebena C-S was higher among pregnant broader pregnant mothers
women living in a food insecure (done- only mothers with
N= 642 environment (48.3 %) when ANC follow up)
compared to those living in food
secured households (19.9 %). a
significant link between food
insecurity and mental distress
(AOR = 4.15, 95 % CI: 1.67,
10.32).
Among low-SES families, - Direction???
Maria Melchior Cohort controlling for income variation,
N=1116 food insecurity co- occurred
with maternal depression (odds
ratio [OR]: 2.82 [95% CI: 1.62–
4.93]), psychosis spectrum
disorder (OR: 4.01 [95% C-I:
2.03–7.94]), and domestic
violence (OR: 2.36 [95% CI:
1.18– 4.73]).
8 Food Insecurity and the
Risks of Depression and
Anxiety in Mothers and
Behavior Problems in their
Preschool-Aged Children
(US)
9 Food insufficiency and
physical and mental health in
a longitudinal survey of
welfare recipients
10 Household Food Insecurity Is
Positively Associated with
Depression among Low-
Income Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance
Program Participants and
Income-Eligible
Nonparticipants
11 Household food insecurity is
Robert C. Percentage of mothers with
Whitaker C-S either major depressive episode
N=2870 or generalized anxiety disorder
increased with increasing food
insecurity: 16.9%, 21.0%, and
30.3% across the 3 levels (FS,
marginally FS, FI)
Kristine Seifert Repeated C-S Food insufficiency is
N=676 significantly associated with
depression
Cindy W Leung CS The overall prevalence of
depression was 9.3%, ranging
N=3518 from 6.7% among SNAP
nonparticipants to 12.8% among
SNAP participants. Among low-
income, eligible nonparticipants,
very low food security was
significantly associated with
higher odds of depression (OR:
5.10; 95% CI: 3.09, 8.41). Among
SNAP participants, very low food
security was also associated
with higher odds of depression
but at a lower magnitude (OR:
2.21; 95% CI: 1.54, 3.17).
Amber Hromi- C-S Women who were food insecure
Possible misclassification of
house- hold income, because
income reports was taken
from mothers 1 year after
delivery rather than 3 years
after delivery
Adults who participate in
SNAP may be different than
adults who do not receive
program benefits. Measures
of food insecurity, SNAP
participation, and
depression are derived from
self- reported measures, and
there was possibility for
differential reporting of
food insecurity or SNAP
participation by a
participants depression
level
Small Sample size
 associated with depressive
symptoms among low-
income pregnant Latinas
12 Food insecurity and mental
health: Surprising trends
among community health
volunteers in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia during the 2008
food crisis
13 Grandmothers, fathers and Barbara A.
depressive symptoms are Laraia
associated with food
insecurity among low income
first-time African- American
mothers in North Carolina
14 Social Support Modifies the
Association Between
Household Food Insecurity
and Depression Among
Latinos with Uncontrolled
Type 2 Diabetes
Fiedler N=135 were more likely to experience
depression compared to food
secure women (OR=2.59; 95%
CI=1.03–6.52).
Kenneth C. Repeated CS Participants reporting mild, Small sample size
Maes N=110 Aids moderate, and severe FI were
volunteers increasingly likely to report CMD
symptom scores ≥8
C-S Depressive symptoms (RRR = Small sample and recruited
N=206 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.16) is only through WIC and
associated with FI therefore the finding may
not be generalizable to most
African American
Grace C-S At each level of food insecurity Sample size, other
Kollannoor- N=211 the risk of depression was lower confounding factor
Samuel, the higher the level of social
support (P < 0.05) , lower
household income, higher
perceived diabetes interference
score, and higher diabetes
related clinical symptoms are
independently associated with

15 Household food insufficiency
and mental health in South
Africa
16 Food Insecurity, Depression
and the Modifying Role of
Social Support among People
Living with HIV/AIDS in
Rural Uganda
17 Food insecurity and its
association with co-
occurring postnatal
depression, hazardous
drinking, and suicidality
among women in peri-urban
South Africa
18 Food insecurity and maternal Catherine
depression in rural, low-
income families: longitudinal Casas
depression
Katherine CS Food insufficiency was
Sorsdahl N-4185 associated with having any 12-
month (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.1 to
1.9) and lifetime (OR 1.35, 95%
CI 1.1 to 1.7) DSM-IV disorder.
38% of South Africans report
that their households are food-
insufficient
Alexander C. Cohort Food insecurity was associated
Tsai N=456 with depression symptom
severity among women but not
men, and that social support
buffered the impacts of food
insecurity on depression.
Sarah Dewing CS Each additional point on the Selection bias
N=259 food insecurity scale was
associated with increased risks
of postpartum probable
depression (adjusted risk ratio
[ARR], 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02–1.07),
Prospective C- Causal relationship between Only rural population
Huddleston- S household food insecurity and
N=413 depression is bidirectional (P
investigation =0.034 for causation from
depression to food insecurity,
P=0.003 for causation from food
insecurity to depression,