Food insecurity and verbal aggression toward children: Income-differentiated pathways through parental psychological distress.

BACKGROUND

Rising food costs have increased food insecurity across income levels in the United States, potentially contributing to caregiver stress and harsh parenting.

OBJECTIVES

This study examines direct and indirect pathways linking food insecurity, parental stress, and verbal aggression, and whether these vary by poverty status.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

Data were drawn from the 2019-2021 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 2589), incorporating the Main Study and the Child Development Supplement.

METHODS

Primary variables included food insecurity (USDA 18-item module; high, marginal, and low), verbal aggression (weekly count of scolding/threatening), parental psychological stress (Kessler scale), and household income (poverty, near-poverty, and non-poverty). Generalized propensity score weights balanced demographic characteristics across food insecurity levels, and analyses were conducted separately for poverty (n = 437), near-poverty (n = 586), and non-poverty (n = 1566) families. Path analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Among non-poverty families, high food security had a significant indirect effect on verbal aggression through parental psychological distress (β = -0.05, p < 0.01). The indirect effects were not statistically significant among lower-income families.

CONCLUSIONS

Food insecurity was associated with verbal aggression through pathways that vary by income level; while improved food security reduced parental distress across groups, this only translated into reduced verbal aggression for non-poverty families. These findings suggest that interventions must simultaneously address material needs, psychological wellbeing, and parenting support, with particular attention to families in persistent poverty.