The Risk for Food Insecurity and Suicide Ideation among Young Adults in the United States: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Stress and Social Isolation

Abstract

Young adults in the United States have the highest prevalence of suicidal thoughts of any adult age group. While limited, research indicates food insecurity heightens the risk of suicide ideation among young adults. However, research has not explored the pathways underlying the food insecurity—suicide ideation association among this population. Using 2008 data from Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we fill this gap by testing for the mediating roles of perceived stress and social isolation in the association between the risk for food insecurity and suicide ideation among young adults ages 24–32 (N = 14,897). Our findings reveal that perceived stress and social isolation account for almost half of this association. Given the eradication of food insecurity in the United States is unlikely imminent, our results indicate an exigent need for interventions and programs to address psychosocial risk factors associated with food insecurity.