Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

Public Health

First Committee Member

Gabriela Buccini

Second Committee Member

Timothy Grigsby

Third Committee Member

Nicole DeVille

Fourth Committee Member

Clariana Ramos de Oliveira

Number of Pages

64

Abstract

Maternal anxiety and depression during the perinatal period are critical public health concerns, disproportionately affecting socioeconomically vulnerable populations. While food insecurity has been identified as a potential risk factor for poor maternal mental health outcomes, few studies explore this association using a multi-level framework that considers the severity of food insecurity and intersecting social determinants. This study examined the association between screening positive for maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms and levels of food insecurity among pregnant women and mothers of young children under three years old in Clark County, Nevada. Data was drawn from the 2024 Maternal-Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) survey. Maternal mental health outcomes were assessed using validated depression (PHQ-2) and anxiety (GAD-2) screeners. Levels of food insecurity (i.e., food secure, low food secure, and very low food secure) were measured using the validated 8-item Abbreviated Child and Adult Food Security Scale (ACAFSS). Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association between screening positive for maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms and levels of food insecurity, controlling for covariates guided by the socio-ecological model. Among 414 participants, 13.1% screened positive for depressive symptoms and 18.6% for anxiety symptoms. Over half of participants reported food insecurity, with 21.3% classified as low and 34.3% as very low food secure. Very low food security was associated with the greatest odds of screening positive for depressive symptoms (AOR = 3.16, 95% CI [1.17-8.54], p < 0.05) and anxiety symptoms (AOR =1.96, 95% CI [0.98-3.89], p < 0.05). Perceived stress emerged as the strongest correlate of maternal mental health outcomes, remaining highly significant across all models. These findings underscore that increasing severity of food insecurity is linked to elevated positive screen of maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, and that psychosocial stress is a key pathway amplifying this association.

Keywords

anxiety; depression; food insecurity; maternal health; mental health; Nevada

Disciplines

Gender and Sexuality | Mental and Social Health | Public Health | Women's Studies

File Format

PDF

File Size

786 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Available for download on Tuesday, December 15, 2026


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