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Examining the Association Between Food Insecurity and Pediatric Irritability

Julianne G Wilner1, Eileen Lee2, Emma Cho2

  • 1McLean Hospital, Mass General Brigham Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Mail Stop #321, Belmont, MA, 02478, US. jwilner2@mclean.harvard.edu.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|February 18, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Child-reported food insecurity is linked to increased irritability in youth, independent of socioeconomic status. This highlights the importance of assessing children's subjective experiences of food insecurity for better mental health care.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Mental Health Research
  • Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

  • Irritability is a common symptom across various youth psychiatric disorders.
  • Food insecurity is a potential contributing factor to mental health issues in children.
  • Understanding the link between basic needs and emotional well-being is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between food insecurity and irritability in children aged 8-16.
  • To determine if child-reported or parent-reported food insecurity is more strongly linked to irritability.
  • To examine if this association is independent of socioeconomic status (SES).

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 183 children (aged 8-16) and their parents were recruited from clinical and community settings.
  • Participants completed structured interviews and validated measures for irritability, food security, and SES.
  • Regression analyses were used to assess predictors of irritability.

Main Results:

  • Child-reported food insecurity was significantly associated with higher levels of irritability.
  • Parent-reported food insecurity did not show a significant association with irritability.
  • Child-reported food insecurity predicted irritability independently of SES indicators.

Conclusions:

  • The child's perspective on food insecurity is a critical factor in understanding their irritability.
  • Subjective experiences of food insecurity may have a profound impact on children's emotional state.
  • Pediatric mental health assessments should include multi-informant evaluations of food insecurity and basic needs.

Keywords:
Child mental healthFood insecurityIrritabilitySocial determinants of healthTransdiagnostic

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