Food Insecurity and Housing Instability for Fragile Fathers

Wyndsor II

While reducing food insecurity is a major health initiative, most studies and programs focus only on health-related outcomes and not on other types of hardships. This secondary data analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study examined the relationship between food insecurity and housing instability with social support, parental depression, and material hardship in vulnerable fathers. Using structural equation modeling on Wave 3 data, the final resulting model was X² (4, N= 4898) = 3.72 at p = .444. For fathers, material hardship, depression, social support impact the relationship between food insecurity and housing instability. This research has implications for programs and services that may serve low income, single, or minority fathers and families to provide supports to improve food and house instabilities. Agencies and organizations should examine material hardship, not just health-related outcomes. They should provide services for mental health concerns as well as facilitate greater social support.