Profile of: Allyson Lamont

Award Received: SSHRC Post-Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral

Awarded for the project: Mental Health and Help-Seeking at the Intersection of Food Insecurity and Other Social Determinants of Health

Department: Psychology

Supervisor: Dr. David Speed

Nearly one in four Canadians are food insecure, meaning they experience inadequate or uncertain access to needed foods because of financial limitations. Food insecurity is a socioeconomic factor that significantly influences health, which includes mental health. Compared to the other social determinants of health, food insecurity has received much less attention in mental health research, especially in Canadian research. We lack a complete understanding as to the mental health effects associated with food insecurity. Few researchers have studied how people who are food insecure use formal mental health services, and whether this differs from people who are food secure. Moreover, research on the social determinants of health tends to focus on each determinant individually, so it is also unclear how other social determinants of health might influence the mental health effects that are associated with food insecurity. In my doctoral work, I will address these various gaps in the current research, using data collected from adults and adolescents from three national surveys conducted by Statistics Canada. This project will provide data on food insecurity, mental health, and use of mental health services, which can be used to inform policies and programs that address prevalent mental health needs among Canadians experiencing food insecurity. This project will also provide mental health data at the intersection of select social determinants of health, which can be used to develop supports and interventions in response to the mental health needs of these underserved groups. Researchers can use this dissertation as a point of reference for informing future studies that continue to explore other social determinants of health in the context of food insecurity and mental health.