development study Africa: evidence from the Gilgel Gibe growth and symptoms of anxiety and depression in east Food insecurity, stressful life events and

ABSTRACTObjectives: Common mental disorders are a majorcontributor to the burden of disease in developingcountries. An assessment was carried out of whetherfood insecurity and exposure to stressful life events, twocommon features of life in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), areassociated with symptoms of mental disorders amongadults.Methods: The Gilgel Gibe Growth and DevelopmentStudy (GGGDS) is an ongoing cohort study in ruralEthiopia. Participants of the GGGDS were randomlyselected from households from a complete census ofpersons living in the area. The Hopkins Symptom Checklistand the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used toassess anxiety and depression and post-traumatic stresssymptoms.Results: Among 902 adult participants, food insecurity,stressful life events and symptoms of common mentaldisorders were highly prevalent. In separate multivariatemodels adjusting for potential confounders, foodinsecurity and stressful life events were independentlyassociated with high symptoms of depression, anxietyand post-traumatic stress.Conclusions: Potentially modifiable stressors mayinfluence variation in common mental disorders inEthiopia, and SSA more generally. These findings suggestthat the negative effects of food insecurity extend beyondnutritional outcomes and that interventions that promotefood security may also positively influence adult mentalhealth in the region.There is increasing recognition that commonmental disorders are a major contributor to theglobal burden of disease and that the impact of thisburden is substantial in developed and developingcountries.