“It Make Me Feel Like I’m Beneath Them”: Experiences of Stigma Among Individuals Living with Food Insecurity

Search for this publication on Google Scholar
Uri, R. (2021). “It Make Me Feel Like I’m Beneath Them”: Experiences of Stigma Among Individuals Living with Food Insecurity. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
Download PDF

Analytics

16 views ◎
3 downloads ⇓


Abstract

Food insecurity represents one of the most prevalent and severe problems facing modern United States (U.S.) society, with the proportion of households affected surging to approximately 23% during the COVID-19 pandemic. While several food safety net services exist to reduce food insecurity, previous research suggests that stigma associated with use of these resources may serve as a barrier to utilization, with powerful implications for health. Individuals living with food insecurity report "hidden costs" of using food banks and pantries, including embarrassment, shame, and lowered self-esteem, as well as negative interactions with service providers. This study employed a qualitative approach to investigating how individuals who experience difficulties meeting their food-related needs perceive and manage stigma. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 17 women who use food banks and food pantries in the Charlotte metropolitan area of North Carolina. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed, guided by constructivist grounded theory. Participants described several factors that influenced their perceptions and experiences of poverty-related stigma within food banks and pantries, leading to a variety of reactions and responses to cope with stigma. These narratives were examined using an intrapersonal lens and integrated with prior psychological perspectives on social stigma, while a conceptual model explaining stigma processes was constructed to illustrate findings. Finally, implications, limitations, and future directions of this research are discussed.

Details
Author

Uri, Rachel

Title

“It Make Me Feel Like I’m Beneath Them”: Experiences of Stigma Among Individuals Living with Food Insecurity

Physical Description

1 online resource (103 pages) : PDF

Date

2021

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Food insecurity represents one of the most prevalent and severe problems facing modern United States (U.S.) society, with the proportion of households affected surging to approximately 23% during the COVID-19 pandemic. While several food safety net services exist to reduce food insecurity, previous research suggests that stigma associated with use of these resources may serve as a barrier to utilization, with powerful implications for health. Individuals living with food insecurity report "hidden costs" of using food banks and pantries, including embarrassment, shame, and lowered self-esteem, as well as negative interactions with service providers. This study employed a qualitative approach to investigating how individuals who experience difficulties meeting their food-related needs perceive and manage stigma. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 17 women who use food banks and food pantries in the Charlotte metropolitan area of North Carolina. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed, guided by constructivist grounded theory. Participants described several factors that influenced their perceptions and experiences of poverty-related stigma within food banks and pantries, leading to a variety of reactions and responses to cope with stigma. These narratives were examined using an intrapersonal lens and integrated with prior psychological perspectives on social stigma, while a conceptual model explaining stigma processes was constructed to illustrate findings. Finally, implications, limitations, and future directions of this research are discussed.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Psychology
Sociology
Environmental health

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Food Banks
Food Insecurity
Food Pantries
Health
Poverty
Social Stigma

Subject Area

Health Psychology

Advisor(s)

Gil-Rivas, Virginia
Webb, Jennifer

Committee Members

Racine , Elizabeth

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2021.

Rights Statement

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For additional information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/.

Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Uri_uncc_0694N_12976

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2897