Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Marilyn Stern, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Linda M. Callejas, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Heewon L. Gray, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Svetlana Yampolskaya, Ph.D.

Keywords

Disclosure, Food Insecurity, Socioecological Model, Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Food insecurity is a growing public health concern among college students in the United States, with prevalence estimates exceeding those of the general population. Despite the availability of campus, community, and federal food assistance resources, utilization remains low, suggesting that barriers extend beyond structural access. This dissertation examines the psychosocial, behavioral, and institutional factors that shape food insecurity disclosure and help-seeking behaviors among undergraduate students, guided by the Social Ecological Model (SEM).

This work includes three complementary studies. Study One presents a scoping review synthesizing 16 U.S.-based studies to identify psychosocial determinants of food assistance utilization among food-insecure adults. Findings highlight stigma, limited awareness, and institutional barriers as key impediments to help-seeking, with differences observed between college and community-based populations. Study Two evaluates the validity of a single-item food insecurity screener among undergraduate students (n = 667). Results demonstrate high sensitivity (97.6%) and strong positive predictive value (97.74%), supporting its utility as a brief and effective screening tool in campus settings. Study Three examines psychosocial predictors of food insecurity disclosure among food-insecure students (n=177), focusing on stigma, social support, and mental health factors. The findings indicated that higher perceived social support predicted greater disclosure tendency, while higher food insecurity self-stigma, particularly non-disclosure stigma, predicted lower disclosure tendency.

Across studies, stigma emerged as a central barrier influencing both disclosure and resource utilization, while social support and institutional context shaped help-seeking behaviors in complex ways. Findings underscore that food insecurity is not solely a material condition, but a multidimensional experience influenced by psychological, interpersonal, and structural factors.

This dissertation advances understanding of the mechanisms underlying food insecurity disclosure and help-seeking among college students and provides recommendations for intervention development. Results support the implementation of brief screening tools, stigma-reduction strategies, and integrated, equity-oriented campus systems to improve identification and engagement with food assistance resources.

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