Journal article
Hunger, hardship, and distress in late Life: A moderated mediation analysis of wealth, food insecurity, and psychological distress among older Kenyans
Social sciences & humanities open, v 13, 103079
Jun 2026
Abstract
The mental health of older Kenyans is a pressing public health concern, amid the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Asiimwe et al., 2025). However, limited research has explored the mechanisms underlying mental health outcomes in later life. The present study is a follow-up to our previous study (Muruthi et al., 2025) of the same sample of community-dwelling older Kenyans from rural and urban settings. That study identified a high prevalence of psychological distress (61%, N = 376) and found wealth status and food insecurity to be significant factors and key indicators of psychological distress. Other significant predictors included chronic health, self-rated physical health, sex, and education. These findings, alongside the rising cases of mental health challenges, underscore the need for further exploration of the pathways linking wealth, food insecurity, and psychological distress among older adults.
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Details
- Title
- Hunger, hardship, and distress in late Life: A moderated mediation analysis of wealth, food insecurity, and psychological distress among older Kenyans
- Creators
- James Muruthi (Corresponding Author) - Drexel UniversityGabrielle Maloney - Drexel UniversityBeatrice Oppong - The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyJoy Ogingo - Independent Researcher, Ochot Odong’, KenyaDiana Orawo - Presbyterian University of East AfricaRisper Kirui - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Publication Details
- Social sciences & humanities open, v 13, 103079
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Counseling and Family Therapy
- Other Identifier
- 991022191171904721