Help the Hungry: Food poverty risks long-term psychological trauma, expert warns

‘Poverty is not just about a lack of money or food… It has an impact on hope,’ specialist tells Anna Davis

Homeless people collect donated food provided by charity, Rhythms of life near Trafalgar Square, London (Evening Standard / eyevine)

Living in hunger can cause longstanding psychological trauma, an expert has said in a stark warning illustrating the importance of our Help the Hungry Christmas appeal.

Professor Anna Gupta, a specialist in social work from Royal Holloway, University of London, said people who regularly do not have enough to eat experience pain, anger, discomfort and fear with the potential for long term  effects on their mental health.

It comes after warnings that half a million children in London will go hungry in the run up to Christmas if nothing is done to help them.

More than three million people reported going hungry during the first lockdown – and the number of adults who are food insecure in Britain is estimated to have quadrupled due to the pandemic, according to a report by the Food Foundation and Kings College London.

Professor Gupta said: “Being hungry for a sustained period of time will be quite traumatic.

“There will be memories about pain, anger, discomfort and the fear of insecurity. It could have a long-term impact on you psychologically.”

She said she is concerned about the rise in people experiencing hunger as a result of the pandemic. She added: “It is a serious child welfare issue on so many different levels.

“Obviously on a basic level children need nutrition to be healthy, to study and for their social development.

“It is psychologically traumatic to live in hunger.”

She warned that hunger causes stress for families. She said: “Combined with the stress about worrying about money and how you are going to keep your house warm and feed your children – this will have an impact on people’s mental health.”

The digital divide is making things worse for people without access to technology, she warned. While many people can use their phones to order shopping online, people without bank accounts are cut off.

She said: “If you don’t have a bank account, or if you have very limited money in your bank account, you can’t buy food online.

“The internet costs money. The digital divide is making the whole experience much more difficult for families at digital disadvantage.”

During the first lockdown, 16.2 per cent of adults said they experienced food insecurity. In normal times, 3.8 per cent of adults in Britain are expected to experience food insecurity in the same time period.

The Independent’s Help the Hungry Christmas campaign is pushing to combat food poverty in the capital, and supporting the food redistribution charity The Felix Project.

Professor Gupta said: “Poverty is not just about a lack of money or food, it is a lack of decent housing, a lack of feeling secure about your income and your life. It impacts on education and mental health. It has an impact on hope.”

This November and December we will be delivering food directly to 1,000 people a day through our partner With Compassion. Please donate here to help us do all we can to ensure no one goes hungry this Christmas.