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Food insecurity as a mediator and moderator in the association between residential mobility and suicidal ideation among Indigenous adults in Canada

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Abstract

Purpose

Despite a growing body of literature on the link between residential mobility and suicidal ideation, research into potential mediating or moderating factors, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, is sparse. This study explores the mediating and moderating roles of food insecurity in the relationship between residential mobility and suicidal ideation in Indigenous Canadian adults.

Methods

Data from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, which represent a national sample of off-reserve First Nations peoples, Métis, and Inuit in Canada (N = 16,214), were analyzed using logistic regression models.

Results

Food insecurity partially mediated the association between residential mobility in the past 5 years and increased suicidal ideation risk among Indigenous adults. Moreover, food insecurity intensified the adverse link between residential mobility during this same timeframe and suicidal ideation. Yet, while food insecurity did mediate the adverse relationship between residential mobility in the past year and suicidal ideation, it did not function as a moderator.

Conclusion

The results emphasize that food insecurity, as a systemic challenge, acts as both a partial mediator and, in some circumstances, an amplifier of the detrimental impacts of residential mobility on suicidal ideation.

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Data availability

The 2017 APS public microdata file is accessible through the University of Toronto's online library.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful for the handling editor's encouragement and extends gratitude to Dr. Nicolas Spence, Dr. Michelle Maroto, Dr. Monica Boyd, and Dr. Lisa Kaida for their valuable insights throughout the revision process.

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  1. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Lei Chai

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  1. Lei Chai
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LC conceptualized the study, conducted the analysis, and drafted the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Lei Chai.

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Chai, L. Food insecurity as a mediator and moderator in the association between residential mobility and suicidal ideation among Indigenous adults in Canada. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 59, 1073–1085 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02562-5

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