Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Ethel D. Perry

Abstract

Global pandemics and natural disasters can cause basic human needs hardships. Being able to access adequate nutritious food is a fundamental basic human need. Food insecurity remains a dominant concern in underdeveloped countries prior to natural disaster and global pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 low-income United States Virgin Islands single mothers’ dilemma was accessing available nutritious foods for their school-aged children through nutrition assistance programs. An interpretative phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to explore the types of lived experiences these single mothers faced. The social ecological model (SEM) was used as the conceptual framework for the study. The research questions of the study were based on the individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and policy levels of the SEM. Eligible participants were recruited using purposeful chain sampling. Data were collected from eight participants through semistructured interviews and were analyzed and categorized to the corresponding research questions and SEM levels. Findings indicated seven group-level subthemes: (a) eligibility for nutrition services, (b) challenges, barriers, and supports to accessing nutrition services, (c) survival and strategizing just to get by, (d) pride, (e) social capital and social networking for resources, (f) financial relief from out-of-pocket spending, and (g) advocacy and agency. Positive social change from this study may be that health researchers can use the findings to understand and address policy that reduces access to available nutrition assistance programs during a pandemic, and other events, that can displace vulnerable families making access to nutritious food difficult.

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