The Impact of Dietary Factors and Sleep on Mental Distress of Men and Women During Different Stages of COVID-19

Abstract

The impact of diet quality on mental health has gained strong ground. However, most studies on this relationship were performed before COVID-19, a pandemic that was accompanied by high levels of psychological stress. Stress disturbs normal physiology, which makes studying diet quality and mental health under high stress a necessity. In addition, COVID-19 has been associated with disturbances in sleep and has increased the prevalence of mental health issues in women more than in men. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess food group consumption and sleep during different stages of the pandemic in relation to mental distress among men and women. Secondary data collected from adults 18 years or older between September 2018 and November 2021 was analysed. Temporal stages were divided into pre-COVID-19 (as a baseline), during the lockdown, and after the ease of restriction (two periods of different psychological stress levels). Regression analyses using a Difference-in-Difference (DID) event study or a Dynamic DID modelling were used. COVID-19 seemed to have a modulatory effect on food groups and mental health. The pandemic appeared to have either magnified the negative impact of certain food groups or changed the tolerance threshold for the beneficial ones. Across the board, women’s moods exhibited higher sensitivity to several food groups. COVID-19, a period of high psychological stress, differentially altered the impact of food on the mood of men and women; which proposes the need to further evaluate diet quality and mood under stressful conditions.

Citation

Begdache, L., Danesharasteh, A. and Ertem, Z. (2025), "The Impact of Dietary Factors and Sleep on Mental Distress of Men and Women During Different Stages of COVID-19", Chatterji, M., Bhattacharya, R.C. and Chakrabarty, S.P. (Ed.) COVID-19 and Public Policy (Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development, Vol. 33), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 133-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-832320240000033010