{"686920":{"#nid":"686920","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Energy Insecurity Linked to Higher Rates of Anxiety and Depression, School of Public Policy Study Finds","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2840540\u0022 title=\u0022null\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy identifies energy insecurity \u2014 the inability to meet basic household energy needs \u2014 as a critical, yet often overlooked, social determinant of health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile we often talk about food and housing insecurity, fewer people recognize energy as a basic necessity that shapes not only comfort, but also safety and stress,\u201d said Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/f276dd8a-0e13-5b66-b4cf-3d2960e01b2d\u0022 title=\u0022null\u0022\u003EMichelle Graff\u003C\/a\u003E, who co-authored the paper published in \u003Cem\u003EJAMA Network Open\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnalyzing data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s Household Pulse Survey, the researchers found that 43% of households experienced energy insecurity in the past year. Among respondents who reduced spending on necessities to cover energy bills, nearly 39% reported symptoms of anxiety and 32% reported symptoms of depression \u2014 more than twice the incidence among respondents who didn\u2019t need to make that tradeoff.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeing able to afford your home does not guarantee you can afford to safely heat, cool, or power it,\u201d Graff said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch instability disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic households, renters, and families dependent on electronic medical devices, Graff said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd while the study was not designed to explain whether energy insecurity causes mental health issues or some other dynamic is at work, Graff said it\u2019s incontrovertible that these groups face compounding stressors. Living in inefficient housing can lead to higher bills and unsafe temperatures, disrupting sleep and health. When combined with the financial anxiety of potential utility shutoffs and the need to sacrifice food or medicine to pay bills, these trade-offs create a cycle of chronic stress, she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong other recommendations, Graff said healthcare providers should start screening for energy insecurity just as they do for food insecurity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe view this primarily as a data-collection initiative designed to generate the evidence needed to inform future policy recommendations and program improvements,\u201d Graff said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGraff is continuing to explore these issues with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=spp.gatech.edu\u0022 title=\u0022null\u0022\u003ECarter School\u003C\/a\u003E graduate students, including recent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1040619025000661?via%3Dihub\u0022\u003Ework\u003C\/a\u003E on state-level aid implementation with Ph.D. student Ryan Anthony and upcoming research with other students on how energy insecurity impacts eviction rates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe article, \u201cEnergy Insecurity and Mental Health Symptoms in US Adults,\u201d was published Oct. 27, 2025, in JAMA Network Open. It is available at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi:10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.39479\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi:10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.39479\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe study links energy insecurity to significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression in U.S. households.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The study links energy insecurity to significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression in U.S. households."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2025-12-16 20:44:16","changed_gmt":"2026-01-06 14:02:04","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678862":{"id":"678862","type":"image","title":"energy-insecurity-mental-health.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EEnergy insecurity is a significant financial problem, and potentially a major mental health issue, for millions of Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765917961","gmt_created":"2025-12-16 20:46:01","changed":"1765917961","gmt_changed":"2025-12-16 20:46:01","alt":"A woman wearing a hat and warm clothing prepares food in her kitchen.","file":{"fid":"262952","name":"energy-insecurity-mental-health.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/16\/energy-insecurity-mental-health.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/16\/energy-insecurity-mental-health.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":979742,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/16\/energy-insecurity-mental-health.jpg?itok=FVTsWXlA"}},"678864":{"id":"678864","type":"image","title":"Michelle Graff","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAssistant Professor Michelle Graff.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765918275","gmt_created":"2025-12-16 20:51:15","changed":"1765918275","gmt_changed":"2025-12-16 20:51:15","alt":"\u0022\u0022","file":{"fid":"262954","name":"fb50e65939f4bc3d6cdd1f16.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/16\/fb50e65939f4bc3d6cdd1f16.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/16\/fb50e65939f4bc3d6cdd1f16.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":15260,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/16\/fb50e65939f4bc3d6cdd1f16.jpg?itok=MqO7ho_j"}}},"media_ids":["678862","678864"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}