Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Rachel Voth Schrag
Second Advisor
Hanna Haran
Third Advisor
Jennifer Murphy
Abstract
Background: The WIC program was initiated in the 1970s, with the aim to improve health outcomes of pregnant women and infants in low-income families through health and nutrition assistance. In 2023, WIC served an average of 6.6 million participants per month.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the literature focused on any policy limitations of the WIC program and their impact on the mental health and health outcomes of its applicants.
Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility criteria for inclusion were publication date, language, accessibility, and relevance. To be included, articles must have been published in 2015 or later, available in English, and relevant to the study topic - specifically, the mental health of WIC recipients and/or policy limitations of WIC. Additionally, all articles must be freely accessible online or through the library of University of Texas Arlington.
Sources of Evidence: For this scoping review, the search was conducted using PubMed, Academic Search Complete, and APA PsycINFO. A set of targeted keywords and search strings were employed to guide the process. By leveraging the unique strengths of each database, this combined approach ensured a comprehensive and thorough search, capturing the full scope of relevant literature.
Research Gap: Mental health outcomes among WIC participants—such as exacerbation or cause of additional psychological distress—are largely understudied, revealing a critical gap in the research. This study seeks to address that gap by identifying themes of unintended consequences faced by applicants and participants, as a result of the existing WIC policy.
Keywords
WIC, health, stress, outcomes, well-being, policy, barriers, access, limitations, efficacy
Disciplines
Community Psychology | Emergency and Disaster Management | Food Security | Health Communication | Health Policy | Health Psychology | Health Sciences and Medical Librarianship | Human Factors Psychology | Inequality and Stratification | Other Political Science | Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Other Sociology | Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation | Policy History, Theory, and Methods | Politics and Social Change | Public Policy | Social Justice | Social Policy | Social Psychology | Social Welfare | Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
ROWAN, NICHOLA, "What Does Existing Literature Reveal About How Current WIC Program Policies Effect the Health and Mental Health of Applicants: A Scoping Review" (2025). Social Work Theses. 220.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/220
Included in
Community Psychology Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Food Security Commons, Health Communication Commons, Health Policy Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Health Sciences and Medical Librarianship Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Policy Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Social Work Commons
Comments
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Rachel Voth Schrag, Dr. Hanna Haran, and Dr. Jennifer Murphy, for their guidance, invaluable feedback, and commitment to my academic growth. Their expertise and thoughtful guidance were essential to the development and completion of this thesis, as well as my own development as a researcher.