The Paradox of Invisible Help: Shame, Stigma, and Food Insecurity Among Rural and Peri-Urban Families in China

This qualitative study explored how food insecurity, shame, and stigma shape help-seeking among low-income families in rural and peri-urban China. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten participants from low-income households, including two 12-year-old children, and analyzed the data with reflexive thematic analysis. Participants described food insecurity as chronic and linked it to unstable work, unpaid wages, crop failure, illness, and rising food prices. They experienced shame as being seen as unable to provide, and many avoided asking relatives, neighbors, or officials for help because they anticipated judgment and loss of face, even when their need was severe. Children described being mocked at school and watching their parents go without food. In this sample, shame appeared to deepen as hardship became prolonged and visible. We interpret shame as a social process that is produced by economic insecurity, institutional exclusion, and the visibility of receiving help, and that is shaped by cultural norms of face and family obligation. Participants mainly asked for stable jobs, fair wages, and recognition of their circumstances. Support systems should address these structural needs and reduce the social visibility of receiving help.