A 5 am story of a Mucheke mother balancing ZiG and USD and why overthinking is a medical
consequence of financial strain rather than just worry.
By Trish Madzinga, 4.1 Psychology Student, Great Zimbabwe University
At 5am the house is still dark in Mucheke F, Masvingo but this time it is not just the early hours.
It is the morning of the day 11 after the hailstorm of 5 October 2026. There is no ZESA. The
storm disturbed the power supply and it has not come back. By candlelight, a mother sits at the
kitchen table with a worn notebook and a pen, recalculating the house budget for the third time
this week.
The money does not add up and the bills do not wait. She needs $5 USD for mealie-meal, $3
USD for the kombi fare to town so her son can attend his apprenticeship and $2 USD for candles
and paraffin for evening study. That is $10 USD in total. The $10 USD is the only money left in
her purse. There are still fourteen days left until the month ends and the roof above her is still
leaking after the hailstorm broke the asbestos sheets and she still has no money to fix it.
This is the daily calculation faced by many families in Zimbabwe, where income runs out long
before the calendar month does. The consequences go beyond empty pockets. When money
cannot cover basic needs, stress affects sleep, mood, parenting and health. For health
psychology, this is not simply poverty it is a case study in chronic stress, coping and resilience.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
Prolonged financial strain activates the body’s stress response. Persistent worry over food, power,
and transport is linked to anxiety, depressive symptoms, poor sleep and weakened immunity.
Families buy the cheapest food and not the most nutritious food. Children stop balanced meals.
This leads to malnutrition, stunted growth and weak immune systems. Adults develop high blood
pressure, diabetes, and ulcers from stress and poor diet.
Mental health is also affected. Constant worry about money causes stress, anxiety, and
depression. Parents feel shame and guilt. Children feel fear and insecurity.
The following theories explain why this mother’s financial situation leads to poor mental and
physical health.
THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING
Lazarus and Folkman (Transactional Model): Stress is not the event, it is how you
appraise it. If you see it as a threat with no resources to cope, you experience anxiety. The
mother’s $10 for 14 days is appraised as a threat causing overthinking.
Health Belief Model: People act on health advice only when barriers are low. She knows
healthy food is good, but cost is a barrier, so she cannot act on that knowledge.
Self-Efficacy (Bandura):Belief in your ability to succeed. After repeated failure to pay
bills, her belief collapses leading to helplessness and depression.
Biopsychosocial Model: Financial strain hits on three levels at once. Biological: stress,
poor sleep, high BP. Psychological: anxiety and depression. Social: family conflict and
isolation.
IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE
Community support: Strengthen local savings groups and mutual aid networks to buffer
income shocks.
Budgeting workshops: Offer practical training on monthly budgeting, food planning,
and resource management for low-income households.
Mental health screening: Integrate brief mental health and stress screening into clinics
and community outreach programs.
Policy recommendations: Consider targeted social assistance and subsidized food
initiatives during peak hardship months, coupled with accessible counselling services.
When money runs out before the month does, people do not just go hungry. They get sick, they lose hope and they lose their dignity.
