Short- and Long-Term Consequences of Serious Parental Health Shocks

Arbeitspapier

I show that serious, yet common, parental health shocks in childhood have immediate and lasting effects on mental health and human capital formation for children. Children who experience a parental health shock are more likely to have therapy and take anti-depressant medication following the shock. These children have lower test scores and school enrollment rates. The effect occurs immediately following the shock and persists at least into early adulthood. I find that the effect on test scores is no different for children in high- and lowincome families, but the families react differently to the shock; children from low-income families are more likely to be prescribed anti-depressants following the shock, while children from high-income families are more likely to have therapy. In addition, I find suggestive evidence that children who take anti-depressants following a parental health shock have lower educational attainments in early adulthood, while therapy doesn't have harmful long-term effects.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CEBI Working Paper Series ; No. 10/20

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health: General ; Health and Inequality ; Education and Research Institutions: General ; Education and Inequality
• Subject: Parental health shocks ; Parental death ; Mental health ; Education

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Kristiansen, Ida Lykke
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Copenhagen, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI)
• (where): Copenhagen
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/258924
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET