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The relationship of opioid prescriptions and the educational performance of children

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  • Cotti, Chad D.
  • Gordanier, John M.
  • Ozturk, Orgul D.

Abstract

One of the more salient aspects of the opioid crisis in America has been the disparate impact it has had on communities. This paper considers the possibility that opioid abuse might have negative spillovers onto student performance in schools within the communities most affected. We use administrative data on individual children's test scores (grades 3 through 8) in South Carolina from the 2005–06 to 2016-17 academic years. These data are then linked to county-level changes in opioid prescriptions rates. Findings show that an increase in the opioid prescription rate in a county is associated with a statistically significant reduction in white student test scores, but no such decline was found among non-white students. This relationship is robust to controls for changing county-level economic conditions, time-varying controls for student-level poverty, county characteristics, and county time trends. Among white students, the association is strongest among rural students in households that are not receiving SNAP or TANF benefits. Given the importance of educational attainment, this reduction in test scores associated with high rates of opioid prescriptions may indicate that there will be long-lasting spillover effects of the opioid crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Cotti, Chad D. & Gordanier, John M. & Ozturk, Orgul D., 2020. "The relationship of opioid prescriptions and the educational performance of children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620306250
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113406
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    2. Jessica Drescher & Lily Steyer & Carrie Townley-Flores & Keith Humphreys, 2022. "Has the Opioid Crisis Affected Student Learning? A National Analysis of Growth Rates," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 234-261, September.

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