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The long shadow of typhoons: Prenatal exposure and adult mental health

Author

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  • Huang, Yu-Ting
  • Liu, Elaine M.
  • Liu, Jin-Tan
  • Tseng, Tzu-Yin Hazel

Abstract

This paper examines how poor in utero conditions caused by severe typhoons affect psychological well-being later in life. We exploit variation in the timing and location of severe typhoon landfalls. Our design compares individuals with higher expected fetal exposure in landfall counties to those with no such exposure. A one-unit increase in expected in utero exposure raises the likelihood of an adult mental illness diagnosis by 2.2 percentage points, or 11 percent relative to the mean. The incidence of mood disorders such as depression and the use of antidepressants has risen by more than 50 percent. The adverse effects are concentrated among women. In a fully interacted model, we reject equality of the male and female effects for our main outcomes. This gender gap is not driven by differential healthcare-seeking behavior. We discuss several non-mutually exclusive mechanisms that could generate a genuinely female-concentrated effect, including sex-specific fetal programming and mortality selection.

Suggested Citation

  • Huang, Yu-Ting & Liu, Elaine M. & Liu, Jin-Tan & Tseng, Tzu-Yin Hazel, 2027. "The long shadow of typhoons: Prenatal exposure and adult mental health," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:184:y:2027:i:c:s0304387826001872
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103904
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    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I19 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Other
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East

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