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Grandparents in the blues. The effect of childcare on grandparents’ depression

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  • Giorgio Brunello

    (University of Padova, Cesifo, IZA and ROA)

  • Lorenzo Rocco

    (University of Padova, GLO)

Abstract

We estimate the effect of grandchild care on the depression of grandmothers and grandfathers, using data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and an identification strategy which exploits both the random variation in the timing of interviews across individuals and the fact that the demand for childcare declines with the age of grandchildren. We find that more childcare increases depression. The estimated effect is sizeable: ten additional hours of childcare per month increase the probability that complying grandmothers and grandfathers develop depressive symptoms by 3.2 to 3.3 percentage points and by 5.4 to 6.1 percentage points respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio Brunello & Lorenzo Rocco, 2019. "Grandparents in the blues. The effect of childcare on grandparents’ depression," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 587-613, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:17:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-018-9432-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-018-9432-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Eibich & Xianhua Zai, 2024. "Are the grandparents alright? The health consequences of grandparental childcare provision," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(4), pages 1-32, December.
    2. Eiji Yamamura, 2021. "View about consumption tax and grandchildren," Papers 2102.04658, arXiv.org.
    3. Everding, Jakob, 2019. "Heterogeneous spillover effects of children's education on parental mental health," hche Research Papers 18, University of Hamburg, Hamburg Center for Health Economics (hche).
    4. Huan Wang & Yu Lu & Jianyuan Huang, 2024. "All in the Family: Does Grandparenting Impact Chinese Grandparents’ Depressive Symptoms?," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, April.
    5. Corazzini, Luca & Meschi, Elena & Pavese, Caterina, 2021. "Impact of early childcare on immigrant children’s educational performance," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Hongwei Xu, 2022. "Grandparenting and Cognitive Functioning in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 285-316, February.
    7. Mirkka Danielsbacka & Lenka Křenková & Antti O. Tanskanen, 2022. "Grandparenting, health, and well-being: a systematic literature review," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 341-368, September.
    8. Leimer, Birgit & van Ewijk, Reyn, 2022. "Are grandchildren good for you? Well-being and health effects of becoming a grandparent," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    9. Eiji Yamamura & Fumio Ohtake, 2024. "Family structure, gender, and subjective well-being: effect of children before and after COVID-19 in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 75(4), pages 611-635, December.
    10. Eiji Yamamura & Giorgio Brunello, 2023. "Effect of grandchildren on the happiness of grandparents: Does the grandparent's child's gender matter?," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 37(2), pages 149-163, June.
    11. Wang, Sophie Xuefei & Bansak, Cynthia, 2022. "Are Grandparents a Good Substitute for Parents as the Primary Caregiver? The Impact of Grandparents on Children's Academic Performance," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1100, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    12. Salm, Martin & Siflinger, Bettina & Xie, Mingjia, 2021. "The Effect of Retirement on Mental Health: Indirect Treatment Effects and Causal Mediation," Other publications TiSEM e28efa7f-8219-437c-a26d-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    13. Brunello, Giorgio & Yamamura, Eiji, 2021. "With a Little Help from My Mother. The Matrilineal Advantage in European Grand Parenting," IZA Discussion Papers 14379, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Xize Wang & Tao Liu, 2022. "Home-made blues: Residential crowding and mental health in Beijing, China," Papers 2207.07985, arXiv.org.
    15. Phuong Huu Khiem & Do Bao Linh & Tran Viet Khanh & Do Anh Tai, 2024. "Does maternity leave reform impact on the labour supply of the elderly? Evidence from a natural experiment in Vietnam," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 38(3), pages 365-394, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    J13; I12;

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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