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Robinson Crusoe: less or more depressed? With whom and where to live in a pandemic if you are above 50

Author

Listed:
  • Inés Berniell

    (CEDLAS - IIE - Universidad Nacional de La Plata)

  • Anne Laferrère

    (Université Paris-Dauphine - PSL)

  • Pedro Mira

    (CEMFI)

  • Elizaveta Pronkina

    (Université Paris-Dauphine - PSL)

Abstract

Did the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic and the various lockdown measures taken by European governments in the spring of 2020 impact individuals aged 50 and over differently according to their living arrangements and housing conditions? Focusing on three indicators of mental well-being, depression, loneliness and trouble sleeping, this paper answers the question using data on Europeans interviewed in the SHARE Corona Survey, fielded right after the first wave of the pandemic in summer 2020, linked longitudinally with two previous waves of SHARE (2013 and 2015). We find that the first wave of the pandemic changed the association between mental health and living arrangements and housing conditions. New to this pandemic period, the mental well-being of those who lived only with a spouse declined relative to the general population aged 50+. Relatedly, there was a protective impact for parents of having (adult) children in the same building as opposed to children, however close, who were not co-residing. Finally, living in cities and in multi-unit housing also led to a decrease in mental well-being relative to the general population aged 50+.

Suggested Citation

  • Inés Berniell & Anne Laferrère & Pedro Mira & Elizaveta Pronkina, 2023. "Robinson Crusoe: less or more depressed? With whom and where to live in a pandemic if you are above 50," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 435-459, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:21:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-022-09624-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-022-09624-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mathias Huebener & Sevrin Waights & C. Katharina Spiess & Nico A. Siegel & Gert G. Wagner, 2021. "Parental well-being in times of Covid-19 in Germany," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 91-122, March.
    2. Brodeur, Abel & Clark, Andrew E. & Fleche, Sarah & Powdthavee, Nattavudh, 2021. "COVID-19, lockdowns and well-being: Evidence from Google Trends," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Louis‐Philippe Beland & Abel Brodeur & Derek Mikola & Taylor Wright, 2022. "The short‐term economic consequences of COVID‐19: Occupation tasks and mental health in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(S1), pages 214-247, February.
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    5. Hamermesh, Daniel S., 2020. "Lockdowns, Loneliness and Life Satisfaction," IZA Discussion Papers 13140, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Fujita,Masahisa & Thisse,Jacques-François, 2013. "Economics of Agglomeration," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107001411, December.
    7. García-Prado, Ariadna & González, Paula & Rebollo-Sanz, Yolanda F., 2022. "Lockdown strictness and mental health effects among older populations in Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
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    9. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 2020. "Life satisfaction, loneliness and togetherness, with an application to Covid-19 lock-downs," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 983-1000, December.
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Lockdown; Living arrangement; Housing; Mental well-being; SHARE; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • R19 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Other

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