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(Breaking) Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Aline Bütikofer
  • Rita Ginja
  • Krzysztof Karbownik
  • Fanny Landaud

Abstract

We estimate health associations across generations using information on healthcare visits from administrative data for the entire Norwegian population. A parental mental health diagnosis is associated with a 9.3 percentage point (40 percent) higher probability of a mental health diagnosis of their adolescent child. Intensive margin physical and mental health associations are similar, and extended family estimates account for 42 percent of the intergenerational persistence. We also show that a policy targeting additional health resources for the young children of adults diagnosed with mental health conditions reduced the parent–child mental health association by 39 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Aline Bütikofer & Rita Ginja & Krzysztof Karbownik & Fanny Landaud, 2024. "(Breaking) Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(S), pages 108-151.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:59:y:2024:i:s:p:s108-s151
    Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1222-12711R2
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    File URL: http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/59/S/S108
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    2. Orazio Attanasio & Áureo de Paula & Alessandro Toppeta, 2020. "Intergenerational Mobility in Socio-emotional Skills," NBER Working Papers 27823, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Gabriella Conti & Sören Kliem & Malte Sandner, 2024. "Early Home Visiting Delivery Model and Maternal and Child Mental Health at Primary School Age," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 114, pages 401-406, May.
    4. Yue, Ai & Song, Qiannan & Gao, Yuan & Liang, Shibin & Zhang, Xinyue & Zhang, Yali & Ding, Yuxiu & Shi, Yaojiang, 2024. "Effect of parenting centers on caregiver mental health ——Evidence from a large scale randomized controlled trial in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Chang, Harrison & Halliday, Timothy J. & Lin, Ming-Jen & Mazumder, Bhashkar, 2024. "Estimating intergenerational health transmission in Taiwan with administrative health records," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    6. Hervé, Justine & Mani, Subha & Behrman, Jere R. & Laxminarayan, Ramanan & Nandi, Arindam, 2025. "Intergenerational Mobility in Depression and Anxiety in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17647, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Kumar, Santosh & Halliday, Timothy J. & Mazumder, Bhash, 2025. "Cycles of Malnutrition: Intergenerational Health Transmission in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17684, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Angela Cools & Jared Grooms & Krzysztof Karbownik & Siobhan O'Keefe & Joseph Price & Anthony Wray, 2024. "Birth Order in the Very Long-Run: Estimating Firstborn Premiums between 1850 and 1940," CESifo Working Paper Series 11095, CESifo.
    9. Ramalingam Shanmugam & Karan P. Singh, 2025. "A New Measure for an Acceptable Level of Homogeneity in Meta-Informatics," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, April.

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    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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