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(Breaking) intergenerational transmission of mental health

Author

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

Abstract

We estimate health associations across generations and dynasties 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%) higher probability of a mental health diagnosis of their adolescent child. Intensive margin physical and mental health associations are similar, and dynastic estimates account for about 40% 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 about 40%.

Suggested Citation

  • Bütikofer, Aline & Ginja, Rita & Landaud, Fanny & Karbownik, Krzysztof, 2024. "(Breaking) intergenerational transmission of mental health," CEPR Discussion Papers 18950, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18950
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    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Sarah Cattan & Christine Farquharson & Sonya Krutikova & Andrew McKendrick & Almudena Sevilla, 2023. "Parental labour market instability and children's mental health during the pandemic," IFS Working Papers W23/21, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    3. Attanasio, Orazio P. & de Paula, Áureo & Toppeta, Alessandro, 2025. "Intergenerational mobility in socio-emotional skills," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    4. Sua Kang & Wookun Kim & Kanghyock Koh, 2025. "Childbirth, Baby Bonus, and Maternal Mental Health," CESifo Working Paper Series 11986, CESifo.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Angela Cools & Jared Grooms & Krzysztof Karbownik & Siobhan M. O'Keefe & Joseph Price & Anthony Wray, 2024. "Birth Order in the Very Long-Run: Estimating Firstborn Premiums between 1850 and 1940," NBER Working Papers 32407, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. 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).
    9. 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).
    10. Jajtner, Katie & Wang, Yang, 2025. "The effects of earned income tax credits on intergenerational health mobility in the United States," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    11. repec:iza:izadps:dp17647 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Justine Herve & Subha Mani & Jere Behrman & Ramanan Laxminarayan & Arindam Nandi, 2025. "Intergenerational Mobility in Depression and Anxiety in India," PIER Working Paper Archive 25-001, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    13. Kumar Gautam, Santosh & Halliday, Timothy J. & Mazumder, Bhash, 2025. "Cycles of Malnutrition: Intergenerational Health Transmission in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17684, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    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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