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Early Childhood Conditions and Adolescent Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Erten, Bilge

    (Northeastern University)

  • Keskin, Pinar

    (Wellesley College)

  • Pinto, Rodrigo

    (University of California, Los Angeles)

  • Xie, Huihua

    (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Zhu, Lianming

    (Osaka University)

Abstract

We investigate how early life circumstances induced by trade liberalization affect adolescent mental health in China, exploiting variation in tariff uncertainty faced by prefecture economies pre-2001. Our model differs from the classic difference-indifferences design in that it considers a moderator variable determining the intensity with which the treatment affects the outcomes. Our findings show that children born in prefectures more exposed to an exogenous change in international trade policy experienced a significant decline in the incidence of severe depression during adolescence. We find that the estimated relationships are robust to controls for initial prefecture attributes and other policy changes. Improvements in parental income, early childhood investments, and care provision in formal early childhood education programs are likely operative channels of impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Erten, Bilge & Keskin, Pinar & Pinto, Rodrigo & Xie, Huihua & Zhu, Lianming, 2023. "Early Childhood Conditions and Adolescent Mental Health," IZA Discussion Papers 16093, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16093
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; trade reform; mental health; early life investments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models

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