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Effect of stress on later-life health : evidence from the Vietnam war draft

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  • Cawley,John Horan
  • De Walque,Damien B. C. M.
  • Grossman,Daniel

Abstract

A substantial literature has examined the impact of stress during the early stages of life on later-life health. This paper contributes to that literature by examining the later-life health impact of stress during adolescence and early adulthood, using a novel proxy for stress: risk of military induction in the United States during the Vietnam War. The paper estimates that a 10 percentage point (2 standard deviation) increase in induction risk in young adulthood is associated with a 1.5 percentage point (8 percent) increase in the probability of being obese, and a 1 percentage point (10 percent) increase in the probability of being in fair or poor health later in life. These findings do not appear to be due to cohort effects; the associations exist only for men who did not serve in the war, and are not present for women or men who did serve. These findings add to the evidence on the lasting consequences of stress, and indicate that induction risk during the Vietnam War may, in certain contexts, be an invalid instrument for education or marriage, because it appears to have a direct impact on health.

Suggested Citation

  • Cawley,John Horan & De Walque,Damien B. C. M. & Grossman,Daniel, 2017. "Effect of stress on later-life health : evidence from the Vietnam war draft," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8063, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:8063
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    Cited by:

    1. Belloc, Ignacio & Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto, 2025. "Extreme temperatures: Gender differences in well-being," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Partha Deb & Anjelica Gangaram, 2024. "The effects of school shootings on risky behavior, health, and human capital," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-28, March.
    3. Hou, Benyufang & Liu, Hong & Wang, Sophie Xuefei, 2020. "Returns to military service in off-farm wage employment: Evidence from rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    4. Lutz Bellmann & Olaf Hübler, 2022. "Personality traits, working conditions and health: an empirical analysis based on the German Linked Personnel Panel, 2013–2017," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 283-318, February.
    5. Massimiliano Bratti & Elena Cottini & Paolo Ghinetti, 2022. "Education, health and health-related behaviors: Evidence from higher education expansion," DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza def114, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    6. Benjamin Cowan & Nathan Tefft, 2025. "College Access and Adult Health," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 11(3), pages 335-374.

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