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Trajectories of Early Childhood Skill Development and Maternal Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Sevim, Dilek

    (University of Basel)

  • Baranov, Victoria

    (University of Melbourne)

  • Bhalotra, Sonia

    (University of Warwick)

  • Maselko, Joanna

    (University of North Carolina)

  • Biroli, Pietro

    (University of Bologna)

Abstract

We investigate the impacts of a perinatal psychosocial intervention on trajectories of maternal mental health and child skills, from birth to age 3. We find improved maternal mental health and functioning (0.17 – 0.29 SD), modest but imprecisely estimated improvements in parental investments (0.07 to 0.11 SD), and transitory improvements in child socioemotional development (0.06 to 0.39 SD). We also find negligible influence of the intervention on physical health and cognitive development. Estimates of a skill production function reveal that the intervention is associated with reduced productivity of maternal mental health and narrowed depression gaps in mother and child outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Sevim, Dilek & Baranov, Victoria & Bhalotra, Sonia & Maselko, Joanna & Biroli, Pietro, 2023. "Trajectories of Early Childhood Skill Development and Maternal Mental Health," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1469, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wrk:warwec:1469
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Mental health ; stress ; socioemotional ; RCT; child development ; technology of skill formation ; gender;
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