Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14086
Authors: Alexandra Roulet; Rikhard Petri Bockerman; Mika Haapanen; Christopher Jepsen
Abstract: We examine the effects of a comprehensive school reform on mental health. The reform postponed the tracking of students into vocational and academic schools from age 11 to age 16. The reform was implemented gradually across Finnish municipalities between 1972 and 1977. We use difference-in-differences variation and administrative data. Our results show that there is no discernible effect on mental health related hospitalisations on average even though the effect is precisely estimated. Heterogeneity analysis shows that, after the reform, females from highly-educated families were more likely to be hospitalised for depression.
Keywords: tracking; age; comprehensive school; mental health; depression; hospitalisation
JEL Codes: I12; I26; I28
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reform (P41) | Mental Health Hospitalizations (I19) |
| Reform (P41) | Severe Mental Health Disorders (Males, Low-Educated Families) (I39) |
| Reform (P41) | Severe Mental Health Disorders (Females, Highly Educated Families) (I39) |
| Reform (P41) | Adverse Mental Health Outcomes (Changes in Peer Composition and Competition) (C92) |
| Reform (P41) | Hospitalization for Depression (Females) (I11) |
| Reform (P41) | Hospitalization due to Substance Use Disorders (Males) (I12) |