Working Paper: NBER ID: w12619
Authors: Omar Galarraga; David S. Salkever; Judith A. Cook; Stephen J. Gange
Abstract: This paper examines the effect of antidepressant use on the likelihood of being employed among HIV-positive women receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the United States from 1994 to 2004. We use instrumental variables to predict antidepressant use independently of outcomes; thus, addressing potential sources of bias -- more depressed women are more likely to receive antidepressant treatment, but they are also more likely to be unemployed. The results show that antidepressant use has a positive effect on the employment probability of women living with HIV. The proposed instrumental variables can be used to identify antidepressant use in the WIHS population. Among women receiving HAART, and controlling for individual and local area labor market characteristics, the use of antidepressants is associated with a higher probability of being employed.
Keywords: antidepressants; employment; HIV; HAART; instrumental variables
JEL Codes: I12; I18; J22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Antidepressant use (I12) | Employment probability (J63) |
| Depression (E32) | Antidepressant use (I12) |
| Depression (E32) | Employment probability (J63) |