Working Paper: NBER ID: w22459
Authors: Ezra Golberstein; Gilbert Gonzales; Ellen Meara
Abstract: Research linking economic conditions and health largely ignores children’s mental health problems, which are the most common and consequential health issues for children and adolescents. We examine the effects of unemployment rates and housing prices on child and adolescent mental health and use of special education services for emotional problems in the 2001-2013 National Health Interview Survey. Mental health status declines as economic conditions deteriorate, and this result is pervasive across nearly every subgroup we examine, including families least likely to experience job loss. The use of special education services for emotional problems also rises when economic conditions worsen.
Keywords: economic conditions; children's mental health; unemployment; housing prices; special education services
JEL Codes: I1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Economic conditions deteriorate (N14) | Mental health outcomes for children and adolescents worsen (I39) |
| Higher unemployment rates (J64) | Worse mental health severity (I39) |
| Worsening economic conditions (F69) | Increased likelihood of clinically meaningful psychological problems (D91) |
| Worsening economic conditions (F69) | Increased use of special education services for emotional problems (I21) |
| One standard deviation improvement in unemployment rates (J68) | 57% decrease in the use of special education services for emotional problems (I24) |
| Economic conditions (E66) | Negative mental health outcomes (I12) |