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The long shadow of child labour on adolescent mental health: a quantile approach

Author

Listed:
  • Danusha Jayawardana

    (The University of Queensland)

  • Nadezhda V. Baryshnikova

    (The University of Adelaide)

  • Terence C. Cheng

    (Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

Abstract

This study examines the heterogeneous effect of child labour on adolescent mental health using longitudinal household data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey. We use legislative minimum wage as an instrument to address the endogeneity bias of child work. Results from the instrumental variable quantile estimation indicate that the effect of child labour is heterogeneous across the mental health distribution. Specifically, working as a child increases the mental health score (CES-D score) at all quantiles and the magnitude of the effect is large above the median of the distribution. This suggests that child workers are likely to develop depression later in life, especially adolescents with poor mental health. Additionally, we find that the effect of child work on adolescent mental health is greater for boys compared to girls.

Suggested Citation

  • Danusha Jayawardana & Nadezhda V. Baryshnikova & Terence C. Cheng, 2023. "The long shadow of child labour on adolescent mental health: a quantile approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 77-97, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:64:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s00181-022-02241-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-022-02241-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Indonesia child labour; Mental health; Instrumental variable; Quantile regression;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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