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Breaking sad: drug-related homicides and mental well-being in Mexico

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  • Jose Roberto Balmori de la Miyar

    (Universidad Anáhuac México)

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of drug-related homicide rates on mental well-being among adults in Mexico, amid a conflict known as the “Mexican Drug War,” during the period 2006–2012. The empirical strategy consists, on the one hand, of a multilevel analysis for mental well-being outcomes at the individual level and, on the other hand, of a difference-in-difference approach for aggregate mental well-being variables at the municipality level. Results suggest no effect of violence on clinical and non-clinical mental well-being for men and on clinical mental well-being for women. Yet, findings indicate a statistically significant effect between 3.5 and 4.9 percentage points of drug-related violence on non-clinical mental well-being of women in Mexico. These results are robust to a variety of specifications, falsification tests and data sources of drug-related homicide rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Jose Roberto Balmori de la Miyar, 2020. "Breaking sad: drug-related homicides and mental well-being in Mexico," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 67(4), pages 513-531, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:67:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s12232-020-00354-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-020-00354-w
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mexico; Mental health; Depression; Happiness; Organized crime; War;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H56 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - National Security and War
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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