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The effect of staying at home on suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Yoko Ibuka

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

  • Haruo Kakehi

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

  • Ryuki Kobayashi

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

  • Ryo Nakajima

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

Abstract

Studies have reported a strong association between policy stringency and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily among females, but the causal effect of people's stay-at-home behavior on mental health is not yet known. This study evaluated how pandemic-related confinement at home affected the incidence of suicide among Japanese females. We employ a shift-share IV design, assessing whether differential exposure to the pandemic shock led to changes in the outcome variable. We found that suicide increased among females under 20 years old as more people stayed at home. The results are robust across different model specifications. Counterfactual analyses show that at least 37% of suicides in the demographic group can be attributed to home confinement. Our results suggest that a substantial part of the observed increase in suicide rates among female children and adolescents was driven by lifestyle changes during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoko Ibuka & Haruo Kakehi & Ryuki Kobayashi & Ryo Nakajima, 2024. "The effect of staying at home on suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2024-004, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    • Handle: RePEc:keo:dpaper:2024-004
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    File URL: https://ies.keio.ac.jp/upload/DP2024-004_EN.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leslie, Emily & Wilson, Riley, 2020. "Sheltering in place and domestic violence: Evidence from calls for service during COVID-19," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Chernozhukov, Victor & Hansen, Christian, 2008. "The reduced form: A simple approach to inference with weak instruments," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 68-71, July.
    3. Hamermesh, Daniel S & Soss, Neal M, 1974. "An Economic Theory of Suicide," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 83-98, Jan.-Feb..
    4. José Luis Montiel Olea & Carolin Pflueger, 2013. "A Robust Test for Weak Instruments," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 358-369, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19 pandemic; Mental health; Lockdown; Shift-share IV; Specification curve analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H12 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Crisis Management
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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