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The Effect of Maternal Depression and Substance Abuse on Child Human Capital Development

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  • Richard G. Frank
  • Ellen Meara

Abstract

Recent models of human capital formation represent a synthesis of the human capital approach and a life cycle view of human development that is grounded in neuroscience (Heckman 2007). This model of human development, the stability of the home and parental mental health can have notable impacts on skill development in children that may affect the stock of human capital in adults (Knudsen, Heckman et al. 2006; Heckman 2007). We study effects of maternal depression and substance abuse on children born to mothers in the initial cohort of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), a national household survey of high school students aged 14-22 in 1979. We follow 1587 children aged 1-5 in 1987, observing them throughout childhood and into high school. We employ a variety of methods to identify the effect of maternal depression and substance abuse on child behavioral, cognitive, and educational related outcomes. We find no evidence that maternal symptoms of depression affect contemporaneous cognitive scores in children. However, maternal depression symptoms have a moderately large effect on child behavioral problems. These findings suggest that the social benefits of effective behavioral health interventions may be understated. Based on evidence linking early life outcomes to later well-being, efforts to prevent and/or treat mental and addictive disorders in mothers and other women of childbearing age have the potential to improve outcomes of their children not only early in life, but throughout the life cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard G. Frank & Ellen Meara, 2009. "The Effect of Maternal Depression and Substance Abuse on Child Human Capital Development," NBER Working Papers 15314, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15314
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    Cited by:

    1. Gema Zamarro & María J. Prados, 2021. "Gender differences in couples’ division of childcare, work and mental health during COVID-19," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 11-40, March.
    2. Christine Porr & Kelly Noonan, 2018. "The Effects of Maternal Depression on Nine-Year-Old Children’s Behavior, Physical Health, and Cognition," Working Papers wp18-08-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    3. Almond, Douglas & Currie, Janet, 2011. "Human Capital Development before Age Five," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 15, pages 1315-1486, Elsevier.
    4. Yu, Linyue & Wilcox-Gök, Virginia, 2015. "The impact of maternal depression on children’s cognitive development: An analysis based on panel quantile regressions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 107-109.
    5. Andrea M. Mühlenweg & Franz G. Westermaier & Brant Morefield, 2016. "Parental health and child behavior: evidence from parental health shocks," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 577-598, September.
    6. Huong Thu Le & Ha Trong Nguyen, 2017. "Parental health and children's cognitive and noncognitive development: New evidence from the longitudinal survey of Australian children," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(12), pages 1767-1788, December.
    7. Björn Nilsson, 2017. "Parental depressive symptoms and the child labor-schooling nexus: evidence from Mexico," Working Papers DT/2017/06, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    8. Magdalena Bendini & Lelys Dinarte, 2020. "Does Maternal Depression Undermine Childhood Cognitive Development? Evidence from the Young Lives Survey in Peru," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-18, October.
    9. Franz Westermaier & Brant Morefield & Andrea M. Mühlenweg, 2013. "Impacts of Parental Health Shocks on Children's Non-cognitive Skills," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 542, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    10. Emanuele Millemaci & Dario Sciulli, 2014. "The long-term impact of family difficulties during childhood on labor market outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 663-687, December.
    11. Katherine Eyal & Lindokuhle Njozela, 2016. "What Difference Does A Year Make? The Cumulative Effect of Missing Cash Transfers on Schooling Attainment," SALDRU Working Papers 186, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    12. Sara B. Heller & Brian A. Jacob & Jens Ludwig, 2010. "Family Income, Neighborhood Poverty, and Crime," NBER Chapters, in: Controlling Crime: Strategies and Tradeoffs, pages 419-459, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Morefield, Brant & Mühlenweg, Andrea M. & Westermaier, Franz, 2011. "Impacts of parental health on children's development of personality traits and problem behavior: Evidence from parental health shocks," ZEW Discussion Papers 11-049, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    14. Lim, Sung Soo, 2020. "Parental chronic illness and child education: Evidence from children in Indonesia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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