Maternal stress and birth outcomes: Evidence from the 1994 Northridge earthquake

Bongkyun Kim, Celeste Carruthers and Matthew Harris

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2017, vol. 140, issue C, 354-373

Abstract: Psychological maternal stress is thought to be a factor in poor infant health, but direct evidence is difficult to obtain. We posit that the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, California provides a natural test of the effect of mothers’ stress on infants’ birth weight and gestation. The Northridge disaster featured a low rate of injury and a quick recovery, but long-lasting and well documented consequences for mental health. Difference-in-difference results show that infants born closest to the epicenter were 0.2 percentage points more likely to be born with low birth weight. Impacts were larger and more precisely identified for women who experienced the earthquake in their first or third trimester. Among the subsample of mothers most susceptible to stress – first-time, single mothers – low birth weight was 0.5 percentage points more likely to occur. We find little evidence that the earthquake affected preterm delivery.

Keywords: Maternal stress; Birth outcomes; Natural disasters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Working Paper: Maternal Stress and Birth Outcomes: Evidence from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:140:y:2017:i:c:p:354-373

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2017.05.014

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