Early life shocks and mental health: The long-term effect of war in Vietnam

Saurabh Singhal

No 270, HiCN Working Papers from Households in Conflict Network

Abstract: This paper provides causal evidence on early-life exposure to war on mental health status in adulthood. Using an instrumental variable strategy, the evidence indicates that early-life exposure to bombing during the American war in Vietnam has long-term effects. A one percent increase in bombing intensity during 1965-75 increases the likeli- hood of severe mental distress in adulthood by 16 percentage points (or approximately 50 percent of the mean) and this result is robust to a variety of sensitivity checks. The negative effects of war are similar for both men and women. These findings add to the evidence on the enduring consequences of conflict and identify a critical area for policy intervention.

Keywords: Early-life; mental health; conflict; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H56 I1 I15 I31 N35 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-his and nep-sea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Early life shocks and mental health: The long-term effect of war in Vietnam (2019)
Working Paper: Early life shocks and mental health: The long-term effect of war in Vietnam (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hic:wpaper:270

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