Building Resilience through Psychological Intervention

Michelle Escobar Carias, Victoria Baranov, Sonia Bhalotra, Pietro Biroli and Joanna Maselko

No 21842, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: Does past treatment for depression create resilience to future shocks? We study a randomized CBT-based intervention for prenatally depressed mothers in Pakistan and exploit variation in COVID-19 restriction stringency six years after childbirth. Treated women were protected against restriction-induced anxiety, depression, comorbidity, and functional impairment. Protection extended to spousal relationships, offsetting restriction-driven declines in relationship quality and increases in marital conflict. This resilience operates through psychological channels: the intervention builds locus of control and self-efficacy, strengthens family and partner support, and reduces how overwhelmed women feel when shocks arrive. The resulting psychological capital has returns well beyond the treated condition.

Keywords: Resilience; Mental health; Intrahousehold bargaining (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G18 I12 J12 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-08
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