Fetal origins of mental health: evidence from Africa

Achyuta Adhvaryu, James Fenske, Namrata Kala and Anant Nyshadham

No 2015-15, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: Mental health disorders are a substantial portion of the global disease burden, yet their determinants are understudied, particularly in developing countries. We find that temperature shocks in utero increase depressive symptoms in adulthood in Africa. A ten percent increase in heat exposure increases our depression indices .05 to .07 standard deviations. We find no evidence that the effects of these shocks are smaller for more recent birth cohorts, nor do shocks predict greater treatment of depressive symptoms. Temperature fluctuations, increasingly frequent due to climate change, worsen the mental health disease burden and health care systems in Africa do not mitigate these impacts.

Keywords: Fetal origins; in-utero; mental health; climate change; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I15 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:csa:wpaper:2015-15

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