Field of Study and Mental Health in Adulthood

Anders Stenberg and Simona Tudor

No 16701, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We analyze whether field of study assigned at age 16 impacts mental health in adulthood. Using a regression discontinuity design that exploits GPA cut-offs, we find that admission to the preferred study field improves mental health, lowering both the incidence of antidepressant prescriptions and of mental health-related hospitalizations. Engineering contributes strongly but not uniquely to the positive results. As for mechanisms, earnings explain 40% of the estimates, but earlier proposed hypotheses based on school-age peer characteristics have little explanatory power. Our findings imply that restrictions on individuals' choices, to improve human capital allocations, entail costs that may have been underestimated.

Keywords: secondary education; health; field of study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I21 I24 J24 J28 J32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 80 pages
Date: 2023-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-hea
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Published - published online in: Journal of Human Resources , 07 November 2024

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Working Paper: Field of Study and Mental Health in Adulthood (2024)
Working Paper: Field of Study and Mental Health in Adulthood (2023)
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