Blowin’ in the Wind: Smog and Suicidal Ideation among School-Age Children

Xin Zhang, Xi Chen (), Hong Sun and Yuanjian Yang
Additional contact information
Xin Zhang: Beijing Normal University
Xi Chen: Yale University
Hong Sun: Jiangsu Provincial CDC
Yuanjian Yang: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

No 17961, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper attempts to provide one of the first population-based causal estimates of the effect of air pollution on suicidal ideation—a key precursor to suicide attempt and completion—among school-age children. We use daily variations in the local wind direction as instruments to address endogeneity in pollution exposure. Matching a unique risk behavior survey of 55,000 students from 273 schools with comprehensive data on air pollutants and weather conditions according to the exact date and location of schooling, our findings indicate that a 1% decline in daily PM2.5 is associated with a 0.36% reduction in the probability of suicidal ideation. Moreover, the dose-response relationship reveals that the marginal effects increase significantly and non-linearly with elevated concentration of PM2.5. The effect is particularly pronounced among younger, male, students from low-educated families, and students with lower grades.

Keywords: suicidal ideation; air pollution; school-age children; risky behaviors; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 Q51 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://docs.iza.org/dp17961.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17961

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
IZA, Margard Ody, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) IZA, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Holger Hinte ().