Family Ruptures, Stress, and the Mental Health of the Next Generation: Comment
American Economic Review
vol. 108,
no. 4-5, April 2018
(pp. 1253-55)
Abstract
The empirical methodology used by Persson and Rossin-Slater (2018) to estimate the causal effect of in utero exposure to stress contains a potentially significant flaw. They define the control group in a way that may bias their causal estimates and can lead to the finding of a significant relationship when there is none. In this note, I describe the source of the bias and suggest an alternative specification of the control group.Citation
Matsumoto, Brett. 2018. "Family Ruptures, Stress, and the Mental Health of the Next Generation: Comment." American Economic Review, 108 (4-5): 1253-55. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20161124Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I12 Health Behavior
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth