Citation

Persson P, Rossin-Slater M. Am. Econ. Rev. 2018; 108(4-5): 1256-1263.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Economic Association)

DOI

10.1257/aer.20161605

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Persson and Rossin-Slater (2018) find that prenatal exposure to family ruptures affects childhood and adult mental health, as well as infant physical health. We compare children whose relatives die within 280 days post-conception to children whose relatives die in the year after birth. Matsumoto correctly notes that defining the control group using actual birth dates can bias our estimates. Here, we redefine our control group using expected birth dates. The effects on mental health in childhood and adulthood are statistically indistinguishable from those in our original paper. The infant health impacts are attenuated, but statistically significant in our main specifications.

Language: en

Keywords

Child Care; Children; Domestic Abuse, Fertility; Family Planning; Family Structure; Health Behavior, Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Youth