Author(s)
Aline Bütikofer
Rita Ginja
Krzysztof Karbownik
Fanny Landaud

We estimate health associations across generations and dynasties using information on healthcare visits from administrative data for the entire Norwegian population. A parental mental health diagnosis is associated with a 9.3 percentage point (40%) higher probability of a mental health diagnosis of their adolescent child. Intensive margin physical and mental health associations are similar, and dynastic estimates account for about 40% of the intergenerational persistence. We also show that a policy targeting additional health resources for the young children of adults diagnosed with mental health conditions reduced the parent-child mental health association by about 40%.

Publication Type
Working Paper
File Description
First version, June 30, 2023
JEL Codes
I14: Health and Inequality
I18: Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
J12: Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
J62: Job, Occupational, and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
Keywords
mental health
intergenerational persistence
dynastic effects
public policy