Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/279083 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16385
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Can the effects of early childhood trauma persist across generations, impacting the long-run outcomes of their children? To answer this question, we exploit the geographic variation in the intensity of the Great Famine in China and distinguish the effects of exposures during four stages of childhood cognitive development between ages 0 to 15 as defined in the child development theory of Jean Piaget. We find that exposure to famine in childhood, especially in ages 0—2 and 3—7, negatively impacts the adult mental health of the survivors' children. We also find negative effects on parent's mental health and parent-child interaction frequency, consistent with the role of childhood home environments as transmission channels. Our findings show that the determinants of mental health problems can be traced back across a generation and demonstrate the persistent damage of early childhood trauma on the survivors and their children.
Subjects: 
collective trauma
famine
mental health
intergenerational effects
JEL: 
I14
I18
J13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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