Identification of the Effect of Depression on Risky Sexual Behavior: Exploiting a Natural Experiment
利用9·11事件作为工具变量，研究发现抑郁症女性更可能进行无保护性行为，揭示了抑郁症的额外社会成本。
Depression is pervasive in the US particularly among women. The costs in terms of direct medical costs and forgone earnings are substantial. This paper investigates an additional cost of depression. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, we use a unique instrument, the attacks of September 11, which have been linked to depression, to identify the effect of depression on risky sexual behaviors. We find that depressed women are more likely to be sexually active, to engage in oral sex and to have sex without a condom, even after controlling for a rich set of covariates.