Anxious Dads and Depressed Moms: Child Disability and the Mental Health of Parents
利用瑞典个人层面登记数据，研究儿童脑瘫对父母心理健康的因果影响，发现父亲更易使用抗焦虑药物，母亲更易使用抗抑郁药物，且严重残疾影响更大。
Having a child with a disability undoubtedly affects parents in many ways, including their well-being. However, the specific mental health trajectories of parents, differentiated by the severity of impairments and parental roles, remain under-explored. We investigate the mental-health effects of having a child with a disability. Using individual-level register data from Sweden, we exploit the epidemiological features of Cerebral Palsy (CP) to estimate causal effects. Results show that prescriptions for mental-health disorders increase after the birth of a child with CP. While fathers are more likely to be dispensed anti-anxiety medications, dispensed medications for anti-depressants increase for mothers. Further, the effects are larger for parents of children with severe impairments but do not differ across parental characteristics. Our findings highlight the need for support and assistance for families with children with disabilities.