American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
Mental Health Costs of Lockdowns: Evidence from Age-Specific Curfews in Turkey
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 14,
no. 2, April 2022
(pp. 320–43)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
Using a strict, age-specific lockdown order for adults aged 65 and older in Turkey, we examine the mental health consequences of an extended period of tight mobility restrictions on senior adults. Adopting a regression discontinuity design, we find that the curfew-induced decline in mobility substantially worsened mental health outcomes, including somatic and nonsomatic symptoms of mental distress (approximately 0.2 standard deviation). Exploring potential channels, we document an increase in social and physical isolation, with no evidence of robust changes in labor market outcomes or intrahousehold conflict for this subpopulation.Citation
Altindag, Onur, Bilge Erten, and Pinar Keskin. 2022. "Mental Health Costs of Lockdowns: Evidence from Age-Specific Curfews in Turkey." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 14 (2): 320–43. DOI: 10.1257/app.20200811Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D13 Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I21 Analysis of Education
- J14 Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration