Does Maternal Depression Undermine Childhood Cognitive Development? Evidence from the Young Lives Survey in Peru
This paper studies the effect of maternal depression on early childhood cognition in Peru. The identification strategy exploits variation in exposure to exogenous shocks during early life to instrument for maternal depression. The results suggest t...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/177701606225588260/Does-Maternal-Depression-Undermine-Childhood-Cognitive-Development-Evidence-from-the-Young-Lives-Survey-in-Peru http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34834 |
| Summary: | This paper studies the effect of
maternal depression on early childhood cognition in Peru.
The identification strategy exploits variation in exposure
to exogenous shocks during early life to instrument for
maternal depression. The results suggest that maternal
depression is detrimental to the child's vocabulary at
age five. Although the effects fade out by age eight, early
vocabulary gaps can undermine other development outcomes.
The effects do not vary by maternal education, but they are
significant only for children living in disadvantaged
households. The presence of a partner worsens the effect of
maternal depression on vocabulary development, and this
effect is driven by households with partners who drink heavily. |
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