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Lasting effects of parental death during childhood: evidence from Sweden

Serratos-Sotelo, Luis LU orcid and Eibich, Peter (2021) In MPIDR Working Papers
Abstract
This study looks at the effect of losing a parent before the age of 16 on adult income, educational attainment, and health. Using detailed data from the Swedish registers and several methodological strategies, we follow to adulthood individuals born between 1968 and 1981 and observe their later-life outcomes.

The results suggest that, in line with previous research, losing a parent during childhood is associated with substantively lower income, lower educational attainment and more hospitalizations. We find evidence of a critical phase from ages 6-15 for educational attainment and ages 2-10 for hospitalizations, and our estimates suggest that grief and parental investments are relevant mechanisms for the observed effects
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Parental death, Early-life, income, education, hospitalization, Sweden
in
MPIDR Working Papers
issue
2021-007
pages
31 pages
publisher
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
project
Vaccines, Migration, and Family: The Long-Term Effects of Early-Life Exposures on Income, Education, and Health in Sweden
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a1ecfdd3-47f3-45ad-a0fd-8d5da917047f
alternative location
https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2021-007.pdf
date added to LUP
2021-04-15 10:41:36
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:16:11
@misc{a1ecfdd3-47f3-45ad-a0fd-8d5da917047f,
  abstract     = {{This study looks at the effect of losing a parent before the age of 16 on adult income, educational attainment, and health. Using detailed data from the Swedish registers and several methodological strategies, we follow to adulthood individuals born between 1968 and 1981 and observe their later-life outcomes.<br/><br/>The results suggest that, in line with previous research, losing a parent during childhood is associated with substantively lower income, lower educational attainment and more hospitalizations. We find evidence of a critical phase from ages 6-15 for educational attainment and ages 2-10 for hospitalizations, and our estimates suggest that grief and parental investments are relevant mechanisms for the observed effects}},
  author       = {{Serratos-Sotelo, Luis and Eibich, Peter}},
  keywords     = {{Parental death; Early-life; income; education; hospitalization; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{2021-007}},
  publisher    = {{Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research}},
  series       = {{MPIDR Working Papers}},
  title        = {{Lasting effects of parental death during childhood: evidence from Sweden}},
  url          = {{https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2021-007.pdf}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}