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Forced Intercourse, Mental Health, and Human Capital
Author(s) -
Rees Daniel I.,
Sabia Joseph J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.4284/0038-4038-2013.015
Subject(s) - mental health , human capital , psychology , educational attainment , depression (economics) , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , forced migration , sexual intercourse , psychiatry , medicine , political science , population , economics , environmental health , refugee , pathology , law , macroeconomics , economic growth
Previous studies have found evidence that experiencing a traumatic event during childhood or adolescence can interfere with the acquisition of human capital. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we estimate the effects of being the victim of forced intercourse on the mental health, academic performance, and educational attainment of young women paying careful attention to the role of unobservables at the individual, family, and community levels. Our results suggest that forced intercourse is strongly related to depression. Moreover, there is evidence that the psychological damage caused by forced intercourse leads to reduced academic performance and educational attainment.