Date of Award

Fall 2023

Project Type

Dissertation

Program or Major

Economics

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

First Advisor

Andrew J Houtenville

Second Advisor

Reagan Baughman

Third Advisor

Bradley Herring

Abstract

In this work I examine how various public policies can influence mental health outcomes. As mental health issues can be created or exacerbated by numerous different factors, many types of public policy can have mental health implications, perhaps not always intended by policy makers. In many cases, these implications are ambiguous from a theoretical level, making empirical research in the area important. Specifically, I model how labor market policies with minimum wages and Earned Income Tax Credit, health policy with the Dependent Coverage Mandate aspect of the Affordable Care Act, and social policy with recreational cannabis laws impact mental health outcomes in different populations. In my first chapter, joint work with Dr. Karen Smith Conway, we estimate how minimum wages and the Earned Income Tax Credit impact mental health around the time of pregnancy. Using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and a generalized difference-in-differences approach, we find both policies can be effective in reducing mental distress around pregnancy. Effects are largest for groups with lower levels of education and robust to event study analysis. My second chapter examines how the Dependent Coverage Mandate, which required private insurers to allow dependents to remain on their guardian's health insurance plan until age 26, influenced mental health outcomes and mental health care utilization with special attention to differences across race and gender. Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, I find previously overlooked improvements in mental health outcomes for Black non-Hispanic young adults, driven by Black non-Hispanic women, the same group that experienced the largest gain in health insurance. When looking at mental health care, I do not find increases for this population. Together, these results suggest a pathway for insurance to improve mental health outside of care utilization. The third chapter models the impact of recreational cannabis laws on mental health. With data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a staggered difference-in-differences model, I find improvements in mental health status driven by various subgroups. I also find a reduction in activity limitation, possibly driven by mental health. These results are robust to new difference-in-differences methods such as a Goodman-Bacon decomposition and Callaway-Sant'Anna estimators.

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