Early Childhood Conditions and Adolescent Mental Health

Beginning in the 1970s, China introduced a series of reforms to liberalize the country’s economy by reducing barriers and restrictions on international trade. Prior to the reforms, the government had maintained tight control over all enterprises and the vast majority of citizens worked in agriculture. The momentum of trade liberalization in China continued over the next several decades, and the country’s increasing engagement with the international community induced ripple effects that spread throughout Chinese society and reshaped citizens’ way of life.

In a recent study, Bilge Erten, Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Northeastern University, and coauthors investigated how early-life circumstances induced by trade liberalization affect adolescent mental health in China. Their model differs from prior designs by considering a moderator variable determining the intensity with which liberalization affected the outcomes. The findings reveal that the degree to which a region was affected by international trade policy is associated with the incidence of adverse mental health effects among adolescents living there.

On Thursday, May 4, 2:00-3:30 PM EDT, join the Human Capital Initiative for an in-person research seminar with Bilge Erten on the relationship between early childhood conditions and adolescent mental health in China.