Local Economic Hardship and Its Role in Life Expectancy Trends
dc.contributor.author | Bound, John | |
dc.contributor.author | Geronimus, Arline T. | |
dc.contributor.author | Waidmann, Timothy A. | |
dc.contributor.author | Rodriguez, Javier M. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2019-02-19T17:11:44Z | |
dc.date.available | 2019-02-19T17:11:44Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2018-10 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Bound, John, Arline T. Geronimus, Timothy A. Waidmann, and Javier M. Rodriguez. 2018. “Local Economic Hardship and Its Role in Life Expectancy Trends,” Ann Arbor MI: University of Michigan Retirement Research Center (MRRC) Working Paper, WP 2018-389. https://mrdrc.isr.umich.edu/publications/papers/pdf/wp389.pdf | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/148126 | |
dc.description.abstract | Recent research has found, in some groups of Americans, dramatic increases in deaths due to drug overdose and suicide and an overall stagnation of trends toward increased longevity. This study examines the link between mortality of older working age (45 to 64) adults and local economic downturns in the U.S. to evaluate the role of economic shifts in various causes of death and their related mortality trends. Specifically, we estimate regression models to test the hypotheses that the longevity effects of poor economic prospects are reflected through (1) increased suicide, drug overdose, and other “deaths of despair” and (2) other causes of death linked to exposure to economic and social stress such as heart and cerebrovascular disease. To avoid the problem of endogeneity of local economic conditions to mortality conditions, we measure the local economic shock of lost employment with predicted employment based on baseline industrial composition and national trends in employment by industry. We find evidence consistent with prior research that among non-Hispanic white adults, midlife mortality has increased since 1990, particularly among those with low educational attainment. We also find that “deaths of despair” are important contributors to that trend. However, we find that while distress in local, area economies does predict increased mortality for chronic disease, it predicts decreased mortality from suicides, opioids, and other substance abuse. This finding suggests caution in the application of the construct of despair in explaining recent mortality patterns. | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | Social Security Adminstration, Award number RRC08098401-10, R-UM18-07 | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.publisher | Michigan Retirement Research Center, University of Michigan, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | WP 2018-389 | en_US |
dc.subject | mortality trends, deaths of despair, midlife | en_US |
dc.title | Local Economic Hardship and Its Role in Life Expectancy Trends | en_US |
dc.title.alternative | WP 2018-389 | en_US |
dc.type | Working Paper | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Population and Demography | |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Social Sciences | |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationother | Urban Institute | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationother | Claremount Graduate University | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampus | Ann Arbor | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148126/1/wp389.pdf | |
dc.description.filedescription | Description of wp389.pdf : Working paper | |
dc.owningcollname | Retirement and Disability Research Center, Michigan (MRDRC) |
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