Bilge Erten's paper, "Mental Health Costs of Lockdowns: Evidence from Age-specific Curfews in Turkey," (with Onur Altindag and Pinar Keskin) has been accepted at American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.
Mental Health Costs of Lockdowns:
Evidence from Age-specific Curfews in Turkey
Abstract
Using a strict, age-specific lockdown order for adults aged 65 and older in Turkey, we examine the mental health consequences of an extended period of tight mobility restriction on senior adults. Adopting a regression discontinuity design, we find that the curfew-induced decline in mobility substantially worsened mental health outcomes, including somatic and nonsomatic symptoms of mental distress (approximately 0.2 standard deviation). Exploring potential channels, we document an increase in social and physical isolation, with no evidence of robust changes in labor market outcomes or intrahousehold conflict for this subpopulation.
