Job Market Paper 

Abstract: This paper examines the mental health impact of becoming a new grandparent using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Findings indicate that the transition to grandparenthood significantly improves mental health, primarily by reducing loneliness. The probability of probable depression decreases by 5.5 percentage points—a nearly 35% reduction from the mean. These effects are robust across sensitivity checks. Compared to grandmothers, grandfathers experience greater mental health benefits. Evidence suggests that grandmothers are more likely to retire following the birth of a grandchild, while grandfathers see no such labor market effect. This shift in employment, along with a higher likelihood of intensive caregiving among grandmothers relative to grandfathers, may help explain the gender difference in mental health outcomes. Heterogeneity analysis shows that higher-educated grandparents report more pronounced improvements, likely due to greater economic resources, with no significant differences between paternal and maternal grandparents. Using pre-grandchild living distance as a proxy for caregiving likelihood, results indicate that grandparents who are less likely to engage in intensive caregiving experience more substantial mental health gains. Grandparenthood also enhances satisfaction in relationships with adult children and overall quality of life. These findings provide insights into the mental health benefits of grandparenthood and suggest that policies such as child allowances or other fertility-boosting initiatives could yield positive spillover effects for the health of older adults.

Publications

1. "The Lasting Impact of the Tuskegee Study: COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitation among African Americans'' with Yang Jiao, Leilei Shen, and Zhuo Chen. Journal of Population Economics, 2024, 37(2):41. 

Working Papers

1. "The Impact of Job Insecurity on Health Behaviors: Evidence From the Chinese State-Owned Enterprise Reform." [Draft is available upon request]
2. "Does Medical Training of Local Health Department Executives Lead to Higher COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake and Slower Case Growth?" with Yang Jiao, Zhuo Chen, Xiangming Fang, and M. Mahmud Khan. [Public Health Paper] 

Selected Work-In-Progress

1. "School's Out, Parent's In: Parental Time with Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic'' with Yang Jiao and Xiaohan Zhang.
2. "Residence and Resilience: Post-Marital Living Arrangements and Mental Health" with Noman Ahmad.
3. "Education and Mental Health: Exploring the Impact of the Female Stipend Program in Bangladesh" with Noman Ahmad.
4. "Like Father, Like Son? Uncovering the Intergenerational Health Effects of Job Insecurity"
5. "Spousal BMI and Mental Health: An Instrumental Variables Approach'' with Yeongmi Jeong.