Family Spillover Effects of Marginal Diagnoses: The Case of ADHD

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Persson, Petra; Qiu, Xinyao; Rossin-Slater, Maya
• 署名单位: Stanford University; National Bureau of Economic Research; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; Stanford University; Stanford University; IZA Institute Labor Economics
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20230303
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 225-256
• 关键词: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; deficit-hyperactivity disorder; Regression discontinuity designs; relative age; Substance use; School entry; HEALTH; birth; outcomes; COMMUNICATION

摘要

The health care system uses patient family medical history in many settings, and this practice is widely believed to improve the efficiency of health care allocation. This paper provides a counterpoint by documenting that reliance on hereditary information can amplify the misallocation of low-value care. We study Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and show that reliance on family medical history generates a snowball effect-the propagation of an original marginal diagnosis to a patient's relatives. This snowball effect raises the private and social costs of low-value care.