Surviving Childhood: Effects of Removing a Child From Home

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Helensdotter, Ronja
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University of Gothenburg
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6527
• DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdaf044
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: disability insurance receipt; former foster youth; health-care; household dysfunction; consumer bankruptcy; outcomes; DEPRESSION; IMPACT; crime; RISK

摘要

This paper studies the effects of the court-ordered removal of children from home on health, crime, and education. To isolate causal effects, I exploit quasi-random variation in judge assignment together with across-judge variation in the tendency to favour removal in an instrumental variable design. Using a novel data set (N=26,579) based on Swedish court documents that I transcribe and link with detailed register data, I find that court-ordered out-of-home placement has large adverse effects on the mortality of the marginal child. These effects are primarily driven by suicides that occur while the removed child is still placed in out-of-home care. Removal also causes an increase in hospitalizations for mental illness and non-narcotic crimes. There is little evidence of adverse health effects for birth parents. I explore potential explanations for the detrimental effects on child health. Adverse care conditions and peer exposure appear to be important channels.