Impact of Credit Constraints from Formal Financial Institutions on Rural Residents’ Health in China

Xiao²,

Yang³

2023

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

ObjectivesThis study examined how living without parents at different stages of childhood and adolescence affects physical and mental health in adulthood.MethodsThe data came from 3,464 survey respondents aged 18–36 in the 2018 China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey. Physical health was self-rated. Mental health was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. The ordered probit and ordinary least-squares regression analyses were employed to determine the associations between growing up without parents at different stages in pre-adulthood and individual physical and mental health in adulthood.ResultsIndividuals who did not live with their parents during their minor years were more likely to report worse physical and mental health in adulthood, compared to those who lived with their parents. This difference was heterogeneous among different age stages and genders.ConclusionsAbsence of parents in the household has long-term impacts on the physical and mental health of children in adulthood, especially for females. The government should make feasible institutional arrangements to avoid the separation of minor children from their parents.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accompanying your children: Living without parents at different stages of pre-adulthood and individual physical and mental health in adulthood

Xiao²,

Yang³

2023

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

“…To explore the potential channels through which the total number of births impacts the physical and mental health of women of childbearing age, we empirically tested the mediating effects of family resource limitations and the multiple roles of women. Income is the pillar of family resources and provides vital support that allows women to maintain good health ( 46 ). Compared to the high-income women, the low-income women may face more financial restrictions on health investment and, ultimately, have the worse health outcomes ( 47 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motherhood Health Penalty: Impact of Fertility on Physical and Mental Health of Chinese Women of Childbearing Age

Yang

2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe negative consequences of childbearing on mothers are called the motherhood penalty, and it manifests in the aspects of women's physical and mental health. In May 2021, China relaxed its birth policy that allowed a married couple to have three children. It gives women the opportunity to have more children, but also may increase more risks to mothers' physical and mental health.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to clarify the relationships between the fertility and the physical/mental health of women of childbearing age and empirically confirm the existence of the motherhood health penalty in China.Materials and MethodsUsing a nationally representative dataset from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2018, we examined the effects of fertility on the physical and mental health of Chinese women of childbearing age. Physical health was self-rated, and mental health was assessed according to the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. The instrumental variable approach and the models of inverse probability of treatment weighting of propensity scores and regression adjustment were employed to overcome the endogeneity between fertility and health of women.ResultsThe empirical results showed that the total number of births had significant adverse impacts on the physical and mental health of women of childbearing age, which empirically demonstrated the existence of the motherhood health penalty in China. The results of heterogeneity analysis indicated that the physical and mental health of the rural women was more easily affected by childbearing compared with that of the urban samples. In a mechanism analysis, the pathways of income and the multiple roles played by mothers were found to mediate the impacts of the total number of births on the physical and mental health of women. The robustness checks showed that the results of this study were robust.ConclusionsThe findings of this study extend the motherhood penalty to the health domain, and they have important implications for improving healthcare policy for women of childbearing age in China and other countries and regions and promoting gender equality in the healthcare field.

“…In fact, it is common to use the average of samples in a certain range as an IV. Studies used this approach to explore the relationship between corruption, taxation, and economic growth, relationship between health and credit constraints (Fisman and Svensson, 2007 ; Yang et al, 2021a ). The results of empirical tests of the IV are presented in Section Results.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridge of Rainbow: Association Between Internet-Based Social Media Use and Homosexuality Inclusion in China

Yang

2022

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

By using the nationally representative dataset of China Labor-force Dynamics Survey, this paper explored the relationship between internet-based social media use and Chinese people's homosexuality inclusion. Addressing endogeneity by using an instrumental variable approach, the results of instrumental variable-ordered probit model indicated that individuals' internet-based social media use had a positive and significant association with their homosexuality inclusion. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis revealed that the heterogeneous effects of internet-based social media use on homosexuality inclusion caused by income, gender, and region. The homosexuality inclusion of respondents with higher income, respondents of female gender, and respondents located in eastern region of China was found to be more evidently associated with internet-based social media use. The functional mechanism analysis suggested that the number of respondents' LGBT friends mediated the overall relationship between internet-based social media use and homosexuality inclusion. The robustness check showed that the results were robust cross different models. The findings in this paper provide new evidence that the effect of information technology development on individual perception and behavior in Chinese context.