The effect of cash transfers on mental health
Opening the black box - A study from South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5093290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julius Ohrnberger (0000-0001-7097-4917, Imperial College London, corresponding author), Laura Anselmi (0000-0002-2499-7656, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre), Eleonora Fichera (0000-0002-4729-0338, University of Bath), Madeline Sutton (0000-0002-6635-2127, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 260 |
| Pages | 113181 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science & Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113181 |
| PMID | 32688162 |
| OpenAlex | W3039048784 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 46 |
There is a gap in the literature in understanding how cash transfer programmes affect mental health. We aim to fill this gap by conceptualising and estimating the mediation effects of an unconditional cash transfer programme on mental health. We use a sample of 4,535 adults living below the South African poverty line in four waves (2008-2014) of the South African National Income Dynamics Study. We use information on individual exposure to South Africa's largest unconditional cash transfer programme, the Child Support Grant. Mental health is measured by the 10-item version of the Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale. We use the product of the coefficient method for the mediation analysis in combination with instrumental variable estimation. We find that physical health and lifestyle factors mediate the relationship of the unconditional cash transfer programme, each explaining about eight percent and 16% of the total positive effect. Our findings show that individuals living in poverty make investment decisions that are positive for their mental health, which has strong implications for policy makers
Cash · Cash transfers · Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Mediation · Mental health · Poverty · Psychiatry · Public health · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Employment and Welfare Studies · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Nursing · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology · Finance · Gerontology
Accompanying your children
Cash transfers and health outcomes
Annual Research Review
Mental health effects of government transfer payments in urban China—An empirical study based on CFPS panel data
Women's empowerment and mental well-being
The mental health impact for adolescents ageing out of South Africa’s child support grant
The impact of cash incentives on mental health among adults initiating antiretroviral therapy in Tanzania
Exploring the impact of a complex intervention for women with depression in contexts of adversity
The road to recovery
Potential mechanisms by which cash transfer programmes could improve the mental health and life chances of young people
The negative health spillover effects of universal primary education policy
Child Tax Credit, Spending Patterns, and Mental Health
SNAP participation and the health and health care utilisation of low-income adults and children
The labour market effects of cash transfers to the unemployed
Financial resilience and life satisfaction of youth
From subsidies to nutrition
Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women
Effects of a Large-Scale Unconditional Cash Transfer Program on Mental Health Outcomes of Young People in Kenya
Social determinants of mental disorders and the Sustainable Development Goals
What is the relevance of mental health to HIV/Aids care and treatment programs in developing countries? A systematic review
Social determinants of mental health
A review of lifestyle factors that contribute to important pathways associated with major depression
Validated Screening Tools for Common Mental Disorders in Low and Middle Income Countries
Mental health in low- and middle-income countries
Debt, income and mental disorder in the general population
The CES-D Scale
Closing the mental health treatment gap in South Africa
Living with parents or grandparents increases social capital and survival
Smoking and body weight
Mental health in the slums of Dhaka - a geoepidemiological study
The effect of cash transfers on mental health – new evidence from South Africa
Cash Transfers, Young Women’s Economic Well-Being, and HIV Risk
Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle income countries
The impact of cash transfers on social determinants of health and health inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa
Causal Mediation Analysis
The Social and Productive Impacts of Zambia's Child Grant
Identifying Mechanisms Behind Policy Interventions via Causal Mediation Analysis
Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa
On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health
The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
Understanding the Mechanisms Through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes
Social determinants of psychological distress in a nationally-representative sample of South African adults
Investments in social capital-implications of social interactions for the production of health
Government of Malawi's unconditional cash transfer improves youth mental health
The relationship between physical and mental health
Cash Transfers and Temptation Goods
Unpacking the Black Box of Causality
The effects of cash transfers on adult labor market outcomes
| Unique citing works | 16 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |