Early Retirement and Public Disability Insurance Applications: Exploring the Impact of Depression / Rena M. Conti, Ernst R. Berndt, Richard G. Frank.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Conti, Rena M.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Berndt, Ernst R.

Frank, Richard G.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w12237.

NBER working paper series no. w12237

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Early Retirement and Public Disability Insurance Applications

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2006.

Summary:

This paper investigates the impact of depression on labor force participation among older workers. Empirically, we use two analytic strategies and rely on a sample drawn from the Health and Retirement Survey. Depression directly and indirectly increases individuals' probability of retiring early and applying for DI benefits, after accounting for other predictors of labor force exit. Accounting for the independent effects of depression, disability associated with physical illness may be smaller than the official statistics suggest. There may be great economic gains in increasing depression treatment awareness and access to treatment for individuals, employers and society.

Notes:

Print version record

May 2006.