The Effect of Smoking on Mental Health: Evidence from a Randomized Trial / Katherine Meckel, Katherine P. Rittenhouse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meckel, Katherine.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Rittenhouse, Katherine P.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w29867.

NBER working paper series no. w29867

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2022.

Summary:

This paper aims to identify the causal effects of smoking on mental health using data from the Lung Health Study, a randomized trial of smoking cessation treatment with five years of follow-up interviews. In the short-run, distress increases, likely reflecting the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Long-run effects on mental health are small overall, but mask heterogeneity by gender. For women, the cessation program leads to improved mental health, driven by decreases in insomnia and nervousness. Men do not experience these improvements, due in part to a small increase in severe disturbances.

Notes:

Print version record

March 2022.