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Does extreme temperature exposure take a toll on mental health? Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2023

Yanran Chen Open the ORCID record for Yanran Chen [Opens in a new window] ,
Ruochen Sun ,
Xi Chen  and
Xuezheng Qin
Yanran Chen*
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, China
Ruochen Sun
Affiliation:
Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Xi Chen
Affiliation:
Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
Xuezheng Qin
Affiliation:
School of Economics, Peking University, Beijing, China
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: yanran.chen@cueb.edu.cn
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Abstract

Long-term exposure to extreme temperatures could threaten individuals' mental health and psychological wellbeing. This study aims to investigate the long-term impact of cumulative exposure to extreme temperature. Differently from existing literature, we define extreme temperature exposure in relative terms based on local temperature patterns. Combining the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and environmental data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2011 to 2015, this study demonstrates that heat and cold exposure days in the past year significantly increase the measured depression level of adults over age 45 by 1.75 and 3.00 per cent, respectively, controlling for the city, year, and individual fixed effects. The effect is heterogeneous across three components of depression symptoms as well as age, gender, and areas of residency, and air conditioning and heating equipment are effective in alleviating the adverse impact of heat and cold exposure. The estimation is robust and consistent across a variety of temperature measurements and model modifications. Our findings provide evidence on the long-term and accumulative cost of extreme temperature to middle-aged and elderly human capital, contributing to the understanding of the social cost of climate change and the consequent health inequality.

Keywords

agingclimate changeextreme temperaturemental health

JEL classification

I18: Government Policy • Regulation • Public Health Q54: Climate • Natural Disasters and Their Management • Global Warming I12: Health Behavior
Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 28 , Issue 5 , October 2023 , pp. 486 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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