Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298469 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 2023:2
Publisher: 
Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Lund
Abstract: 
The prevalence of mental ill-health is increasing among young people in many developed countries, raising concerns about their well-being. Experts have pointed to several potential contributing factors, including a heightened emphasis on educational achievement and performance evaluation, as well as shifting demands in the high-skilled job market. In this paper, we study the effect of introducing earlier grades in compulsory school on child mental health in Sweden. To do so, we exploit a grading reform in Swedish compulsory schools in which grades were introduced at an earlier age, in 6th grade instead of 8th grade as was previously the case. The reform provides a situation where the age at which children receive their first grade is arbitrary depending on if the child is born before or after the year-end. We show that girls who are exposed to one year earlier grades are more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety by the end of compulsory school, controlling for potential age effects in a difference-in-discontinuities setup. We do not find similar effects among boys. Overall, these results imply that girls' mental well-being may be particularly responsive to educational assessment through grades at earlier ages.
Subjects: 
education policy
school grades
mental health
human capital development
JEL: 
I10
I21
I28
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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