Losing a parent in adulthood can affect earnings for years through mental health and family support, study finds

New research from the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford suggests that the death of a parent in adulthood can have effects that reach far beyond the immediate shock of bereavement. Published in the May issue of the American Economic Review, the study finds that parental loss is associated with persistent declines in earnings, alongside signs of worsening mental health. Women with young children experience a comparatively larger earnings decline, likely due to the loss of informal childcare.