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Abstract
This dissertation examines how family structure, labor market shocks, and historical legacies shape individual health behaviors and outcomes. In chapter 1, I study the mental health effects of becoming a grandparent using panel data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Event study estimates show that the transition to grandparenthood reduces the likelihood of probable depression by 5.5 percentage points, a 35 percent decline relative to the baseline mean. Reduced loneliness emerges as the primary channel. To better understand the mental health effects, I examine potential mechanisms including labor market transitions, relationship satisfaction, and caregiving responsibilities. Using pre-birth geographic distance as a proxy for caregiving intensity, I find that grandparents who are less likely to provide intensive childcare experience larger mental health gains. This suggests that the psychological benefits of grandparenthood may be attenuated when accompanied by substantial caregiving demands. Chapter 2 examines how the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in late 1990s China affected smoking and alcohol use. The study compares SOE workers, who faced widespread layoffs and heightened job uncertainty, with government employees in stable positions. Using a difference-in-differences design, the analysis finds that exposure to SOE reform led to higher rates of smoking, increased cigarette consumption, and greater alcohol use. These effects are concentrated among less-educated workers and those in smaller firms, consistent with greater vulnerability to economic disruption. The findings highlight the behavioral costs of labor market shocks and the uneven burden placed on disadvantaged groups. Chapter 3 explores the long-term impact of historical institutional failure on present-day health behavior. Focusing on the legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the analysis shows that counties closer to Tuskegee experienced slower reductions in the black–white gap in COVID-19 vaccination rates. The results suggest that long-standing medical mistrust continues to shape racial disparities in public health uptake, even in response to modern interventions.