Perinatal depression is a significant public health issue in New Jersey and in the United States, with wide disparities by race and socioeconomic status. Evidence shows that perinatal depression adversely affects a range of children’s health and developmental outcomes and is correlated with negative health outcomes for mothers, yet little is known about potential policy solutions to improve maternal mental health. This upcoming project will examine the impact of the expansion of paid family leave in New Jersey in 2019 and 2020 on maternal health.
Our central hypothesis is that access to expanded paid leave reduces economic insecurity and stress among new mothers, leading to improved mental health. Researchers will use unique data from the Integrated Population Health Database (iPHD) to link New Jersey birth records with hospital discharge records. Because of New Jersey’s universal screening policy for perinatal depression, data on depressive symptoms at delivery using a validated instrument are available for all women giving birth in NJ hospitals. Our primary aim is to assess the impact of expanded paid leave on depressive symptoms.
Using a rigorous quasi-experimental approach, we will compare the levels of depressive symptoms among those eligible for the benefits to a control group that was ineligible, before and after the policy changes. The secondary aims of this research are to examine the impact of the policy expansion on postpartum outcomes, including emergency department use and hospitalizations in the first year postpartum.
In addition to improving mental health, paid leave may increase time available for attending preventive care which may reduce unnecessary and costly emergency department use. We will also conduct a cost-benefit analysis of New Jersey’s paid family leave policy. Finally, we will examine the extent to which the policy reduced maternal health disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
This project will provide critical evidence on the effectiveness of a flagship New Jersey public policy that crosses leading priority areas of maternal health, mental health, and economic security.