When wealth hurts: Inheritances and the health of older Europeans

Belloc, Ignacio (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Molina, José Alberto (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Velilla, Jorge (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: We study the impact of inheritances on physical and mental health outcomes, using a longitudinal, cross-country dataset covering 16 European countries over 2004–2017. The results show that the receipt of an inheritance is negatively associated with BMI and being obese among women. We also find evidence of an increase in the probability of experiencing depressive symptoms among women following an inheritance. When we account for individual heterogeneity, we find that the receipt of an inheritance increases the probability of being depressed by 2.3 percentage points among women. This finding is driven by unexpected inheritances and female heirs who are less educated, unmarried, unemployed, and living in Southern European countries. In addition, the receipt of an inheritance increases the probability of women engaging in vigorous and moderate physical activities by 2.6 and 2 percentage points, respectively.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2025.100591

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Journal of the Economics of Ageing 32 (2025), 100591 [21 pp.]
ISSN: 2212-828X

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Fund. Análisis Económico (Dpto. Análisis Económico)