Forced Intercourse, Mental Health, and Human Capital

Daniel I. Rees, University of Colorado at Denver
Joseph J. Sabia, United States Military Academy at West Point

Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study estimates effects of being the victim of forced intercourse on the mental health, academic performance, and educational attainment of young women while paying careful attention to the role of unobservables at the individual, family, and community levels. Our results suggest that forced intercourse is strongly related to depression and academic performance in the short run. However, after controlling for unobservables, the estimated effect of forced intercourse is substantially reduced in the long run.