Impacts of alcohol consumption on farmers’ mental health: Insights from rural China

Abstract

The global mental health crisis presents a significant challenge to sustainable development, and this crisis is more pronounced in China's rural areas versus urban areas. Alcohol consumption has increased in rural areas with China's economic growth, but the number of studies on the relationship between farmers' alcohol consumption and their mental health is limited. Based on data from the China Labor Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), this study uses the endogenous switching regression model (ESR) to analyze the influence of alcohol consumption on farmers' mental health. On this basis, the study further conducts a counterfactual analysis to estimate the average treatment effect of alcohol consumption on farmers' mental health. The results show that: (1) There is a significant positive relationship between alcohol consumption and farmers' mental health. Specifically, the mental health index of drinking farmers increases by 19.7 % compared to non-drinking farmers. (2) Heterogeneity analysis shows that alcohol consumption is more beneficial for improving the mental health of male farmers, elderly farmers, and employed farmers. Furthermore, drinking alcohol almost every day, consuming Baijiu, and each drinking consumption ranging from 0 to 100 mL per occasion are more conducive to improving farmers' mental health. These findings have implications for relieving depressive symptomology and improving farmers' mental health in developing countries. The results of this study also provide guidance for addressing the global mental health crisis.