| Number |
CREPEDP-166 |
| Publication Date |
January 2025 |
| Title |
Mental Disorder, Altruism, and Empathy:
Experimental Evidence from Middle School Students
in Post-Earthquake Sichuan, China
|
| Authors |
Albert Park, Yasuyuki Sawada, Menghan Shen,
Sangui Wang, Heng Wang, and Ze Wang
|
| Abstract |
The paper examines the impact of having a mentally disordered peer on middle
school students’ social preferences after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China. Using
random classroom assignments, height-based seating arrangements, and lab-inthe-
field experiments such as dictator and public goods games, the study has found
that having a disabled peer significantly enhances altruistic behavior, driven largely
by empathy among students with shared traumatic experiences. These findings
highlight how peer effects in post-disaster contexts foster social cohesion and prosocial
behaviors, reflecting a self-recovery mechanism inherent in human nature that
may mitigate secondary trauma and improve welfare. |
| Other information |
Paper in English (96 pages) |