Seminar Depression, Violence and Bargaining Power

Abstract

Does treating maternal depression reduce women's exposure to intimate partner violence? Harnessing a randomized psychological intervention and eight years of follow-up data, we find that while treatment reduced maternal depression, it also increased women's likelihood of experiencing violence. These average effects, however, mask divergent trajectories shaped by women's baseline status relative to their husbands. Among higher-status women, psychotherapy reduced sexual violence and strengthened their bargaining position: they participate more in household decision-making, have higher labor force participation, and achieve lower fertility. Among lower-status women, despite similar initial reductions in depression, treatment led to increased psychological, physical, and sexual violence, alongside decreased involvement in household decision-making and lower labor force participation. For this group, the resulting violence ultimately reversed the initial mental health gains, showing that psychological interventions can be either undermined or reinforced by the household power dynamics they disrupt.