Uptake of Cervical Screening among Mothers of Children with Disabilities: Evidence from Finland

Mauro Martinelli , Bocconi University
Elena Neri, Nuffield College, University of Oxford
Nicoletta Balbo, Bocconi University
Pekka Martikainen, University of Helsinki

In this paper, we investigate how caring for a child with a disability shapes mothers’ uptake of preventive cervical cancer screening. Prior research highlights caregiving as a strongly gendered activity with substantial implication for caregivers’ health. Yet, little is known about how caregiving affects mothers’ own engagement in preventive care. Two contrasting hypotheses guide our analysis: caregiving may constrain mothers' time and resources, reducing preventive behaviors; alternatively, it may facilitate health-system contact and trigger risk reappraisal, facilitating uptake. Using longitudinal Finnish administrative data, we implement a staggered difference-in-differences design, comparing screening participation for mothers of children with disabilities to similar mothers. Preliminary event-study estimates show no systematic pre-trends, but suggest an anticipation effect prior to caregiving onset. Post-treatment estimates are positive yet not statistically significant. Overall, although exploratory, findings suggest caregiving does not suppress preventive behavior and may modestly facilitate screening. We discuss implications for outreach to caregivers and outline directions for future research.

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 Presented in Session P5. Health, Mortality, and Ageing 1