Research
Publications
Churchill, Brandyn F., Laura E. Henkhaus, and Emily C. Lawler. 2024. "Effect of vaccine recommendations on consumer and firm behavior." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. [Link]
Churchill, Brandyn F. and Laura E. Henkhaus. 2023. "The roles of cost and recommendations in driving vaccine take-up: evidence from the herpes zoster vaccine for shingles prevention." American Journal of Health Economics. [Link]
Media coverage: [Express Healthcare Management]
Henkhaus, Laura E. 2022. "The lasting consequences of childhood sexual abuse on human capital and economic well-being." Health Economics 32 (9): 1954-1972. [Link]
Abstract (Laura's version): Childhood sexual abuse is a prevalent problem, and the immediate mental health consequences are well understood. Yet, understanding of later-in-life outcomes is limited due to unobservable determinants. Here, I focus on a largely neglected area of the adult experience and examine impacts of childhood sexual abuse on later-in-life human capital and economic well-being. I estimate likely ranges around causal effects, using a nationally representative U.S. sample. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health shows that 14 percent of adults noted history of sexual abuse in childhood. Findings suggest that childhood sexual abuse leads to lower educational attainment and worse labor market outcomes. I show that associations between childhood sexual abuse and education outcomes and earnings are at least as large for males as for females. Childhood sexual abuse by someone other than a caregiver is as influential or more so than caregiver sexual abuse in predicting worse outcomes. Considering the societal burden of childhood sexual abuse, findings could inform policy and resource allocation decisions for development and implementation of best practices for prevention, detection, and support. In particular, results suggest that only treating the mental health symptoms of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse is not enough to reduce disparities in well-being.
Henkhaus, Laura E., Gilbert Gonzales, and Melinda B. Buntin. 2022. "An algorithm using Administrative Data to Measure Adverse Childhood Experiences (ADM-ACE)." Health Services Research 57 (4): 963-972. [Link]
Tran, Nathaniel, Laura E. Henkhaus, and Gilbert Gonzales. 2022. "Adverse childhood experiences and mental distress among US adults by sexual orientation." JAMA Psychiatry 79 (4): 377-379. [Link]
Media coverage: [Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action (podcast episode)]
Citation in legal proceedings: [U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, The Imperial Sovereign Court of the State of Montana et al v. Knudsen et al (2023)]
Henkhaus, Laura E., Melinda B. Buntin, Sarah Clark Henderson, Pikki Lai, and Stephen W. Patrick. 2021. "Disparities in receipt of medications for opioid use disorder among pregnant women." Substance Abuse 43 (1): 508-513. [Link]
Media coverage: [ABC News Memphis]
Patrick, Stephen W., Laura E. Henkhaus, Joseph S. Zickafoose, Kim Lovell, Alese Halvorson, Sarah Loch, Mia Letterie, and Matthew M. Davis. 2020. "Well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey." Pediatrics 146 (4): e2020016824. [Link]
Media coverage: [NBC News] [NBC Chicago] [WPLN News] [WKU Public Radio] [Courthouse News] [MedPage Today] [Medical Xpress] [Public Health on Call, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (podcast episode)]
Henkhaus, Laura E. 2019. "The child left behind: parental incarceration and adult human capital in the United States." American Economic Association Papers & Proceedings 109:199-203. [Link]
Joyce, Geoffrey, Laura E. Henkhaus, Laura Gascue, and Julie Zissimopoulos. 2018. "Generic drug price hikes and out-of-pocket spending for Medicare beneficiaries." Health Affairs 37 (10): 1578-1586. [Link]
Media coverage: [Forbes]
Seabury, Seth A., Charu N. Gupta, Tomas J. Philipson, Laura E. Henkhaus, and the PhRMA Medication Adherence Advisory Council. 2014. "Understanding and overcoming barriers to medication adherence: a review of research priorities." Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy 20 (8): 775-783. [Link]