Student Disadvantage Raises Teachers’ Stress-Related Sick Leave in Swedish Schools
In a Hoover Institution presentation of an NBER paper, Krzysztof Karbownik argues that student composition should be treated as a workplace condition for teachers, not just a background feature of schools. Using Swedish register data on secondary teachers, the study finds that teachers in schools serving more disadvantaged students have higher rates of doctor-certified sick leave, especially for psychiatric and stress-related diagnoses, and that the pattern persists when comparing teachers to themselves as student cohorts change. Karbownik’s mechanism is classroom interaction—conflict, threats, lack of respect and poor climate—rather than workload or school management alone.
Hoover Institution·May 20, 2026·18 min read
