Mediation analysis is a methodology used to understand how and why behavioral phenomena occur. New mediation methods based on the potential outcomes framework are a seminal advancement for mediation analysis because they focus on the causal basis of mediation. Despite the importance of the potential outcomes framework in other fields, the methods are not well known in prevention and other disciplines. The interaction of a treatment (X) and a mediator (M) on an outcome variable (Y) is central to the potential outcomes framework for causal mediation analysis and provides a way to link traditional and modern causal mediation methods. As described in the paper, for a continuous mediator and outcome, if the XM interaction is zero, then potential outcomes estimators of the mediated effect are equal to the traditional model estimators. If the XM interaction is nonzero, the potential outcomes estimators correspond to simple direct and simple mediated contrasts for the treatment and the control groups in traditional mediation analysis. Links between traditional and causal mediation estimators clarify the meaning of potential outcomes framework mediation quantities. A simulation study demonstrates that testing for a XM interaction that is zero in the population can reduce power to detect mediated effects, and ignoring a nonzero XM interaction in the population can also reduce power to detect mediated effects in some situations. We recommend that prevention scientists incorporate evaluation of the XM interaction in their research.

译文

中介分析是一种用于理解行为现象发生的方式和原因的方法。基于潜在结果框架的新调解方法是调解分析的开创性进展,因为它们侧重于调解的因果基础。尽管潜在结果框架在其他领域很重要,但在预防和其他学科中,这些方法并不为人所知。治疗 (X) 和中介 (M) 对结果变量 (Y) 的相互作用是因果中介分析的潜在结果框架的核心,并提供了一种将传统和现代因果中介方法联系起来的方法。如本文所述,对于连续的中介和结果,如果XM相互作用为零,则中介效应的潜在结果估计量等于传统的模型估计量。如果XM相互作用非零,则在传统中介分析中,潜在的结果估计量对应于治疗组和对照组的简单直接和简单介导的对比。传统中介估计量和因果中介估计量之间的联系阐明了潜在结果框架中介量的含义。模拟研究表明,对人群中为零的XM相互作用进行测试可以降低检测中介效应的能力,而忽略人群中非零的XM相互作用也可以降低在某些情况下检测中介效应的能力。我们建议预防科学家在研究中纳入对XM相互作用的评估。

+1
+2
100研值 100研值 ¥99课程
检索文献一次
下载文献一次

去下载>

成功解锁2个技能,为你点赞

《SCI写作十大必备语法》
解决你的SCI语法难题!

技能熟练度+1

视频课《玩转文献检索》
让你成为检索达人!

恭喜完成新手挑战

手机微信扫一扫,添加好友领取

免费领《Endnote文献管理工具+教程》

微信扫码, 免费领取

手机登录

获取验证码
登录