Nonlinear Predictive Models for Multiple Mediation Analysis: With an Application to Explore Ethnic Disparities in Anxiety and Depression Among Cancer Survivors

Psychometrika volume 83, pages991–1006(2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Mediation analysis allows the examination of effects of a third variable (mediator/confounder) in the causal pathway between an exposure and an outcome. The general multiple mediation analysis method (MMA), proposed by Yu et al., improves traditional methods (e.g., estimation of natural and controlled direct effects) to enable consideration of multiple mediators/confounders simultaneously and the use of linear and nonlinear predictive models for estimating mediation/confounding effects. Previous studies find that compared with non-Hispanic cancer survivors, Hispanic survivors are more likely to endure anxiety and depression after cancer diagnoses. In this paper, we applied MMA on MY-Health study to identify mediators/confounders and quantify the indirect effect of each identified mediator/confounder in explaining ethnic disparities in anxiety and depression among cancer survivors who enrolled in the study. We considered a number of socio-demographic variables, tumor characteristics, and treatment factors as potential mediators/confounders and found that most of the ethnic differences in anxiety or depression between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white cancer survivors were explained by younger diagnosis age, lower education level, lower proportions of employment, less likely of being born in the USA, less insurance, and less social support among Hispanic patients.

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Funding

This study was partially funded by the NIMHD award # 1R15MD012387 and by the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Pilot Fund.

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Affiliations

  1. Biostatistics Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 3rd Floor, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Qingzhao Yu

  2. American College of Surgeon, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kaelen L. Medeiros

  3. Louisiana Tumor Registry, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Xiaocheng Wu

  4. Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Roxanne E. Jensen

Authors
  1. Qingzhao Yu
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  2. Kaelen L. Medeiros
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  3. Xiaocheng Wu
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  4. Roxanne E. Jensen
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Correspondence to Qingzhao Yu.

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Yu, Q., Medeiros, K.L., Wu, X. et al. Nonlinear Predictive Models for Multiple Mediation Analysis: With an Application to Explore Ethnic Disparities in Anxiety and Depression Among Cancer Survivors. Psychometrika 83, 991–1006 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-018-9612-2

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Keywords

  • ethnic disparity
  • health-related quality of life
  • mediation/confounding analysis
  • MY-Health study
  • nonlinear models