Abstract
Mediation analysis is used to assess the direct effect of an exposure on an outcome, and the indirect effect transmitted by a third intermediate variable. Longitudinal data are the most suited to address mediation, since they allow mediational effects to manifest over time. There exist several approaches to deal with longitudinal mediation analysis, and one of the most widely spread, especially in social and behavioural sciences, consists of using multilevel models. However, when applied to mediational settings, these models present some limitations that can be overcome moving to a structural perspective. In this paper we propose a new formalisation of multilevel models within a structural framework combining the reticular action model notation and the definition variable approach. We reconsider two multilevel mediation designs very frequent in longitudinal settings from this structural perspective, discuss the advantages and limitations of such an approach and provide an empirical example.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The SAFE data used in this study are freely available in the NAHDAP Repository, at the following link: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/NAHDAP/studies/34368, https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34368.v1.
Notes
In the original notation proposed by McArdle and McDonald (1984) \(\varvec{\Gamma }\) and \(\varvec{\Psi }\) are called \({\varvec{A}}\) and \({\varvec{S}}\), respectively. These are also the names they take in specialised software or packages, like OpenMx and sem packages in R.
References
Asparouhov T, Muthén B (2019) Latent variable centering of predictors and mediators in multilevel and time-series models. Struct Equ Model 26(1):119–142
Baron RM, Kenny DA (1986) The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol 51(6):1173–1182
Bauer DJ (2003) Estimating multilevel linear models as structural equation models. J Educ Behav Statist 28(2):135–167
Bauer DJ, Preacher KJ, Gil KM (2006) Conceptualizing and testing random indirect effects and moderated mediation in multilevel models: new procedures and recommendations. Psychol Methods 11(2):142–163
Bollen KA, Curran PJ (2006) Latent curve models. A structural equation perspective. Wiley, Hoboken
Boonk L, Gijselaers HJ, Ritzen H, Brand-Gruwel S (2018) A review of the relationship between parental involvement indicators and academic achievement. Educ Res Rev 24:10–30
Castro M, Expósito-Casas E, López-Martín E, Lizasoain L, Navarro-Asencio E, Gaviria JL (2015) Parental involvement on student academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Educ Res Rev 14:33–46
Chou C, Bentler PM, Pentz MA (1998) Comparisons of two statistical approaches to study growth curves: the multilevel model and the latent curve analysis. Struct Equ Model 5(3):247–266
Cole DA, Maxwell SE (2003) Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: questions and tips in the use of structural equation modeling. J Abnorm Psychol 112(4):558–577
Curran PJ (2003) Have multilevel models been structural equation models all along? Multivar Behav Res 38(4):529–569
Domina T (2005) Leveling the home advantage: assessing the effectiveness of parental involvement in elementary school. Sociol Educ 78:233–249
Duncan TE, Duncan SC (2004) An introduction to latent growth curve modeling. Behav Ther 35:333–363
Fan X, Chen M (2001) Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: a meta-analysis. Educ Psychol Rev 13:1–22
Henderson CR (1973) Sire evaluation and genetic trends. J Anim Sci 1973:10–41
Jöreskog KG (1973) A general method for estimating a linear structural equation system. In: Goldberger A, Duncan OD (eds) Structural equation models in the social sciences. Academic Press, New York, pp 85–112
Jöreskog KG (1978) Structural analysis of covariance and correlation matrices. Psychometrika 43:443–477
Jöreskog KG, Sörbom D (2001) LISREL 8 user’s reference guide. Scientific Software International, Chicago
Kenny DA, Korchmaros JD, Bolger N (2003) Lower level mediation in multilevel models. Psychol Methods 8(2):115–128
Krull JL, MacKinnon DP (1999) Multilevel mediation modeling in group-based intervention studies. Eval Rev 23(4):418–444
Krull JL, MacKinnon DP (2001) Multilevel modeling of individual and group level mediated effects. Multivar Behav Res 36(2):249–277
Laird NM, Ware JH (1982) Random effects models for longitudinal data. Biometrics 38:963–974
Lee JS, Bowen NK (2005) Parent involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement gap among elementary school children. Am Educ Res J 43(2):193–218
Maxwell SE, Cole DA (2007) Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation. Psychol Methods 12(1):23–44
Maxwell SE, Cole DA, Mitchell MA (2011) Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation: partial and complete mediation under an autoregressive model. Multivar Behav Res 46:816–841
McArdle JJ (1978) A structural view of structural models. Paper presented at the winter workshop on latent structure models applied to developmental data. University of Denver
McArdle JJ (1979a) The development of general multivariate software. In: Proceedings of the association for the development of computer-based instructional systems. University of Akron Press, Akron, pp 824–862
McArdle JJ (1979b) Reticular analysis modeling (RAM) theory: the simplicity and generality of structural equations. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, New York
McArdle JJ (2005) The development of the RAM rules for latent variable structural equation modeling. In: Maydeu-Olivares A, McArdle JJ (eds) Contemporary Psychometrics. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey, pp 225–273
McArdle JJ, McDonald RP (1984) Some algebraic properties of the Reticular Action Model for moment structures. Br J Math Stat Psychol 37:234–251
McNeal RBJ (2014) Parent involvement, academic achievement and the role of student attitudes and behaviors as mediators. Univ J Educ Rev 2(8):564–576
McNeish D, Matta T (2018) Differentiating between mixed-effects and latent-curve approaches to growth modeling. Behav Res Methods 50:1398–1414
Mehta PD, Neale MC (2005) People are variables too: multilevel structural equations modeling. Psychol Methods 10(3):259–284
Mehta PD, West SG (2000) Putting the individual back into individual growth curves. Psychol Methods 5(1):23–43
Meredith W, Tisak J (1984) “Tuckerizing” growth curves. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Psychometric Society, Santa Barbara
Meredith W, Tisak J (1990) Latent curve analysis. Psychometrika 55(1):107–122
O’Laughlin KD, Martin MJ, Ferrer E (2018) Cross-sectional analysis of longitudinal mediation processes. Multivar Behav Res 53(3):375–402
Otani M (2020) Parental involvement and academic achievement among elementary and middle school students. Asia Pac Educ Rev 21:1–25
Preacher KJ (2011) Multilevel SEM strategies for evaluating mediation in three-level data. Multivar Behav Res 46(4):691–731
Preacher KJ, Zyphur MJ, Zhang Z (2010) A general multilevel SEM framework for assessing multilevel mediation. Psychol Methods 15(3):209–233
Preacher KJ, Zhang Z, Zyphur MJ (2011) Alternative methods for assessing mediation in multilevel data: the advantages of multilevel SEM. Struct Equ Model 18(2):161–182
Rappaport LM, Amstadter AB, Neale MC (2020) Level-specific evaluation of model fit in multilevel structural equation modeling. Struct Equ Model 27(2):318–329
Reynolds CR, Kamphaus RW (2004) Behavior assessment system for children. American Guidance Service, Circle Pines
Rogers M, Theule J, Ryan B, Adams G, Keating L (2009) Parental involvement and children’s school achievement: evidence for mediating processes. Can J Sch Psychol 24:34–57
Rovine MJ, Molenaar PCM (1998) A nonstandard method for estimating a linear growth model in LISREL. Int J Behav Dev 22(3):453–473
Rovine MJ, Molenaar PCM (2000) A structural modeling approach to a multilevel random coefficients model. Multivar Behav Res 35(1):51–88
Rovine MJ, Molenaar PCM (2001) A structural equations modeling approach to the general linear mixed model. In: Collins LM, Sayer AG (eds) New methods for the analysis of change. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, pp 65–96
Ryu E, West SG (2009) Level-specific evaluation of model fit in multilevel structural equation modeling. Struct Equ Model 16(4):583–601
Tofighi D (2010) 12. Multilevel mediation analysis: statistical assumptions and centering. PhD thesis, Arizona State University
Topor DR, Keane SP, Shelton TL, Calkins SD (2010) Parent involvement and student academic performance: a multiple mediational analysis. Univ J Educ Rev 38(3):183–197
Wilder S (2014) Effects of parental involvement on academic achievement: a meta-synthesis. Educ Rev 66(3):377–397
Woodcock RW (1997) Woodcock diagnostic reading battery: examiner’s manual. Riverside Publishing, Itasca
Yuan K, Bentler PM (2007) Multilevel covariance structure analysis by fitting multiple single-level models. Sociol Methodol 37(1):53–82
Zigler CK, Ye F (2019) A comparison of multilevel mediation modeling methods: recommendations for applied researchers. Multivar Behav Res 54(3):338–359
Funding
No funding was received for conducting this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author has no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Di Maria, C. Structural multilevel models for longitudinal mediation analysis: a definition variable approach. Stat Papers 64, 2161–2182 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00362-022-01378-w
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00362-022-01378-w