Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24729404›Full record

ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2014

Measurement confounding affects the extent to which verbal IQ explains social gradients in mortality.

Benjamin Chapman, Kevin Fiscella, Paul Duberstein, Ichiro Kawachi, Peter Muennig

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Assessing harmonized intelligence measures in a multinational study.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Benjamin ChapmanDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
Kevin FiscellaDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Center for Communication and Disparities Research, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
Paul DubersteinDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Center for Communication and Disparities Research, Rochester, New York, USA.
Ichiro KawachiDepartment of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Peter MuennigDepartment of Health Management and Policy, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

Personality-Epidemiologic Research on Inequalities in LongevityR01AG042582 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI CHAPMAN, BENJAMIN P · 2013 to 2017
$1.5M
A dataset for the study of the social determinants of health.RC2MD004768 · NIMHD · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI MUENNIG, PETER A · 2009 to 2010
$1.2M
Linking Personality and SES Influences on Lifespan HealthK08AG031328 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI CHAPMAN, BENJAMIN P · 2008 to 2012
$623k
NIA NIH HHS K08 AG031328NIA NIH HHS K08AG031328NIA NIH HHS R01 AG042582NIA NIH HHS R01AG044588NIMHD NIH HHS RC2 MD004768NIMHD NIH HHS RC2MD004768
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIQ is thought to explain social gradients in mortality. IQ scores are based roughly equally on Verbal IQ (VIQ) and Performance IQ tests. VIQ tests, however, are suspected to confound true verbal ability with socioeconomic status (SES), raising the possibility that associations between SES and IQ scores might be overestimated. We examined, first, whether two of the most common types of VIQ tests exhibited differential item functioning (DIF) favouring persons of higher SES and/or majority race/ethnicity. Second, we assessed what impact, if any, this had on estimates of the extent to which VIQ explains social gradients in mortality.

methodsData from the General Social Survey-National Death Index cohort, a US population representative dataset, was used. Item response theory models queried social-factor DIF on the Thorndike Verbal Intelligence Scale and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Revised Similarities test. Cox models examined mortality associations among SES and VIQ scores corrected and uncorrected for DIF.

resultsWhen uncorrected for DIF, VIQ was correlated with income, education, occupational prestige and race, with correlation coefficients ranging between |0.12| and |0.43|. After correcting for DIF, correlations ranged from |0.06| to |0.16|. Uncorrected VIQ scores explained 11-40% of the Relative Index of Inequalities in mortality for social factors, while DIF-corrected scores explained 2-29%.

conclusionsTwo of the common forms of VIQ tests appear confound verbal intelligence with SES. Since these tests appear in most IQ batteries, circumspection may be warranted in estimating the amount of social inequalities in mortality attributable to IQ.

Indexed as

Confounding Factors, EpidemiologicIntelligenceIntelligence TestsMortalitySocial ClassAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited StatesVerbal BehaviorCognitionMortalitySocial Epidemiology

Identifiers

PMID24729404
PMCPMC4846277

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.