Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36701540›Full record

ReviewPsychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy2023

A brief primer on conducting regression-based causal mediation analysis.

Yi Li, Kazuki Yoshida, Jay S Kaufman, Maya B Mathur

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. The longitudinal role of sleep on self-harm during adolescence: A birth cohort study.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
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

4 authors.

Yi LiDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University.ORCID 0000-0002-9359-210X
Kazuki YoshidaDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital.ORCID 0000-0002-2030-3549
Jay S KaufmanDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University.ORCID 0000-0003-1606-401X
Maya B MathurQuantitative Science Unit, Department of Medicine, Stanford University.ORCID 0000-0001-6698-2607

Funding

Translational Oncology Research Program (Project-005)P30CA124435 · NCI · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI Melinda L. Telli · 2007 to 2026
$71.4M
Stanford Center for Clinical & Translational Education and Research (Spectrum)UL1TR003142 · NCATS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI O'HARA, RUTH M · 2019 to 2023
$45.0M
Stanford Islet Research CoreP30DK116074 · NIDDK · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI Seung K Kim · 2017 to 2026
$19.5M
Theory and methods for mediation and interactionR01CA222147 · NCI · HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI TCHETGEN TCHETGEN, ERIC JOEL, VANDERWEELE, TYLER · 2018 to 2022
$2.1M
Statistical Methods for Modern Evidence Syntheses with Multiple BiasesR01LM013866 · NLM · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI MATHUR, MAYA · 2021 to 2024
$1.3M
Gout and Cardiovascular Comorbidities: Disentangling the Interplay with Advanced Methods to Address Measurement IssuesK23AR076453 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI YOSHIDA, KAZUKI · 2020 to 2022
$439k
Causal Inference for Better Understanding Clinical Trials Results: Reconciling Discrepant Comparative Evidence from Two Major Cardiovascular Safety Trials of Urate-Lowering TherapyR03AR081309 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI TEDESCHI, SARA K. · 2022 to 2023
$179k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR003142NCI NIH HHS P30 CA124435NCI NIH HHS R01 CA222147NIAMS NIH HHSNIAMS NIH HHS K23 AR076453NIAMS NIH HHS R03 AR081309NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK116074NIH HHSNLM NIH HHS R01 LM013866
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe provide an overview of regression-based causal mediation analysis in the field of traumatic stress and guidance on how to conduct mediation analysis using our R package

methodWe discuss the causal interpretations of the quantities that causal mediation analysis estimates, including total, direct, and indirect effects, especially when the interaction between exposure and mediator is permitted. We discuss the assumptions that must be fulfilled for mediation analyses to validly estimate these causal quantities, discuss suitable study designs for assessing mediation, and describe how causal mediation analysis differs from traditional methods of mediation. To illustrate how to conduct and interpret mediation analysis using our R package

resultsWhen the exposure and the mediator interact, traditional methods can provide estimates of direct and indirect effects that differ from those provided by more flexible causal mediation methods. When the exposure and the mediator do not interact, traditional methods and causal mediation method may estimate similar direct and indirect effects depending on the model specification.

conclusionsIn contrast to traditional methods of mediation analysis, regression-based causal mediation methods seek to estimate specific interventional quantities, not mere associations, and the causal methods explicitly allow for exposure-mediator interactions. We recommend using these methods by default rather than using more restrictive traditional methods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Indexed as

COVID-19Mediation AnalysisCausalityChildCommunicable Disease ControlHumansLongitudinal StudiesModels, Statistical

Identifiers

PMID36701540
PMCPMC10368791

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.