SEM methodology

_________________________________________________________________

 

 

Bollen, K. A. (1989).  Structural equations with latent variables. Wiley Series in  Probability and Mathematical Statistics. New York:  Wiley.

 

 

Bollen, K.A., & Long, J.S.  (eds.) (1993). Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

 

Bollen, K.A. and R. Lennox. 1991. "Conventional Wisdom on Measurement: A Structural  Equation Perspective." Psychological Bulletin, 110: 305-314.

 

      available in .pdf format from Bollen's web site at       http://www.unc.edu/~bollen/semwork.html

 

 

 

Bollen, K.A. (2002). Latent variables in psychology and the social sciences. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 605-634.

 

      .pdf available at http://psych.annualreviews.org/current.shtml

 

____________________________________________________

 

Bentler, P.M., & Dudgeon , P. (1996).  Covariance structure analysis: Statistical practice, theory, and directions.  Annual Review of Psychology, 47, 563-592.

      full text available at:

            http://psych.annualreviews.org/cgi/content/full/47/1/563

 

DMT:  In experimental designs, the (linear) model is assumed to be true, and we test null hypotheses about whether certain parameters are equal to 0.  In non-experimental studies, like the ones we investigate using SEM, the model itself is under dispute, along with the values of parameters.  Nonzero and significant parameters are interesting iff and only iff the model is "plausible"  [as a description of the data generating process (DGP)].

 

Bentler highlights (p. 566) the "alarming" lack of attention to the normality of variables in studies to which SEM is applied.  The distribution of Xi (exogenous latent variables) and epsilon (disturbance terms associated with latent factors) are important for understanding normality but they are unknown.  The only information about distributional properties that we can investigate comes from the indicators x.

 

The choice of a discrepancy function (see Kaplan, pp. ???) (ML or GLS, for example) influences model assessment.  However, because H naught strictly never holds, this is a problem.  Sample size also influences the behavior of the discrepancy function (p. 571).

 

Z tests of parameters being equal to zero depend on estimates of the standard errors of the parameters.  This SE is an element of the inverse of the [Fisher's] information matrix (see Freund, Kaplan)

 

He focuses on the effects of choosing a discrepancy function, often some form of ML estimator (which explicitly assumes multivariate normal distribution of the measured and latent variables, but can also take the form of a WLS or GLS estimator, which can be asymptotically distribution free (ADF).

 

 

Child Development (February 1987, Vol. 58, No. 1) is a special issue devoted to SEM.

 

      The journal is available at Bird Library.  Blackwell Publishers currently manage the journal Child Development, and their current inventory dates to 1996.   Earlier issues are often available through Society for Research in Child Development (SCRD).  According to Suzanne E Kelley, Academic Permissions Mgr, Society for Research in Child Development (Phone: 734.998.6578  Fax: 734.998.6569  E-mail: sekelley@umich.edu), who emailed me on 3-29-02, the only place that still has a copy of the issue is:

 

            Bell & Howell Information & Learning (now Proquest, Inc.)

            300 N. Zeeb Rd.

            Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346

            Phone: 800-521-0600

            you can only purchase by the entire volume; price for 1987 is $64.30.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Bentler, P.M. (1980). Multivariate analysis with latent variables: Causal modeling. Annual Review of Psychology, 31, 419-456.

 

      DMT:  generally cited in earlier articles as the key review of the field.  It lays out the overall ideas with path diagrams, and focuses on key areas of concern.

 

____________________________________________________

 

Glaser, D. (2002). Structural Equation Modeling Texts: A primer for the beginner. 

Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 31(4), 573-578.

 

____________________________________________________

 

Yuan, K.-H., & Bentler, P. M. (1997). Mean and covariance structure analysis:

Theoretical and practical improvements. Journal of the American Statistical

Association, 92, 767-774.

__________________________________________________________

Yuan, K.H., Chan, W., & Bentler, P.M. (2000). Robust transformation with applications to structural equation modelling. British Jounral of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 53, 31-50.

 

      Data sets in social and behavioural sciences are seldom normal. Influential cases or outliers can lead to inappropriate solutions and problematic conclusions in structural equation modelling. By giving a proper weight to each case, the influence of outliers on a robust procedure can be minimized. We propose using a robust procedure as a transformation technique, generating a new data matrix that can be analysed by a variety of multivariate methods. Mardia's multivariate skewness and kurtosis statistics are used to measure the effect of the transformation in achieving approximate normality. Since the transformation makes the data approximately normal, applying a classical normal theory based procedure to the transformed data gives more efficient parameter estimates. Three procedures for parameter evaluation and model testing are discussed. Six examples illustrate the various aspects with the robust transformation.

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Baumrind, D. (1983). Specious causal attributions in the social sciences: The reformulated stepping-stone theory of heroin use as exemplar. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(6), 1289-1298.

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Cliff, N. (1983).  Multivariate Behavioral Research, 18, 115-126.

 

      Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

DMT:  This is an early cautionary article, qualitative in nature that reminds readers about the lack of equivalence between correlation and causation.  He also defines and expands on the nominalistic fallacy with regard to latent variables that he feels are given too much credence when they are discovered via structural equation models.  He reminds readers that latent variables never "emerge;" they remain forever latent.

 

________________________________________________________

 

 

______________________________________________________

 

 

 

Breckler, S. J. (1990). Applications of covariance structure modeling in psychology: Cause for Concern? Psychological Bulletin, 107, 260-273.

DMT comments:  Breckler's article begins with a precise and excellent summary of the matrix models, including the parameter matrix, and their dimensions.

 

He outlines numerous concerns that relate to the practice of CSM.  These include the problems with violating the assumption of multivariate normality, and the need to use asymptotic distribution free (ADF) estimation methods; problems with identification; the nominalistic fallacy, that is the notion that latent variables actually exist just because we can name them.  He argues (a la Baumrind, 1983) against using the term "causal modeling," and reminds readers that covariance or correlational data cannot imply causation.

 

He is especially strong at showing the kinds of equivalent models that routinely exist, and offers several examples of studies where existing equivalent models have strongly different substantive interpretations than the published ones.  In particular, he offers dramatic examples of equivalent models where directional effects are precisely reversed, but produce implied (or fitted) covariance matrices and fit indices that are identical with the published ones.

 

He discusses model modification (what other authors call "specification searches," and the problem with producing a model that takes advantage of a particular dataset's peculiarities.  He points out that modification indices guide post hoc modification by predicting the minimum decrease that will occur in the overall chi-square statistic when a particular parameter is freed for estimation (hence with a decrease of one degree of freedom.)  He strongly urges not only cross-validation, but better reporting of the various modification steps that separate a priori models from those that are ultimately published and advocated.  He also offers a list of possible and permissible model modifications.

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Estimation

__________________________________________________________

 

 

Bentler, P.M. and Bonett,D.G. (1980) "Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures", Psychological Bulletin, 88: 588-606.

 

      Another classic and much-cited paper which is a good introduction to the

problems of assessing goodness of fit.

 

 

Bentler, P.M. (1983). Some contributions to efficient statistics for structural models: specification and estimation of moment structures. Psychometrika 48:493-517.

 

      Widely quoted early source on "Bentler-Weeks" models

 

 

 

Bentler PM, Dijkstra T. 1985. Efficient estimation via linearization in structural models. In Multivariate Analysis VI, ed. PR Krishnaiah,pp. 9-42. Amsterdam: North Holland

 

 

 

Bentler, P.M., & Yuan, K.-H. (1999). On adding a mean structure to a covariance structure model.  (UCLA Statistical Series # 247)

 

      Preprint available at:

            preprints.stat.ucla.edu/247/247.pdf

 

 

Bollen, 1990, Overall fit in covariance structure models: Two types of sample size effects. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 256-259.

 

 

 

Browne, M.W. (1984). Asymptotically distribution-free methods for the analysis of covariance structures.  British Journal of Math Stat Psychol 1984 May;37 ( Pt 1):62-83

 

      Journal is available at Bizzell Library

      Call BF1 / .B725

 

 

Enders, C.K. (2001).  A primer on maximum likelihood algorithms available for use with missing data.  Structural Equation Modeling, 8, 128-141.

 

 

Kano Y, Berkane M, Bentler PM. 1990. Covariance structure analysis with heterogeneous kurtosis parameters. Biometrika 77:575-85

 

      Originators of a GLS estimator under conditions of heterogenous kurtosis (HK)

 

 

 

Muthen, B. (1993). Goodness of fit with categorical and other nonnormal variables. In K.A. Bollen & J.S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 205-234). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

 

 

Yuan, K.-H., & Bentler, P. M. (1997). Mean and covariance structure analysis:

Theoretical and practical improvements. Journal of the American Statistical

Association, 92, 767-774.

 

 

 

Yuan, K.-H., & Bentler, P.M. (2000). A unified approach to structural equation modeling with nonstandard samples. (UCLA Statistical Series # 276)

 

 

      Preprint available at:

            preprints.stat.ucla.edu/276/276.pdf

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Kenny,D.A. and Judd,C.M. (1984). Estimating the nonlinear and interactive effects of latent variables, Psychological Bulletin, 96: 201-210.

 

      Excellent multivariate course web site at:

 

            http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/c565.html

 

      describes the article as : "A well described account of an extension of LISREL models to allow for interactions."

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Bentler (1990), Comparative Fit Indices in Structural Models, Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238-246.

__________________________________________________________

 

Browne MW. 1982. Covariance structures. In Topics in Applied Multivariate Analysis, ed. DM Hawkins,pp. 72-141. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press

 

      Hawkins' text is available in OU's Chem-Math lab:

      Call # QA278 / T66

__________________________________________________________

 

Shipley, Bill. (2000). Cause and Correlation in Biology: A User's Guide to Path Analysis, Structural Equations, and Causal Inference. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University.  2000, 317 pages, $69.95 US (hardcover).

      http://www.callisto.si.usherb.ca:8080/bshipley/my%20book.htm

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Pearl, J. (2000). Causality. Models, Reasoning, and Inference.  Cambridge University.

 

            Reviewed by Bill Shipley (2000). Structural Equation Modeling, 7(4), 637-639.

__________________________________________________________

 

Spanos, A. (1995). On theory testing in econometrics: Modeling wth non-experimental data. Journal of Econometrics, 67, 189-226.

__________________________________________________________

 

Spanos, A. (1986). Statistical Foundations of Econometric Modelling</EM></a>. Cambridge University Press.

            http://uk.cambridge.org/economics/catalogue/0521269121/default.htm

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Spirtes, P., Glymour, C. & Scheines, R. (1993). Causation, Prediction, and Search. Springer-Verlag.

 

_________________________________________________________

 

 

Bound, Jeager and Baker, "Problems with instrumental variables estimation

when the correlation between the instruments and the endogenous explanatory

variables is weak," JASA, 90, 1995.

__________________________________________________________

 

Cohen, P., Cohen, J., Teresi, J., Marchi, P. & Velez, N. (1990). Problems in the measurement of latent variables in structural equation models. Applied Psychological Measurement, 14, 183-186.

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

MacCallum, R.C., & Austin, J.T. (2000). Applications of structural equation modeling in psychological research. Annual Review of Psychology.  51:201-26, 2000.

 

Ohio State University, Department of Psychology, Columbus 43210-1222, USA. maccallum.1@osu.edu

[Review] [109 refs]

 

Abstract

  This chapter presents a review of applications of structural equation modeling (SEM) published in psychological research journals in recent years. We focus first on the variety of research designs and substantive issues to which SEM can be applied productively. We then discuss a number of methodological problems and issues of concern that characterize some of this literature. Although it is clear that SEM is a powerful tool that is being used to great benefit in psychological research, it is also clear that the applied SEM literature is characterized by some chronic problems and that this literature can be considerably improved by greater attention to these issues. [References: 109]

 

Full text available:  http://psych.annualreviews.org/cgi/content/full/51/1/201

__________________________________________________________

Basic textbooks:

 

Rex Kline, "Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling." 

http://www-psychology.concordia.ca/department/faculty/kline/Books/SEM1/sem1.html

 

 

 

 

Steiger, J.H. (2001). Driving fast in reverse: The relationship between software development, theory, and education in structural equation modeling. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 96, 331-338.

 

      Download .pdf version at ftp://aep150666.psych.ubc.ca/JASA/Driving.pdf

 

DMT comments:  Steiger puts SEM in context of broad class of CSM, where an observed covariance matrix sigma is modeled as M(theta) where M is a comprehensible design matrix and theta is a vector of estimable parameters.

 

He outlines six areas where introductory texts shortchange practicioners.  First among these is the techniques's failure to produce unique models, and the almost necessary existence of equivalent models.  He next lists the impenetrability of instances where nonlinear optimization techniques fail to converge, and argues that most introductory texts skirt the issue by using trivial examples.  He also argues for more stringent treatment of power and sample size, reporting techniques, handling of the violation of assumptions, the use of standardized models, and the status of standard errors when CSM is performed on correlation, not covariance, matrices.

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

Maruyama, G., & McGarvey, B. (1980). Evaluating causal models: An application of maximum likelihood analysis of structural equations. Psychological Bulletin, 87, 502-512.

 

            Historically interesting; includes nice definition of exogenous variables as ones whose cause is unknown or uninteresting...

__________________________________________________________

Equivalent models

 

1.

 

MacCallum, R.C., Wegener, D.T., Uchino, B.N., & Fabrigar, L.R. (1993). The problem of equivalent models in applications of covariance structure analysis.

Psychological Bulletin, 114, 185-99.

 

 

For any given covariance structure model, there will often be alternative models that are indistinguishable from the original model in terms of goodness of fit to data. The existence of such equivalent models is almost universally ignored in empirical studies. A study of 53 published applications showed that equivalent models exist routinely, often in large numbers. Detailed study of three applications showed that equivalent models may often offer substantively meaningful alternative explanations of data. The importance of the equivalent model phenomenon and recommendations for managing and confronting the problem in practice are discussed.

 

 

DMT comments:  The authors show that equivalent models are a natural occurrence.  For example, in linear regression, the two models:

 

      Y=XB and X=YB* have identical Rsquare statistics when they are applied to any set of data.  They differ only in their substantive interpretation, on the logic of X or Y being the more logical choice for a dependent or independent variable.

 

      They state that ignoring the presence of equivalent models is common, and liken it to ignoring the possibility of confounding in ANOVA or similar designs.

 

      The article primarily applies the systematic findings of earlier authors (Stelzl, Lee and Hershberger) to studies in various areas of psychological research.  These earlier authors showed that changes in the structural (not the measurement) model result in equivalent models that fit any data set equally well.  That is, for any two models A and B, for any sample covariance matrix S, Sigma hat A= Sigma hat B (where sigma hat is the fitted covariance matrix).

 

 

 

2.

 

MacCallum, R.C., & Brown, M.W. (1993). The use of causal indicators in covariance structure models: Some practical issues.  Psychological Bulletin, 114, 533-541.

 

 

DMT:  The authors distinguish between effect indicators and causal indicators.  The former are the typical case, as in factor analysis, where indicators depend on latent factors, along with a unique error term.

 

Causal indicators, on the other hand, can be thought to cause the latent factors with which they are associated.  A typical example is the relationship between indicators like income and education level with a latent factor like SES.  SES can't be thought to cause income, more than income can be thought to cause

SES.

 

 

3.

 

Ed Rigon discusses equivalent models on his SEM web page:

 

      http://www.gsu.edu/~mkteer/equival.html

 

 

4.

Lee, S., & Hershberger, S. (1990). A simple rule for generating equivalent models in structural equation modeling. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25, 313-334.

 

      Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

5.

Stelzl, I. (1986). Changing a causal hypothesis without changing the fit: Some rules for generating equivalent path models. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 21, 309-31.

 

            Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

 

DMT:  Stelzl derives four rules by which alternative path models can be generated that will fit any data just as well as as a P0, or primary postulated model.

 

For example, he shows how the partial correlation method of obtaining estimates of parameters, because it does not depend on the order, permits the switching of the arrow of causation between many pairs of free parameters in a restricted or confirmatory model.

__________________________________________________________

 

 

Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural Equation modeling in practice : A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423.

 

 

DMT:  They distinguish between applications of SEM for "theory testing and development, in which the goal is to proceed from exploratory to confirmatory factor analysis, and the appropriate tool is a method that explains the greatest amoung of covariance among observed variables.  On the other hand, when the goal is prediction, methods that are based on principal components analysis, and that explain the greatest amount of variance in a sample, are preferred.

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Crowley, S.L., & Fan, X. (1997). Structural equation modeling: Basic concepts and applications in personality assessment research. Journal of Personality Assessment.  68, 508-531.

 

[Review] [44 refs] Department of Psychology, Utah State University, USA.

 

Structural equation modeling (SEM) has become an increasingly used methodological strategy in psychology. Nevertheless, many psychologists continue to be unclear about how to apply this analytic tool in their research. This article reviews SEM from a conceptual perspective, particularly focusing on confirmatory factor analysis. Additionally, the relation between SEM and other analytic techniques (e.g., exploratory factor analysis) are addressed. A confirmatory factor analytic example is presented and reviewed in detail. Finally, limitations of SEM and other considerations are discussed. [References: 44] ref)

 

DMT comments:  Crowley and Fan point out that overidentified models fit well, even though their large number of free parameters (and therefore low df) belie a lack of theoretical rigor (p. 516).

 

They choose to detail three problematic areas:

 

1. multivariate normality, especially as it relates to the common practice of MLE.  They cite:

 

Fan, X. (1996). SAS program to assess multivariate normality. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 56, 668-674.

 

They remark that the Satorra-Bentler Scaled Statistic accounts for non-normality in the assessment of GOF.  Alternatively, ADF estimation methods exist for large samples.

 

2.  target matrix, covariance or correlation.  Use of the correlation matrix alters values of chi-square, GOF indices, and Standard errors.  One alternative is always to use covariance matrices, but report standardized solutions.

 

They cite:

 

      Cudeck (1989). Analysis of covariance matrices using covariance structure models. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 317-327.

 

      Lee, S.Y. (1985). Analysis of covariance and correlation structures. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 2,279-295.

 

3.  Sample size rules of thumb:

 

a) "just have 200"  (Boomsma, 1987)

b)  n= 5 or 10 for each estimated parameter (Flyd and Widaman, 1995)

 

4.    post-hoc model modification; there is a cost associated with "capitalizing on idiosyncracies of data"  (p. 527)

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Mulligan S. (1998).  Patterns of sensory integration dysfunction: a confirmatory factor analysis.  American Journal of Occupational Therapy,  52(10):819-28, 1998 Nov-Dec.  (36

 

Occupational Therapy Department, School of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire, Hewitt Hall, 4 Library Way, Durham, New Hampshire 03824-3563.

 

Objective. This study evaluated a five-factor model of sensory integration dysfunction on the basis of scores of children on the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT). The purpose of the study was to determine a plausible model for understanding sensory integration dysfunction. Method. The hypothesized model of sensory integration dysfunction tested was derived from previous multivariate analyses and consisted of five patterns of dysfunction, including: bilateral integration and sequencing, somatosensory, somatopraxis, visuopraxis, and postural ocular motor. Confirmatory factor analysis (CEA) of the SIPT scores of 10,475 children and the scores of a subgroup of 995 children with Learning disabilities were used to evaluate the model. Results. The CFA of the hypothesized model indicated numerous weaknesses with it and, therefore, was rejected. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then performed with the same data set to identify a better-fitting, more parsimonious model!

 of sensory integration dysfunction. A secondorder, four-factor model using generalized practic dysfunction as the second-order factor and four first-order factors (dyspraxia, bilateral integration and sequencing deficit, visuoperceptual deficit, somatosensory deficit) were proposed. The CFA supported this model as the better-fitting model. The proposed model held true when tested with the subgroup of children with learning disabilities. Conclusions. The modified model of sensory integration dysfunction proposed indicated that it was a good fit for the data and improved on the initial model. Clinical implications of the findings relate to the interpretation of SIPT scores and provide suggestions for test development measuring sensory integration functions. The proposed model has applications for occupational therapy intervention using sensory integration as the primary frame of reference.   (36 ref)

 

Subject: mulligan used CFA for a dyspraxia instrument

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Longitudinal Models:

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Bentler, P.M., & Freeman, E.H. (1983). Tests for stability in linear structural systems. Psychometrika, 48, 143-146.

 

            Available at Bird

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Collins, L.M., & Sayer, A.G. (Eds.). (2001).  New methods for the analysis of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 

Abstract from publicity materials:  This volume presents state-of-the-art methods explored by recognized authorities on the analysis of change. Chapters highlight methods for estimating and evaluating models of growth and change over time at the level of the individual; address issues of measurement that are important in the analysis of change; point out methods for separating intra-individual growth from some aspects of phenomena that are stable over time; identify larger frameworks to integrate knowledge; and provide methods for dealing with missing data. This volume of methodological advances will influence a variety of disciplines from psychology and sociology to education and economics.

 

            442pp. $49.95

            available at Bizzell:   BF637 / c4 n47 2001

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Cudeck, R. (1986). A note on structural models for the circumplex. Psychometrika, 51, 143-147.

 

            Available at Bird

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Curran, P.J., & Bollen, K.A. (2001). The best of both worlds: Combining autoregressive and latent curve models. To appear in Collins, L. M. & Sayer, A. G. (Eds.), New methods for the analysis of change, (pp.105-136). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Curran, P.J. maintains a web page that deals with longitudinal data analysis:

 

      http://www.unc.edu/~curran/references.html

 

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Dumenci, L, & Windle, M. (1996). A latent trait-state model of adolescent depression using the center for epidemiologic studies-depression scale. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 31, 313-330.

 

                  Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

 _______________________________________________________________________

 

Dumenci, L, & Windle, M. (1998). A multitrait-multioccasion generalization of the latent trait-state model: Description and application. Structural Equation Modeling, 5, 391-410.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Finch, J.F., & Zautra, A.J. (1992). Testing latent longitudinal models of social ties and depression among the elderly - A comparison of distribution-free and maximum-likelihood-estimates with nonnormal data. Psycholgoy and Aging, 7, 107-118.

 

            Journal available at Bird

            Also available at Bizzell:  BF 724.55 .A35 P79

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Finkel, Steven E. (1995). Causal analysis with panel data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 

      Available as ebook through Bizzell Library catalog:

      http://libraries.ou.edu/eresources/catalog/

 

 

      DMT:  Panel data include repeated measures on the same group of subjects.  Finkel distinguishes between panels, which include relatively few variables, consistently measured in two to five waves, on the same group of subjects, and other data formats like repeated cross-sections, "time series" that involve individuals, and trend studies (in which the timing of measurements is inconsistent).  He says the difference between panel studies and pooled time series in less formal, although the latter tends to include a greater number of measurements, and perhaps a smaller N.

 

 

      Finkel (p.1) cites Menard (1991) with three causal principles that we can add to Gollob and Reichardt's (1987) below. 

 

      Finkel shows how a dependent variable or a discrete inter-panel change can be modeled in terms of simultaneous or lagged variables, including the dependent variable itself.  He shows how models can be manipulated algebraically so that the coefficients are interpretable in various ways, including as indicators of equilibrium in the system.  He shows how continuous change models can be restated in terms of panel coefficients so that "fundamental parameters of change" can be recovered.

 

      p20

 

     

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Goldstein, H., & McDonald, R.P. (1988). A general model for the analysis of multilevel data. Psychometrika, 53, 455-467.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Gollob, H. F., & Reichardt, C. S. (1987). Taking account of time lags in causal models. Child Development, 58, 80-92.

 

      DMT:  The authors articulate "three principles of causal effects."  First, causes can only come from prior variables.  Second, variables influence themselves through "autoregressive effects."  Third, effect size depends on the length of time that intervenes, and this time lag must be carefully described.

 

      They point out that studies frequently ignore autoregression, implicitly assuming that autoregressive effects equal zero.  They further aver that cross-sectional designs necessarily ignore all three principles, and argue that a preferable approach is a "latent longitudinal" model, in which cross-sectional data are fit using a longitudinal model that posits latent variables at some preexisting time t1.  To identify latent longitudinal models so that SEM software can estimate their parameters, assumptions about the relationships among the latent variables must be explicit.  If the assumptions are correct, the model's estimates are unbiased.  If not, they are necessarily biased.  They suggest running both cross-sectional and latent longitudinal models.  If both models yield similar estimates, they can probably be trusted.  If the models yield different estimates, the latent longitudinal model's estimates are necessarily less untrustoworthy; they may nevertheless be biased if the assumptions on which the model was identified are not correct.

 

      A drawing of a latent longitudinal model, superimposed on a cross sectional model of x and y, is at http://coph.ouhsc.edu/dthompso/web/sem/latlong.jpg

 

 

      The authors presented a paper on this topic in 1986 to the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology in Atlanta, but I'm not sure where it went from there.  The ideas may be present in some of Raykov's work at Fordham, and in an article by Finch.

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Jöreskog, K.G. (1970). Estimation and testing of simplex models. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 23, 121-145.

 

 

      Joreskog (1979, p. 340) and Curran and Bollen (2001, p. 112) attribute the "simplex model" to Guttman (1954), in describing a "multiwave" model with a single "fallible" variable, underlied by a latent factor at every time t.

 

     

      Guttman, L. (1955). A generalized simplex for factor analysis. Psychometrika, 20, 173-192.

 

      Guttman, L. (1954). A new approach to factor analysis: the radex. In P. F. Lazarsfeld (Ed.), Mathematical thinking in the social sciences. New York: Columbia University Press.

 

 

      Joreskog shows (p. 342) that a four-wave model is necessarily identified.  It will have t(t+1)/2 non-redundant elements in the sample covariance matrix, and will have 3t-3 = 3(t-1) free model parameters.  In general the free parameters are the (1) errors, (2) latent factors, (3) errors in equations, and (4) regression  coefficients associated with each occasion.  These would account for 4t free parameters, except that the first occasion is represented by the model's only exogenous latent variable, which has no associated regression coefficient or error in its structural equation.  This leaves 4t-2 parameters.  How do we get from 4t-2 to 3t-3 free parameters?

 

 

      Finally, if df= t(t+1)/1 - 3t-3 = t^2-5t+6, then df > 0 as long as t>3.

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Jöreskog, K.G. (1978). An econometric model for multivariate panel data. Annales de ITNSEE, 30-31, 355-366.

 

Jöreskog, K.G. (1979). Statistical estimation of structural models in longitudinal-developmental investigations. In J.R. Nesselroade & P.B. Baltes (Eds.), Longitudinal research in the study of behavior and development. New York: Academic Press, 303-351.

 

            Text available at Bizzell:  bf76.5 / L66

            Some credit Joreskog with sensitizing the modeling community to the issue of "autoregressive effects."

 

 

     

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Jöreskog, K.G. & Sörbom, D. (1977). Statistical models and methods for analysis of longitudinal data. In D.J. Aigner & A.S. Goldberger (Eds.), Latent variables in socio-economic models. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company, 235-285.

 

Jöreskog, K.G., & Sörbom, D. (1979). Simultaneous analysis of longitudinal data from several cohorts. Paper presented at the SSRC Conference on Analyzing Longitudinal Data for Age, Period and Cohort Effects in Snowmass, Colorado, June 18-20.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Kenny, D.A. and Zautra, A. (1995). The trait-state-error model for multiwave data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63:52-59.

 

Abstract:

Although researchers in clinical psychology routinely gather data in which many individuals respond at multiple times, there is not a standard way to analyze such data. A new approach for the analysis of such data is described. It is proposed that a person's current standing on a variable is caused by 3 sources of variance: a term that does not change (trait), a term that changes (state), and a random term (error). It is shown how structural equation modeling can be used to estimate such a model.

 

 

DMT:  The authors claim that available techniques like those of West and Hepworth (1991; see below) require 50 or more serial observations.  They cite the need for techniques that apply to relatively large N observed at relatively few points in time.

 

They relate their approach to

      Multiple (and redundant) two-wave models

      McCardle and Epstein's (1987, see below) growth curve modeling

      Pooled time series regression (they cite a text by Dielman 1989, but I haven't looked for references in journals)

     

 

Their latent variable approach considers measurement error among the predictors, which is an advantage over time series regression.

 

They refer to previous latent variable approaches that require more than indicator per factor.  Their approach handles single indicators, as long as that indicator is measured at at least four time points; then, the model is identified and estimable.  (The idea that four time points are sufficient to identify a multiwave model was shown by Joreskog (1979, p. 342).

 

The authors now call their trait-state-error (TSE) model the STARTS model (stable trait + autregressive trait + state) and describe it in a chapter in Collins and Sayer (2001):

 

      Kenny, D.A., & Zautra, A. Trait-state models for longitudinal data. [Chapter]

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Labouvie, E.W. (1981). The study of multivariate change structures: A conceptual perspective. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 16, 23-25.

 

            Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Muthen, B.O. (1991). Analysis of longitudinal data using latent variable models with varying parameters. In Linda M. Collins and John L. Horn (eds.). Best Methods for the Analysis of Change : Recent Advances, Unanswered Questions, Future Directions.  (pp. 1-17). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 

      Available for  purchase (APA Members/ Affiliates: $14.95;

      Item # 4318071        ; ISBN: 1-55798-310-0

      http://mirror.apa.org/books/4318071t.html

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Olsson, U., & Bergman, L.R. (1977). A longitudinal factor model for studying change in ability structure. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 12, 221-242.

 

                  Journal is available at Bizzell:  BF39 /.M852

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Raykov, T. (1993). A structural equation model for measuring residualized change and discerning patterns of growth or decline. Applied Psychological Measurement, 17, 53-71.

 

Raykov, T. (1994). Studying correlates and predictors of longitudinal change using structural equation modeling. Applied Psychological Measurement, 18, 63-77.

 

Raykov, T. (1997). Simultaneous study of group and individual latent longitudinal change patterns using structural equation modeling.  Structural Equation Modeling, 4, 212-236.

 

Raykov, T.  (1997).  Growth curve analysis of ability means and variances in measures of fluid intelligence of older adults.  Structural Equation Modeling, 4, 283-319.

 

 

Raykov's writings are collected at his home page: http://www.fordham.edu/psychology/faculty/raykov.html

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Rogosa, D., (1979), Causal models in longitudinal research. In J.R. Nesselroad and P.D., Baltes (Eds.) Longitudinal Research in the Study of Behaviour and Development. New York, Academic Press, 263-302.

                  Text available at Bizzell:  bf76.5 / L66

 

 

 

Rogosa, D., (1995), Myths and methods: Myths about longitudinal research plus supplemental questions. In J. M. Gottman (Ed.) The analysis of change. New Jersey: LEA.

                  Available at Bizzell:  BF 39 .A476 1995

 

 

      Rogosa unleashes stinging criticism of SEM, and charges that LISREL should not be used with longitudinal data.  One major problem is that SEM produces parameter estimates that reflect only the time-structuring of the data, and otherwise ignore information from the sample covariances.

 

      The article summarizes many of his papers over the years, many of them critical of approaches to longitudinal data analysis like simplex models or cross-lagged two-panel approaches.

 

      Rogosa maintains a web site where he shares the data that he uses in "exhibit 1," his LISREL example: 

            http://www.stanford.edu/~rag/Myths/myths.html

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Rovine, M.J., & Molenaar, P.C.M.  (2001).  A structural equations modeling approach to the general linear mixed model.  In L. Collins & A. Sayer (Eds.), New Methods for the Analysis of Change  (pp. 65-96).   Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

     

      Argues that certain mixed models are satisfactorily modeled as SEM, in particular because of its ability to include "patterned" covariance structures for the covariance.  This is an advantage over typical approaches that, like repeated measures analysis of variance, must assume a very simple covariance structure for errors.

 

 

 

Rutter, M., (1988), Longitudinal data in the study of causal process: some uses and some pitfalls. In M Rutter (ed.), Studies of psychosocial risk; the power of longitudinal data. Cambridge: CUP.

                  Available at Bizzell:  BF 713.5 .S78 1988

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Sörbom, D. (1975). Detection of correlated errors in longitudinal data. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 28, 138-151.

 

 

Stoolmiller, M. (1995). Using latent growth curve models to study developmental processes. In J. M. Gottman (Ed.), The Analysis of Change (pp. 103-138). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

 

 

 

 

 

Werts, C.E., Linn, R.L., & Jöreskog, K.G. (1977). A simplex model for analyzing academic growth. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 37, 745-756.

 

Werts, C.E., Linn, R.L., & Jöreskog, K.G. (1978). Reliability of college grades from longitudinal data. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 38, 89-95.

 

 

West, S.G., & Hepworth, J.T. (1991). Statistical issues in the study of temporal data: daily experiences. [Review] Journal of Personality.  59(3):609-62, 1991

 

Abstract

  This article reviews statistical issues that arise in temporal data, particularly with respect to daily experience data. Issues related to nonindependence of observations, the nature of data structures, and claims of causality are considered. Through the analysis of data from a single subject, we illustrate concomitant time-series analysis, a general method of examining relationships between two or more series having 50 or more observations. We also discuss detection of and remedies for the problems of trend, cycles, and serial dependency that frequently plague temporal data, and present methods of combining the results of concomitant time series across subjects. Issues that arise in pooling cross-sectional and time-series data and statistical models for addressing these issues are considered for the case in which there are appreciably fewer than 50 observations and a moderate number of subjects. We discuss the possibility of using structural equation modeling to analyze dat!

a structures in which there are a large number (e.g., 200) of subjects, but relatively few time points, emphasizing the different causal status of synchronous and lagged effects and the types of models that can be specified for longitudinal data structures. Our conclusion highlights some of the issues raised by temporal data for statistical models, notably the important roles of substantive theory, the question being addressed, the properties of the data, and the assumptions underlying each technique in determining the optimal approach to statistical analysis. [References: 112]

 

 

 

 

 

Williams, L.J., & Podsakoff, P.M. (1989). Longitudinal field methods for studying reciprocal relationships in organizational behaviour. In: Cummings, L.L., Straw, B.M. (Eds.)  Research in Organizational Behaviour, 11, 247-292.

                  Journal available at Bizzell: HM 131 .R7  v11

 

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Zapf, D., Dormann, C., & Frese, M. (1996). Longitudinal studies in organizational stress research: A review of the literature with reference to methodological issues. Journal of Occupational Health and Psychology, 1, 145-169.

 

            NOT AVAILABLE IN OU LIBRARIES

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

LATENT GROWTH CURVE MODELING

 

 

 

Latent growth curve models estimate each individual's initial status (in the form of an intercept, and rate of growth (in the form of a slope), and they estimate population (group) intercepts and slopes in the form of latent variables.

 

 

Repeated measures AOV is a form of a latent growth curve model.

 

 

Curran lists references at:

 

      http://www.unc.edu/~curran/references.html

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Acock, A.C., & Li, F. (1999). Latent growth curve analysis: A gentle introduction.

 

      Available in pdf format at:

                  www.orst.edu/Dept/hdfs/acock/lgcgeneral.pdf

 

Li, F, & Acock, A.C. (1999). Latent curve analysis: A manual for research data analysts.

 

      available in .pdf format at:

                  www.orst.edu/Dept/hdfs/acock/lgcmanual.pdf

 

      This manual includes tips for getting started with a variety of software packages that perform SEM.

 

      Mentions Hatcher, L. (1996). Using SAS PROC CALIS: A step-by-step introduction for beginners.  Structural Equation Modeling, 3 (2), 176-192.

 

            With data available at:

                  http://www.ori.org/~fuzhongl/data/home.htm

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Chou, C-P, Bentler PM, Pentz MA. (1998). Comparison of two statistical approaches to study growth curves: The multilevel model and latent curve analysis. Structural Equation Modeling, 5, 247-266.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Duncan, T. E., & Duncan, S. C. (1995). Modeling the processes of development via latent variable growth curve methodology. Structural Equation Modeling, 2, 187-213.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

McArdle, J.J., & Epstein, D. (1987). Latent growth curves within developmental structural equation models. Child Development, 58, 110-133.

 

      Abstract:  Uses structural equation modeling to combine traditional ideas from repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with some traditional ideas from longitudinal factor analysis. A longitudinal model that includes correlations, variances, and means is described as a latent growth curve model. When merged with repeated-measures data, this technique permits the estimation of parameters representing both individual and group dynamics. The statistical basis of this model allows hypothesis testing of various developmental ideas, including models of alternative dynamic functions and models of the sources of individual differences in these functions. Aspects of these latent growth models are illustrated with a set of longitudinal Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) data from 204 children (tested just prior to 1st grade and retested in the 3rd and 5th grades) and by using the linear structural relationships V computer program.

 

      DMT: relate their model to Joreskog's (1979) autoregression model, and include mean structure to the covariance structure so that the results are as interpretable as those of ANOVA.

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Meredith, W. & Tisak, J. (1990). Latent curve analysis. Psychometrika, 55, 107-122.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Muthén, B. & Curran, P. (1997). General longitudinal modeling of individual differences in experimental designs: a latent variable framework for analysis and power estimation. Psychological Methods, 2, 371-402.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Rogosa, D. R., Brandt, D., & Zimowski, M. (1982).  A growth curve approach to the measurement of change.  Psychological  Bulletin, 92, 726-748.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Suhr, D.D. (2001). Proc GLM or Proc CALIS? Proceedings of the 26th annual SAS Users Group International (SUGI26), Long Beach, CA, April 22-25, 2001.

 

Outline differences between the two procedures and illustrates using a repeated measures AOV approach.

 

She offers a brief summary of the similarities and differences between "traditional" techniques, like AOV and regression, and SEM.  She suggests that path analysis is appropriate to measured variables, and includes regression.  She highlights SEM's flexibility, including its ability to include measurement error, something that regression must assume to be nonexistent.

 

She describes a "default model" that proc glm tests: the model assumes to be linear and constant, and demarcated by single unit differences in time, which is in turn illustrated in dummy variables (T=1,2,... t).

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

Walker, A.J., Acock, A.C., Bowman, S.R., & Li, F. (1996). Amount of care given and caregiving satisfaction: a latent growth curve analysis. Journal of Gerontology (B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 51(3), 130-142.

 

Abstract:

 

We examined the wear-and-tear hypothesis using data from 4 annual interviews with 130 (128 White) middle-aged daughters caring for their physically impaired, elderly mothers. We formulated a latent growth curve model hypothesizing that increases in the amount of care given by daughters caused a decrease in caregiving satisfaction, independent of caregiving duration. We found considerable individual variability and change in both caregiving satisfaction and the amount of care given in univariate latent growth curve analyses. Contrary to the wear-and-tear hypothesis, a multivariate latent growth curve analysis revealed duration of caregiving had no effect on either initial caregiving satisfaction or change in satisfaction. An elaborated wear-and-tear model was supported, however. The mechanism for decline in satisfaction is an increase in the amount of care given.

 

 

 

 

COMPARING HLM AND SEM-LGC MODELS

_______________________________________________________________________

 

MacCallum, R.C., Kim, C., Malarkey, W., & Kielcolt-Glaser, J (1997). Studying multivariate change using multilevel models and latent curve models. multivariate Behavioral Research, 32, 215-253.

 

 

 

Willett, J.B., & Sayer, A.G. (1994). Using covariance structure analysis to detect correlates and predictors of individual change over time. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 363-381.

 

Recently, methodologists have shown how two disparate conceptual arenas - individual growth modeling and covariance structure analysis - can be integrated. The integration brings the flexibility of covariance analysis to bear on the investigation of systematic interindividual differences in change and provides another powerful data-analytic tool for answering questions about the relationship between individual true change and potential predictors of that change. The individual growth modeling framework uses a pair of hierarchical statistical models to represent (a) within-person true status as a function of time and (b) between-person differences in true change as a function of predictors. This article explains how these models can be reformatted to correspond, respectively, to the measurement and structural components of the general LISREL model with mean structures and illustrates, by means of worked example, how the new method can be applied to a sample of longitudinal panel data.

 

 

DMT comments:  These authors explain how LISREL parameter matrices can be constructed so that growth parameters become estimable.  Their approach takes advantage of SEM's ability to flexibly model a variety of covariance structures, including heteroskedastic and autocorrelated errors.

 

A disadvantage of SEM for this purpose is its requirement that data be "time structured," that is, observations must occur in the same "waves" for each participant.  Although the waves need not be equally or systematically spaced, the existence of "missing values," or individually distinct patterns of timing of observations, is problematic.  Alternative approaches that forgive a lack of "time-structuring" include hierarchical linear models (HLM).

__________________________________________________________

 

 

Rabe-Hesketh S.  Yang SY.  Pickles A.

Title

  Multilevel models for censored and latent responses [Review]

Source

  Statistical Methods in Medical Research. 10(6):409-427, 2001 Dec.

 

Abstract

  Multilevel models were originally developed to allow linear regression or ANOVA models to be applied to observations that are not mutually independent. This lack of independence commonly arises due to clustering of the units of observations into 'higher level units' such as patients in hospitals. In linear mixed models, the within-cluster correlations are modelled by including random effects in a linear model.

 

  In this paper, we discuss generalizations of linear mixed models suitable for responses subject to systematic and random measurement error and interval censoring.

 

  The first example uses data from two cross-sectional surveys of schoolchildren to investigate risk factors for early first experimentation with cigarettes. Here the recalled times of the children's first cigarette are likely to be subject to both systematic and random measurement errors as well as being interval censored. We describe multilevel models for interval censored survival times as special cases of generalized linear mixed models and discuss methods of estimating systematic recall bias.

 

  The second example is a longitudinal study of mental health problems of patients nested in clinics. Here the outcome is measured by multiple questionnaires allowing the measurement errors to be modeled within a linear latent growth curve model. The resulting model is a multilevel structural equation model. We briefly discuss such models both as extensions of linear mixed models and as extensions of structural equation models. Several different model structures are examined.

 

  An important goal of the paper is to place a number of methods that readers may have considered as being distinct within a single overall modeling framework. [References: 66]

 

Reprint available from:

  Rabe-Hesketh S   Univ London Kings Coll, Inst Psychiat, Dept Biostat & Comp

  London SE5 8AF   England

  

Summary: Latent growth curve model

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Examples of latent growth curve models

 

 

Roth DL.  Haley WE.  Owen JE.  Clay OJ.  Goode KT.

Latent growth models of the longitudinal effects of dementia caregiving: A comparison of African American and white family caregivers

Psychology & Aging. 16(3):427-436, 2001 Sep.

 

Self-report measures of depression, physical health symptoms, and life satisfaction were collected over a 2-year period from 197 family caregivers of dementia patients and 218 noncaregivers (controls). Latent growth models were used to compare changes across time for African American and White caregivers, with gender, age. and socioeconomic status serving as covariates. Results indicated that White caregivers sustained higher levels of elevated depression and decreasing life satisfaction over time compared with African American caregivers. Both groups of caregivers reported increases in physical symptoms over time. These results indicate worsening difficulties over time for many White caregivers. African American caregivers show more resilience on measures of depression and life satisfaction but are still vulnerable to increases in physical symptoms over time. Implications for additional research and clinical intervention are discussed. [References: 45]

 

Reprint available from  Roth DL

Univ Alabama, Dept Psychol,  415 Campbell Hall,  Birmingham, AL ,35294

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

McCarty HJ.  Roth DL.  Goode KT.  Owen JE.  Harrell L.  Donovan K.  Haley WE.

Longitudinal course of behavioral problems during Alzheimer's disease: linear versus curvilinear patterns of decline.

Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences.  55(4):M200-6, 2000 Apr.

 

Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.

 

BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are commonly assumed to experience a linear decline in behavioral functioning that parallels progressive cognitive decline. However, some researchers have suggested that specific behavioral problems either decline at different rates or improve in late dementia. METHODS: The present analyses examined 150 AD patients at an initial assessment, 61 of whom were also evaluated annually on two additional occasions. Measures of cognitive impairment and behavioral problems were obtained. RESULTS: Cross-sectional results indicated curvilinear associations between dementia severity and certain behavioral problems (forgetful behaviors, and emotional and impulsive behaviors). Longitudinal analyses further indicated trends for curvilinear rates of behavioral disturbance across time, with some problem areas showing improvement as AD progresses through the most severe stages. CONCLUSIONS: Even though Alzheimer's disease is a progressive dem!

entia characterized by increasing cognitive deterioration, it appears to be inaccurate to expect behavioral functioning to show the same linear decline across time.

 

 

HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELS

 

Bryk, A.S., & Raudenbush, S.W. (1987). Application of hierarchical linear models to assessing change. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 147-158.

 

 

Bryk, A.S., & Raudenbush, S.W. (1988). Toward a more appropriate conceptualization of research on school effects: A three-level hierarchical linear model.  American Journal of Education, 97, 65-108.

 

Bryk, A.S., & Raudenbush, S.W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

 

Raudenbush, S.W. (2001). Comparing personal trajectories and drawing causal inferences from longitudinal data. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 501-25.

 

      The first part of this article (available online at http://psych.annualreviews.org/cgi/reprint/52/1/501.pdf)

 

      Is nearly identical to his chapter in the following reference (Collins and Sayer, 2001).

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Raudenbush, S.W. (2001). Toward a coherent framework for comparing trajectories of individual change.  In L. Collins & A. Sayer (Eds.), New Methods for the Analysis of Change  (pp. 35-64).   Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 

 

DMT: Raudenbush distinguishes between hierarchical linear models (which include multilevel models and random coefficient models) and SEM (which include latent variables models and latent curve models).  He notes that SEM assumes time-structured data when they are applied to longitudinal data.  Different subjects must be observed at the same times, and for equal numbers of times.  Each subject must have the same covariance matrix.  Given this restriction on the structure of the data (y), the researcher can choose from among a very wide range of structural models that describe structural parameters (theta, generically, in Raudenbush's notation).  For example, the theorized covariance structure of the errors, both in measurement and in the structural equations, can take many forms.

 

HLM can be applied to data that is not time-structured; different subjects can have different numbers of observations, and the timing of different observations need not be uniform among subjects.  However, the variety of models that can be applied this less structured data is less rich than with the variety of SEM models that can be applied to more structured data.

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Raudenbush SW. Hierarchical linear models to study the effects of social context on development. In: JM Gottman (ed.) The Analysis of Change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1995, pp. 165-

 

Raudenbush points out (p. 167) that "the essential statistical problem is that when time-series designs vary across subjects, efficient estimation of linear model parameters requires some type of iterative procedure."

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Jennrich, R.I., & Schluchter, M.D. (1986). Unbalanced repeated-measures models with structured covariance matrices. Biometrics, 4,805-820.

 

"Random coefficients model," an approach to using reported versus complete data, as long as reported data are missing at random.

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

  Graham JW.  Hofer SM.  Piccinin AM.

Institution

  College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802-6504, USA.

Title

  Analysis with missing data in drug prevention research. [Review] [27 refs]

Source

  NIDA Research Monograph.  142:13-63, 1994.

 

Abstract

  Missing data problems have been a thorn in the side of prevention researchers for years. Although some solutions for these problems have been available in the statistical literature, these solutions have not found their way into mainstream prevention research. This chapter is meant to serve as an introduction to the systematic application of the missing data analysis solutions presented recently by Little and Rubin (1987) and others. The chapter does not describe a complete strategy, but it is relevant for (1) missing data analysis with continuous (but not categorical) data, (2) data that are reasonably normally distributed, and (3) solutions for missing data problems for analyses related to the general linear model in particular, analyses that use (or can use) a covariance matrix as input. The examples in the chapter come from drug prevention research. The chapter discusses (1) the problem of wanting to ask respondents more questions than most individuals can answer; (2) the problem of attrition and some solutions; and (3) the problem of special measurement procedures that are too expensive or time consuming to obtain for all subjects. The authors end with several conclusions: Whenever possible, researchers should use the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm (or other maximum likelihood procedure, including the multiple-group structural equation-modeling procedure or, where appropriate, multiple imputation, for analyses involving missing data [the chapter provides concrete examples]); If researchers must use other analyses, they should keep in mind that these others produce biased results and should not be relied upon for final analyses; When data are missing, the appropriate missing data analysis procedures do not generate something out of nothing but do make the most out of the data available; When data are missing, researchers should work hard (especially when planning a study) to find the cause of missingness and include the cause in the analysis models; and Researchers should sample the cases originally missing (whenever possible) and adjust EM algorithm parameter estimates accordingly. [References: 27]

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

  Hoyle RH.  Smith GT.

Institution

  Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506-0044.

Title

  Formulating clinical research hypotheses as structural equation models: a conceptual overview. [Review] [46 refs]

Source

  Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology.  62(3):429-40, 1994 Jun.

Abstract

  Structural equation modeling is a comprehensive, flexible approach to research design and data analysis. Although in recent years there has been phenomenal growth in the literature on technical aspects of structural equation modeling, relatively little attention has been devoted to conceiving research hypotheses as structural equation models. The aim of this article is to provide a conceptual overview of clinical research hypotheses that invite evaluation as structural equation models. Particular attention is devoted to hypotheses that are not adequately evaluated using traditional statistical models. [References: 46]

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

  Fisher JD.  Fisher WA.

Institution

  Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1020.

Title

  Changing AIDS-risk behavior. [Review] [170 refs]

Source

  Psychological Bulletin.  111(3):455-74, 1992 May.

Abstract

  This article contains a comprehensive, critical review of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-risk-reduction literature on interventions that have targeted risky sexual behavior and intravenous drug use practices. A conceptually based, highly generalizable model for promoting and evaluating AIDS-risk behavior change in any population of interest is then proposed. The model holds that AIDS-risk reduction is a function of people's information about AIDS transmission and prevention, their motivation to reduce AIDS risk, and their behavioral skills for performing the specific acts involved in risk reduction. Supportive tests of this model, using structural equation modeling techniques, are then reported for populations of university students and gay male affinity group members. [References: 170]

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

  Morris RJ.  Bergan JR.  Fulginiti JV.

Institution

  College of Education, Division of Educational Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721.

Title

  Structural equation modeling in clinical assessment research with children. [Review] [53 refs]

Source

  Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology.  59(3):371-9, 1991 Jun.

Abstract

  The use of structural equation modeling has gained increased interest in recent years in the social and behavioral sciences. This article reviews the basic tenets of structural modeling in relation to issues in research and practice involving clinical assessment and compares this approach with more traditional psychometric approaches to the validation of assessment instruments with children. Arguments for and against the inclusion of nonexperimental variables in causal studies aimed at establishing construct validity are also discussed. An illustrative example of the application of structural equation modeling in clinical assessment research is provided, and a comparison is made between this approach and traditional psychometric procedures. Implications and suggestions for the use of structural modeling are discussed for both the practitioner and the clinical researcher. [References: 53]

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

  Raykov T.  Tomer A.  Nesselroade JR.

Institution

  Center for Developmental and Health Research Methodology, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University.

Title

  Reporting structural equation modeling results in Psychology and Aging: some proposed guidelines. [Review] [41 refs]

Source

  Psychology & Aging.  6(4):499-503, 1991 Dec.

Abstract

  Structural equation modeling (SEM) is now widely used in social and behavioral science research. SEM provides the possibility of fitting, and evaluating the fit, of well-specified, theoretical models to empirical data--more generally, of testing elaborated psychological theories. The options available to users of these approaches are many and varied. Popular SEM computational software packages, such as LISREL and EQS, provide a large amount of information, and there is some uncertainty as to what should be routinely reported. A series of guidelines are proposed for reporting SEM results in articles submitted to Psychology and Aging. The suggested guidelines ask authors using SEM methodology to provide important analysis information that will enable readers to evaluate the findings. [References: 41]

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

  Gritz ER.  DiMatteo MR.  Hays RD.

Institution

  Division of Cancer Control, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.

Title

  Methodological issues in adherence to cancer control regimens. [Review] [49 refs]

Source

  Preventive Medicine.  18(5):711-20, 1989 Sep.

Abstract

  A six-factor model provides a heuristic framework for understanding adherence behavior: (1) effective provider communication; (2) rapport with provider; (3) client's beliefs and attitudes; (4) client's social climate and norms; (5) behavioral intentions; and (6) supports for and barriers to adherence. Four classes of methodological issues are discussed. Recruitment may be affected by the sociodemographics of the target population, biomedical variables, population size and location, and patient sources utilized. Interventions can be structured to maximize enrollment, participation and long-term retention, and adherence to the regimen promoted with behavioral methodology. Measurement of adherence optimally includes multiple measures at multiple time points, a well-defined focus and unit of adherence, well-constructed response options, and multiple sources of information. Sample size calculations and interpretation of clinical trial results are affected by adherence rates. Mult!

ivariate analytic techniques, such as structural equation modeling, make it possible to specify models depicting hypothesized structural relationships between different theoretical constructs and to evaluate the plausibility of these models. [References: 49]

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

  Francis DJ.

Institution

  Department of Psychology, University of Houston, TX 77204-5341.

Title

  An introduction to structural equation models. [Review] [35 refs]

Source

  Journal of Clinical & Experimental Neuropsychology.  10(5):623-39, 1988 Oct.

Abstract

  This paper provides an overview of structural equation models, and their potential for advancing neuropsychological theory and practice. Four topics are covered: (1) an overview of the various classes of models, and an introduction to the terminology and diagrams used to describe them, (2) an outline of the steps involved in applying structural equation modeling to any research problem, (3) an overview of the information used in assessing model fit, and a discussion of the role of significance tests in structural models, and (4) an outline of the advantages and disadvantages of structural equation models, and their potential contribution to neuropsychology. The paper is intended to help researchers (1) assess the relevance of these advanced statistical techniques to their own research, and (2) begin the process of successful application. [References: 35]

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Hser, Y.I., Shen, H., Chou, C.P., Messer, S.C., & Anglin, M.D. (2001). Analytic approaches for assessing long-term treatment effects. Examples of empirical applications and findings.  Evaluation Review, 25(2), 233-262.

 

DMT:  The authors examine current methodological issues that relate to studies that evaluate substance abuse intervention and treatment programs.  They discuss several approaches, turning first to the autoregressive panel model, which they consider a modification of structural equation modeling (p. 239), then to latent growth curve models, which they consider both a special case of SEM (p. 239) and multilevel or hierarchical linear models (p.243).  They also point types of data where survival analysis or event history analysis is relevant.  They discuss a latent transition model, which is essentially a Markov model in which transition probabilities are calculated, and time-series analysis.

 

A disadvantage of SEM is that models are difficult to identify unless they measure outcomes at relatively few time points.  Additionally, if the autoregressive coefficients (stability) among factors is high, collinearities (correlations) are also high, longitudinal or cross-lagged effects are difficult to detect.

 

Latent growth curve modeling offsets these disadvantages, and can be accomplished through SEM, or through hierarchical modeling.  The disadvantage of the former is that the model is difficult to construct, and estimates may not converge.  Hierarchical models, in contrast, are easily understood and efficient in estimating model parameters.  However, SEM can test path models, including mediational variables, multiple change processes, and multiple groups.

 

They provide some good references for latent growth curve modeling.  They make the point that no method is superior.  Often the research question drives the choice of technique.  Alternatively, each approach gives the researcher a different view of the potential in the data, so that we might consider how different approaches might help one reformulate the research question.

 

 

 

      Journal available at Bizzell: Call HM1 / .E8

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________

2 studies on "adolescent problem behavior" that include clearly longitudinal samples

 

 

1.

 

  Ary DV.  Duncan TE.  Biglan A.  Metzler CW.  Noell JW.  Smolkowski K.

Institution

  Oregon Research Institute, Eugene 97403, USA. dennis@ori.org

Title

  Development of adolescent problem behavior.

Source

  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.  27(2):141-50, 1999 Apr.

 

Abstract

  The developmental model of adolescent antisocial behavior advanced by Patterson and colleagues (e.g., Patterson, Reid, & Dishion, 1992) appears to generalize the development of a diverse set of problem behaviors. Structural equation modeling methods were applied to 18-month longitudinal data from 523 adolescents. The problem behavior construct included substance use, antisocial behavior, academic failure, and risky sexual behavior. Families with high levels of conflict were less likely to have high levels of parent-child involvement. Such family conditions resulted in less adequate parental monitoring of adolescent behavior, making associations with deviant peers more likely. Poor parental monitoring and associations with deviant peers were strong predictors of engagement in problem behavior. These constructs accounted for 46% of the variance in problem behavior. Although association with deviant peers was the most proximal social influence on problem behavior, parental monitoring and family factors (conflict and involvement) were key parenting practices that influenced this developmental process.

 

      Journal available at OUHSC-TULSA

      AVAILABLE ONLILNE AFTER 2000

 

 

2.

 

Ary DV.  Duncan TE.  Duncan SC.  Hops H.

Institution

  Oregon Research Institute, Eugene 97403, USA.

Title

  Adolescent problem behavior: the influence of parents and peers.

Source

  Behaviour Research & Therapy.  37(3):217-30, 1999 Mar.

 

Abstract

  This paper presents evidence that the Patterson et al. (1992) model of development of antisocial behavior in children generalizes to the development of a wide array of problem behaviors during later adolescence and that youth antisocial behavior, high-risk sexual behavior, academic failure and substance use form a single problem behavior construct. Structural equation modeling methods were applied to 24-month longitudinal data from 204 adolescents and parents. The model fit the data well, accounting for 52% of the variance in adolescent problem behavior. Specifically, families experiencing high levels of conflict were more likely to have low levels of parent-child involvement. These family conditions were related to poor parental monitoring and association with deviant peers one year later. Poor parental monitoring and associations with deviant peers were strong proximal predictors of engagement in an array of problem behaviors at two-year follow-up.

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Fergusson DM.  Woodward LJ.  Horwood LJ.

Institution

  Christchurch Health and Development Study, Christchurch School of Medicine, New Zealand. david.fergusson@chmeds.ac.nz

Title

  Childhood peer relationship problems and young people's involvement with deviant peers in adolescence.

Source

  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.  27(5):357-69, 1999 Oct.

Abbreviated Source

  J Abnorm Child Psychol.  27(5):357-69, 1999 Oct.

Abstract

  Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, this article examined the relationship between children's peer relationship problems in middle childhood and their subsequent risk of forming deviant peer affiliations in adolescence. The analysis proceeded in three steps. First, a structural equation model demonstrated a moderate association between early peer relationship problems and later deviant peer affiliations (r = .27). Second, the model was extended to include a latent variable measure of early conduct problems. This analysis revealed that when the confounding effects of concurrently measured conduct problems were taken into account, peer relationship problems in middle childhood were no longer significantly related to young people's choice of deviant peers in adolescence. Third, the model was further extended to include lagged variables, permitting an examination of possible reciprocal relationships between early conduct problems and peer relationship problems. Results suggested that both early peer relationship problems and adolescent deviant peer involvement are symptomatic of early child behavioral adjustment. The implications of these findings for explanations of deviant peer selection are discussed.

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

APPLIED INVESTIGATIONS THAT USE CROSS-LAGGED VARIABLES IN THEIR DESIGNS

 

One class of longitudinal models performed with latent variables involved a cross-lagged design.  Kivimaki and colleagues (2000) attribute this approach to longitudinal panel studies to R.D. Shingles, but his name is not in the medical literature. I'm not sure if anyone has used more than a pair of variables but the idea is to correlate them themselves and with each other over time to understand how the relationship changes and to assess the true direcion of cause and effect.  Nested models can be compared to see whether causes are in a particular direction or, more generally, bidirectional.  (DMT)

 

Examples (many others are available through medline, including studies of depression among older people)

 

 

Rueter, M.A., & Conger, R.D. (1998). Reciprocal influences between parenting and adolescent problem-solving behavior. Developmental Psychology, 34, 1470-82.

 

Abstract

  This investigation evaluated the hypothesis that the development of either effective or disruptive adolescent problem-solving behavior is reciprocally associated with the child-rearing strategies of parents. Longitudinal data collected over 3 time points from a large sample of families were analyzed at 1-year and 2-year measurement intervals by using structural equation modeling. Parent and adolescent behavior was assessed by independent observers. Reciprocal parent--adolescent interactions occurred primarily in the presence of disruptive adolescent behavior. Analyses involving positive adolescent behavior produced unidirectional effects from parent behavior to adolescent behavior. Also, reciprocal associations were most evident when the 2-year measurement interval was used.

 

 

DMT:  The study measures indicators of two constructs (parental childrearing practices and adolescent problem-solving behavior) three times, models the constructs generally as "cross-lagged," then uses differences in chi-square to compare four specific and nested models.  The baseline model posits autoregressive effects but no others.  One model that is nested within the baseline model but less restricted permits "bi-directional" lagged effects.  The other two models posit uni-directional lagged effects in opposite directions, that is, from parent to child, then from child to parent.

 

 

 

 

Kivimaki, M., Feldt, T., Vahtera, J., & Nurmi, J. (2000). Sense of coherence and health: Evidence from two cross-lagged longitudinal samples. Social Science & Medicine,  50(4), 583-97.

 

Abstract

  We explored the stability of sense of coherence (SOC) and the relationship between SOC and health in two cross-lagged longitudinal samples by using structural equation modeling. In Study 1, comprising 577 municipal male and female employees, SOC was found to be stable in both sexes. In women, SOC significantly predicted sickness absences in the 4-year follow-up period. A low SOC, but not a high SOC, was associated with health prospects. Surprisingly, SOC did not influence sickness absences among men. Study 2 further tested the relationship between SOC and health in 320 male technical designers. Although SOC was cross-sectionally associated with psychological and somatic health complaints, it did not predict later health complaints in a 5-year follow-up. Thus, the present study supports the dispositional character of SOC in both sexes and its predictive validity among women. No support was found to the salutogenic status of SOC and an unexpected gender difference was revealed.   (85 ref)

 

Summary:  Includes some references to methodology in longitudinal studies.

 

 

 

 

Newsom JT.  Knapp JE.  Schulz R. (1996). Longitudinal analysis of specific domains of internal control and depressive symptoms in patients with recurrent cancer. Health Psychology, 15(5), 323-31.

 

Abstract

  The relation between perceptions of control and depressive symptoms was examined in a longitudinal study of patients with recurrent cancer. Five domains of control (self-blame, control over cancer onset, control over symptoms, control over the course of the illness, and overall control over life events) were found to be independent of one another. In cross-sectional analyses, depression symptomatology was negatively correlated with illness course control, symptom control, and overall control. Cross-lagged longitudinal analyses using structural equation modeling suggested only onset control and overall control were significantly associated with depressive symptomatology over the 8-month interval. Greater baseline onset control predicted greater follow-up depression, whereas higher baseline depression predicted lower follow-up overall control. The importance of developing and using domain-specific measures of control and investigating the association of control and adjustment !

in longitudinal analysis are discussed.

 

 

 

Bullers, S.,  Cooper, M.L., &  Russell, M. (2001). Social network drinking and adult alcohol involvement: a longitudinal exploration of the direction of influence. Addictive Behaviors, 26(2), 181-99.

 

Abstract

  Past research shows consistent associations between individuals' drinking patterns and the drinking patterns of their social network members. This association has usually been attributed to the influence of social networks on individual behavior. Recent studies concerning adolescent drinking behavior suggest that such associations may be due, in part, to selection effects in which individuals form social ties with those who have drinking habits similar to their own. The present study used longitudinal data and structural equation modeling to compare the selection and influence effects among a large representative sample of adults. Results suggested that both selection and influence affect the association between individual and network drinking patterns among adults, but that social selection effects are substantially stronger than social influence effects. A cross-lagged structural equation model with a normed fit index of .975, showed that the path indicating peer influence had a coefficient of .069 (P<.01), whereas the path indicating network selection had a coefficient of .193 (P<.01). Comparisons across age, race, sex, and marital status groups revealed similar results, with stronger selection than influence effects for all groups.

 

Summary:  well-written explication of the use of SEM coefficients.  Thoughtful writing on nature of latent variables.

__________________________________________________________________________

Statistical models in clinical epidemiology

 

Loeb M, Walter SD, McGeer A, Simor AE, McArthur MA, Norman G (1999). A comparison of model-building strategies for lower respiratory tract infection in long-term care. J Clin Epidemiol 1999 Dec;52(12):1239-48

 

Five strategies for creating predictive models of lower respiratory tract infection in residents of long-term care facilities were compared. A linear judgment model was derived by administering clinical vignettes to physicians who indicated the risk of infection based on the presence or absence of five predictor variables. A model based on physician consensus was created using the same variables. Three models based on empirical data (logistic regression, proportional hazards, and recursive partitioning) were created from a "derivation" sample of data from a cohort study of lower respiratory tract infections in nursing homes using the five predictor variables. All models were applied to a validation set and compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The data-derived and consensus models showed the highest discriminative ability while the linear judgment model showed inferior performance.

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Bast J.  Reitsma P.

Institution

  Paedologisch Instituut-Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Title

Analyzing the development of individual differences in terms of Matthew effects in reading: results from a Dutch Longitudinal study.

Source

  Developmental Psychology.  34(6):1373-99, 1998 Nov.

 

Abstract

  The Matthew effect hypothesis provides a theoretical framework to describe the development of individual differences in reading ability. The model predicts an increase of individual differences in reading. Reciprocal relationships between reading and other factors seem to cause these increasing differences. This longitudinal study of 3 years was concerned with uncovering the existence and causes of increasing individual differences in reading in the early elementary grades. Data were analyzed within a structural equation modeling framework. The results clearly indicate increasing individual differences for word recognition skills. For reading comprehension, no such effects could be established for this limited time period. More important, some evidence for interactive relationships between reading and other cognitive skills, behaviors, and motivational factors, hypothesized to cause increasing differences between readers, was found.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Floyd FJ.  Gilliom LA.  Costigan CL.

Institution

  Psychology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-3270, USA. ffloyd@email.unc.edu

Title

  Marriage and the parenting alliance: longitudinal prediction of change in parenting perceptions and behaviors.

Source

  Child Development.  69(5):1461-79, 1998 Oct.

 

Abstract

  The study evaluates how marriage and the parenting alliance affect parenting experiences over time. Couples (N = 79) with school-age children who have mental retardation completed self-report and observational measures of marriage, the parenting alliance, and parenting attitudes and behaviors at 2 periods, 18-24 months apart. Longitudinal structural equation modeling demonstrated significant effects of marital quality on changes over time in self-reports of perceived parenting competence for both the mothers and the fathers, and in observed negative mother-child interactions. Also, in all cases, the parenting alliance mediated the effects of marriage on parenting experiences. There was little evidence of reciprocal causation in which parenting variables predicted change in the quality of marriage and the parenting alliance. Interactions involving child age suggested that teenagers as opposed to younger children were more reactive to negative features of their parents' marital functioning and parenting alliance. Implications are discussed regarding stable but negative marital functioning and regarding possible differences in mothers' and fathers' parenting in the context of marital distress.

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

  Cole DA.  Peeke L.  Dolezal S.  Murray N.  Canzoniero A.

Institution

  Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA. cole.1@nd.edu

Title

  A longitudinal study of negative affect and self-perceived competence in young adolescents.

Source

  Journal of Personality & Social Psychology.  77(4):851-62, 1999 Oct.

 

Abstract

  In a 4-wave, 2-year longitudinal design, the authors obtained measures of negative affect (NA) and self-perceived competence from 220 boys and 216 girls who were 7th graders at the beginning of this study. NA was operationalized as the common dimension underlying self-reports of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and negative emotions. Self-perceived competence consisted of 2 higher order constructs: a well-behaved/good-student factor and an attractive/athletic/popular factor. Structural equation modeling revealed very high stability estimates for all constructs. Nevertheless, self-perceived competence in the attractive/athletic/popular domain predicted changes in NA. Conversely, NA predicted changes in self-perceived competence in the well-behaved/good-student domain. The primacy of NA versus self-cognitions depends, in part, on the type of self-cognitions being examined.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Hultsch DF.  Hertzog C.  Small BJ.  Dixon RA.

Institution

  Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. dfh@uvic.ca

Title

  Use it or lose it: engaged lifestyle as a buffer of cognitive decline in aging?.

Source

  Psychology & Aging.  14(2):245-63, 1999 Jun.

 

Abstract

  Data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study were used to examine the hypothesis that maintaining intellectual engagement through participation in everyday activities buffers individuals against cognitive decline in later life. The sample consisted of 250 middle-aged and older adults tested 3 times over 6 years. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to examine the relationships among changes in lifestyle variables and an array of cognitive variables. There was a relationship between changes in intellectually related activities and changes in cognitive functioning. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that intellectually engaging activities serve to buffer individuals against decline. However, an alternative model suggested the findings were also consistent with the hypothesis that high-ability individuals lead intellectually active lives until cognitive decline in old age limits their activities.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Duits AA.  Duivenvoorden HJ.  Boeke S.  Taams MA.  Mochtar B.  Krauss XH.  Passchier J.  Erdman RA.

Institution

  Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Title

  A structural modeling analysis of anxiety and depression in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a model generating approach.

Source

  Journal of Psychosomatic Research.  46(2):187-200, 1999 Feb.

 

Abstract

  The present study is a longitudinal study designed to explore structural relationships between anxiety, depression, personality, and background factors (e.g., gender, age, and complicated medical characteristics) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. At two timepoints before and two after CABG, 217 patients completed self-report questionnaires. To explore structural relationships, the structural equation modeling (SEM) method was applied. Using the model-generating approach, a model was developed, providing a good fit. The structural relationships revealed, in particular, the key position of neuroticism, which was related to both pre- and postoperative anxiety and depression. Relationships between anxiety and depression over time, both intra- and interrelationships, were relatively weak. Relationships between anxiety and depression at the same points in time were relatively strong, with preoperative depression leading to preoperative anxiety, and postoperative anxiety leading to postoperative depression. To provide a useful framework for development of intervention strategies, further research is needed to evaluate the plausibility of the final structural model.

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

Mason WA.  Windle M.

Title

  Family, religious, school and peer influences on adolescent alcohol use: A longitudinal study

Source

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 62(1):44-53, 2001 Jan.

 

Abstract

  Objective: In this study, the cross-temporal relationship between family social support and adolescent alcohol use was examined. A primary aim was to investigate the mechanisms through which family social support affects drinking among youth. Another aim was to examine reciprocal relationships among the study variables. Method: Four-wave (with 6-month intervals) panel survey data collected From 840 middle adolescent boys (n = 443) and girls (n = 397) attending a suburban school district in western New York were analyzed using structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation, Results: Analyses revealed that family social support was indirectly associated with decreased alcohol consumption among the respondents, primarily through variables measuring religiosity, school grades and peer alcohol use. In addition, adolescent alcohol use was directly associated with subsequent increases in peer alcohol use and later decreases in school performance. Results also showed that receiving good grades in school predicted moderate increases in family social support. Conclusions: The findings of this study are discussed in terms of the interrelationships that exist among multiple socializing influences and alcohol use among adolescents. [References: 65]

 

Summary:  Longitudinal study

 

 

  Reprint available from:

  Mason WA

  Univ Alabama, Dept Psychol

  415 Campbell Hall,1530 3rd Ave S

  Birmingham, AL 35294

  USA

  

  Univ Alabama, Dept Psychol

  Birmingham, AL 35294

  USA

 

 

 

______________________________________________________________________

Structural models with Sullivan MD.  Kempen GIJM.  Van Sonderen E.  Ormel J. (2000). Models of health-related quality of life in a population of community-dwelling Dutch elderly

Quality of Life Research. 9(7):801-810, 2000.

 

Objective: Though health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is now commonly measured as an outcome in clinical trials, the relationships between its components remain unclear. The relation of physical symptoms, physical function, and psychological symptoms to each other and to overall quality of life is of special interest. Method: Cross-sectional data from 5279 community-dwelling elders who participated in the Groningen Longitudinal Aging Study were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. Three models were examined. One "Linear" model included: number of chronic medical conditions, physical symptoms, physical functioning, activity interference, social function, perceived health and overall quality of life in a simple linear progression. Another 'non-linear' model included these variables, but allowed effects between non-adjacent variables. A third 'non-linear' model included these variables plus anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: The Linear Model did not!

 satisfactorily account for the observed data [X-2(15(df)) = 2946.96]. so the saturated Non-Linear Model, incorporating paths between non-adjacent components. is described. When anxiety and depressive symptoms were added to this Non-Linear Model, they fit best in a position mediating the relation between perceived health and overall quality of life [X-2(5(df)) = 136.78]. Conclusions: Overall quality of life appears to be related to symptom status as directly as it is related to functional status. Anxiety and depressive symptoms appear to mediate the relation between general health perceptions and overall quality of life. Quality of life measures should therefore include assessments of physical and psychological symptom severity as well as functional status if they are to truly reflect what matters to patients. The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) measure used by the WHO may inadequately reflect the effect of symptoms on patient's quality of life. [References: 29]

 

Summary:  quality of life ; WHO; disablement

______________________________________________________________________

 

Carmelli D.  Kelly-Hayes M.  Wolf PA.  Swan GE.  Jack LM.  Reed T.  Guralnik JM. (2000). The contribution of genetic influences to measures of lower-extremity function in older male twins. Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences.  55(1):B49-53, 2000 Jan.

 

Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. doritc@unix.sri.com

 

Tests of balance, gait, and endurance were administered to 95 monozygotic (MZ) and 92 dizygotic (DZ), white male twins aged 68 to 79 years who had been born in the United States. Within-twin-pair correlations were calculated for each individual task and for an overall summary performance score. These were subjected to structural equation modeling to determine the contributions of genetic and environmental influences to individual differences in performance scores. MZ intraclass correlations were significant and greater than DZ correlations for the 8-foot walk and the repeated chair stands task, but not for the standing balance task. The heritability of the lower-extremity summary score was 57%, of which 39% was due to additive genetic effects and 18% due to nonadditive effects. In addition, we found that genetic influences contributed primarily to twin similarity in the poorest quartile of performance, whereas shared environmental influences contributed to twin similarity in the best quartile.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Sousa KH.  Chen F.

Institution

  Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Title

  Health-Related quality of life theory and structural equation modeling... 34th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference/15th Annual WIN Assembly, "Health Care Challenges Beyond 2001: Mapping the Journey for Research and Practice," held April 19-21, 2001 in Seattle, Washington.

Source

  Communicating Nursing Research,  34(9):290, 2001 Spring.

_________________________________________________________________

 

Marsh HW.  Yeung AS. (1998).  Top-down, bottom-up, and horizontal models: the direction of causality in multidimensional, hierarchical self-concept models. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology.  75(2):509-27, 1998 Aug.

 

  Faculty of Education, University of Western Sydney at Macarthur, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. h.marsh@uws.edu.au

 

A new structural equation modeling approach to questions of the direction of causal flow between global and specific multidimensional measures of self-concept (SC) in two 2-wave, longitudinal studies demonstrated that (a) higher order factors were unable to explain relations among first-order factors at Time 1 (T1), at Time 2 (T2), or between T1 and T2; (b) T1 global SC had little effect on specific SC factors at T2 (a top-down model), but specific factors at T1 had even less effect on T2 global SC (a bottom-up model); and (c) many specific factors were more stable than global factors, but higher order factors were most stable. Results provide little support for top-down, bottom-up, or reciprocal models, instead arguing for a horizontal model in which each T2 SC factor is primarily a function of the matching T1 SC. This casts further doubt on the usefulness of hierarchical representations of SC.

__________________________________________________________________

 

Rotheram-Borus MJ.  Stein JA.  Lin YY.

Institution

  AIDS Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. rotheram@ucla.edu

Title

  Impact of parent death and an intervention on the adjustment of adolescents whose parents have HIV/AIDS.

Source

  Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology.  69(5):763-73, 2001 Oct.

Abbreviated Source

  J Consult Clin Psychol.  69(5):763-73, 2001 Oct.

Abstract

  The impact of parental death and the efficacy of a coping-skills intervention were examined on the adjustment of 211 adolescent children of parents with HIV/AIDS (PWH) over a 2-year period. During the follow-up period, 35% of the PWH died. Using longitudinal structural equation model, controlling for prior measures of adjustment at baseline, the authors found that children of deceased PWH reported significantly more emotional distress and problem behaviors 2 years later. Youth randomized with their parent to a coping-skills intervention reported significantly fewer problem behaviors and sexual partners 2 years later. Also, adolescents were better-adjusted 2 years later when their parents had reported less emotional distress and less severe physical health symptoms at baseline. Female adolescents reported more emotional distress at baseline and at 2 years than males; male adolescents reported more problem behaviors at baseline than the females.

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

 

McAuley E.  Blissmer B.  Marquez DX.  Jerome GJ.  Kramer AF.  Katula J.

Institution

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801.

Title

  Social relations, physical activity, and well-being in older adults.

Source

  Preventive Medicine,  31(5):608-17, 2000 Nov.  (47 ref)

 

Abstract

  Background. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine: (a) the effect of two physical activity modes on changes in subjective well-being (SWB) over the course of a 12-month period in older, formerly sedentary adults (N = 174, M age = 65.5 years) and (b) the role played by physical activity participation and social support in changes in SWB over time. Method. Participants were randomized into either an aerobic activity group or a stretching and toning group. Structural equation modeling was employed to conduct multiple sample latent growth curve analyses of individual growth in measures of SWB (happiness, satisfaction with life, and loneliness) over time. Results. A curvilinear growth pattern was revealed with well-being significantly improving over the course of the intervention followed by significant declines at the 6-month follow-up. Subsequent structural analyses were conducted showing that frequency of exercise participation was a significant predictor of improvement in satisfaction with life, whereas social relations were related to increases in satisfaction with life and reductions in loneliness. Improvements in social relations and exercise frequency also helped to buffer the declines in satisfaction with life at follow-up. Conclusions. It appears that social relations integral to the exercise environment are significant determinants of subjective well-being in older adults. Findings are discussed in terms of how physical activity environments might be structured to maximize improvements in more global well-being constructs such as satisfaction with life. Copyright 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.   (47 ref)

 

Summary:  "Multiple sample latent growth curve analysis" ; longitudinal

__________________________________________________________-

 

  Peirce RS.  Frone MR.  Russell M.  Cooper ML.  Mudar P.

Institution

  Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA.

Title

  A longitudinal model of social contact, social support, depression, and alcohol use.

Source

  Health Psychology.  19(1):28-38, 2000 Jan.

 

Abstract

  The longitudinal relations among contact with one's social network (social contact), perceived social support, depression, and alcohol use were examined. An integrative model was developed from affect regulation theory and theories of social support and dysfunctional drinking. Data were obtained from a random sample of 1,192 adults. The 3-wave panel model was tested using structural equation modeling analysis. Results revealed that (a) social contact was positively related to perceived social support; (b) perceived social support was, in turn, negatively related to depression; and (c) depression was, in turn, positively related to alcohol use for 1 of 2 longitudinal lags. There was partial support for the feedback hypothesis that increased alcohol use leads to decreased contact with family and friends. Although the results generally supported the authors' hypotheses, the significant coefficients in the model were generally small in size.

 

Comment:  How do the covariance structures differ between panel studies and true longitudinal studies that involve the same subjects over time.  Is it useful to look at the relationship???????

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________

 

Sieving RE.  Perry CL.  Williams CL.

Institution

  Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

Title

  Do friendships change behaviors, or do behaviors change friendships? Examining paths of influence in young adolescents' alcohol use.

Source

  Journal of Adolescent Health,  26(1):27-35, 2000 Jan.  (38 ref)

 

Abstract

  PURPOSE: This study examined support for models of peer influence, which postulates that young adolescents whose friends use alcohol will also engage in that behavior, and of peer selection, whereby young adolescents seek out friends whose drinking behavior is similar to their own. METHODS: Data for this study are from 1804 adolescents participating in Project Northland, a school- and community-based alcohol use prevention trial. Using latent variable structural equation modeling, a series of models examined directions of influence between participant alcohol use and friend drug use over three points in Grades 7, 8, and 9. RESULTS: Findings indicated that higher levels of friends' drug use led to increased participant alcohol use. The reverse-order relationship (i.e., greater participant involvement in alcohol leading to more drug use among friends) was not supported by these data. Finally, best-fitting models supported the notion that both participants' alcohol use and the alcohol and other drug use of friends were highly stable over time. CONCLUSIONS: Similarity in drinking behavior among adolescent friends may be more related to processes of peer influence than to processes of peer selection. Findings support the utility of alcohol use prevention programs that equip younger teens with skills to resist peer influences to use alcohol.   (38 ref)

 

Summary: longitudinal study

___________________________________________________________

 

 

MODEL FIT

 

Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238-246.

 

Bollen, 1990, Overall fit in covariance structure models: Two types of sample size effects. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 256-259.

 

Gerbing, D.W., & Anderson, J.C. (1993). Monte Carlo evaluations of goodness-of-fit indices for structural equation models. In K.A. Bollen, & J.S. Long (eds.), Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55.

 

Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural Equation Modeling. Concepts, Issues, and Applications (pp.76-99). London: Sage.

 

Marsh, H. W., Balla, J. R., & McDonald, R. P. (1988). Goodness of fit indexes in confirmatory factor analysis: The effect of sample size. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 391-410.

 

Steiger, J.H. (1989).  EZPATH:  A supplementary module for SYSTATand SYGRAPH.  Evanston, IL: SYSTAT.

 

Tanaka, J.S. (1993). Multifaceted conceptions of fit in structural equation models. In K.A. Bollen, & J.S. Long (eds.), Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

  Evers AWM.  Kraaimaat FW.  van Riel PLCM.  Bijlsma JWJ.

Title

  Cognitive, behavioral and physiological reactivity to pain as a predictor of long-term pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Source

  Pain. 93(2):139-146, 2001 Aug.

 

Abstract

  A heightened reactivity to pain is assumed to play a significant role in the maintenance and exacerbation of pain in patients: with chronic pain. In a prospective study involving 95 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, the relative contribution of self-reported cognitive, behavioral and physiological components of pain reactivity were examined for a change in pain within 1 year. Regression analyses indicated that self-reported physiological reactivity predicted an increase in clinical and self-reported pain after I year, but not cognitive and behavioral reactivity. Neither disease activity nor neuroticism mediated or moderated the relationship of pain reactivity to long-term pain. However, structural equation modeling revealed that neuroticism directly affected physiological reactivity to pain, which in turn was the only significant predictor for subsequent pain. The results of this study underline the crucial role of physiological pain reactivity for exacerbation of pain in RA patients and are indicative for a symptom-specific pattern of physiological pain reactivity that is sustained by psychological predisposition and respondent learning processes. (C) 2001 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. [References: 71]

 

Summary: longitudinal model???

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Evers AWM  Univ Nijmegen, Dept Med Psychol  POB 9101  NL-6500 HB Nijmegen

  Netherlands

  

  Univ Nijmegen, Dept Med Psychol

  NL-6500 HB Nijmegen  Netherlands

  

  Univ Nijmegen, Med Ctr St Radboud, Dept Rheumatol

  NL-6500 HD Nijmegen  Netherlands

  

  Univ Utrecht, Med Ctr, Dept Theumatol & Clin Immunol

  Utrecht  Netherlands

__________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Labouvie E.  Pinsky I.

Title

  Substance use and driving: the coexistence of risky and safe behaviors

Source

  Addiction. 96(3):473-484, 2001 Mar.

 

Abstract

  Aims. Two risky behaviors (driving after drinking/getting drunk, riding with drinking drivers) and two safe behaviors (deciding not to drive under the influence of alcohol (DUI), preventing someone else from DUI) were examined in relation to use frequency and friends' DUI to determine whether individuals tend to engage in both types of behaviors. Design. Self-report questionnaires were administered to a random sample of 1233 young adults in New Jersey (USA) on two occasions (mean age 21 and mean age 28). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the goodness of fit of a hypothesized model of cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships. Findings. Relationships between the four behaviors were strongly positive for men and women at both occasions and were substantially accounted for by use frequency and friends' DUI. At the later age, however, it was necessary to add non-recursive pathways to the model, which were different for men and women. Conclusions. Findings suggest that (1) riding with drinking drivers plays an important role in the maintenance of the other behaviors and (2) most individuals vacillate between risky and safe behaviors indicating that drinking contexts are best viewed as risky decision-making situations requiring individuals to choose between riskier and safer courses of action. [References: 51]

 

Summary: SEM used to assess GOF of a hypothesized model of cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships. Non-recursive model.

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Labouvie E  Rutgers State Univ, Ctr Alcohol Studies  607 Allison Rd

  Piscataway, NJ 08854  USA

  

  Rutgers State Univ, Ctr Alcohol Studies  Piscataway, NJ 08854  USA

  

  UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Med Sch, Dept Psychiat  New Brunswick, NJ 08903

__________________________________________________________

 

  Mesman J.  Bongers IL.  Koot HM.

Institution

  Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Title

  Preschool developmental pathways to preadolescent internalizing and externalizing problems.

Source

  Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines.  42(5):679-89, 2001 Jul.

 

Abstract

  The present study investigated longitudinal pathways from specific early preschool behavioral problems (ages 2-3 years) to internalizing and externalizing problems in preadolescence (ages 10-11 years), and the role of social problems at school entry (ages 4-5 years) in such pathways. Path analyses were performed using both parent and teacher reports in a sample of 251 to 346 children from the general population, depending on the availability of parent and teacher data at each time of assessment. Structural equation modeling revealed homotypic internalizing and externalizing pathways, predictions from early preschool externalizing problems to later internalizing problems, and negative predictive paths from early internalizing problems to externalizing problems in preadolescence. Cross-informant predictions spanning 8 years were found between parent-reported aggression and overactivity at ages 2-3 years and teacher-reported externalizing problems at ages 10-11 years. Further, results showed that boys' pathways were more complex and showed greater predictive validity than pathways for girls, and that social problems at school entry played a significant role in pathways to internalizing problems, but only for boys. The results are discussed from a developmental psychopathology perspective.

 

 

__________________________________________________________

 

 

Nyamathi AM.  Stein JA.

Institution

  University of California, Los Angeles, Office of the Dean, School of Nursing, Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Title

  Assessing the impact of HIV risk reduction counseling in impoverished African American women: a structural equations approach.

Source

  AIDS Education & Prevention,  9(3):253-73, 1997 Jun.  (73 ref)

 

Abstract

  We assessed changes in cognitive, psychological, and risky behavior latent variables after traditional or specialized AIDS education after 2 years using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of impoverished at-risk African American women (N = 300). Both groups reported significant improvement at 2 years in their self-esteem and social resources. They also reported less threat perception, avoidant coping, emotional disturbance, HIV risk behavior, and drug use behavior. There was an advantage to specialized group membership. When compared with the traditional group at 2 years, women in the specialized group reported enhanced social resources, reduced emotional distress, less use of an avoidant coping style, and less drug use. We discuss advantages of culturally sensitive HIV risk reduction programs and the importance of connecting women with social services in their communities.   (73 ref)

 

Summary:  assessing changes over time.

 

___________________________________________________________

 

Gonschorek AS.  Lu IL.  Halliwill JR.  Beightol LA.  Taylor JA.  Painter JA.  Warzel H.  Eckberg DL.

Title

Influence of respiratory motor neurone activity on human autonomic and haemodynamic rhythms

Source

  Clinical Physiology. 21(3):323-334, 2001 May.

 

Abstract

  Although humans hold great advantages over other species as subjects for biomedical research, they also bring major disadvantages. One is that among the many rhythmic physiological signals that can be recorded, there is no sure way to know which individual change precedes another, or which change represents cause and which represents effect. In an attempt to deal with the inherent complexity of research conducted in intact human subjects, we developed and used a structural equation model to analyse responses of healthy young men to pharmacological changes of arterial pressure and graded inspiratory resistance, before and after vagomimetic atropine. Our model yielded a good fit of the experimental data, with a system weighted R-2 of 0.77, and suggested that our treatments exerted both direct and indirect influences on the variables we measured. Thus, infusions of nitroprusside and phenylephrine exerted all of their direct effects by lowering and raising arterial pressure; the changes of R-R intervals, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and arterial pressure fluctuations that these drugs provoked, were indirect consequences of arterial pressure changes. The only direct effect of increased inspiratory resistance was augmentation of arterial pressure fluctuations. These results may provide a new way to disentangle and understand responses of intact human subjects to experimental forcings. The principal new insight we derived from our modelling is that respiratory gating of vagal-cardiac motor neurone firing is nearly maximal at usual levels of arterial pressure and inspiratory motor neurone activity. [References: 41]

 

Summary: assessing change over time, and causality in intact subjects

 

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Eckberg DL  Hunter Holmes McGuire Dept Vet Affairs Med Ctr, Dept Biostat

  1201 Broad Rock Blvd  Richmond, VA 23249  USA

  

  Hunter Holmes McGuire Dept Vet Affairs Med Ctr, Dept Biostat,  Richmond, VA ,23249  USA

  

  Berufsgenossenschaftliches Unfallkrankenhaus Hamb, Dept Neurol,  Hamburg  Germany

  

  Hunter Holmes McGuire Dept Vet Affairs Med Ctr, Dept Physiol & Med

  Richmond, VA 23249  USA

  

  Virginia Commonwealth Univ, Med Coll Virginia,  Richmond, VA 23298  USA

  

  Mayo Clin,  Rochester, MN  USA

  

  Hebrew Rehabil Ctr Aged,  Boston, MA 02131  USA

  

  Harvard Univ, Sch Med,  Boston, MA  USA

  

  Univ Magdeburg, Dept Physiol,  D-39106 Magdeburg  Germany

 

 

 

 

Lusk SL.  Ronis DL.  Hogan MM.

Institution

  University of Michigan School of Nursing, Room 3182, 400 N Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0482.

Title

  Test of the health promotion model as a causal model of construction workers' use of hearing protection.

Source

  Research in Nursing & Health,  20(3):183-94, 1997 Jun.  (35 ref)

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: Because individual action in using hearing protection is a useful method to reduce noise exposure when engineering controls cannot, the purpose of this study was to test Pender's health promotion model (HPM) as a causal model to understand the use of hearing protection by construction workers. This model, derived from social learning theory, attempts to explain individuals' participation in health-promoting behaviors and posits that cognitive-perceptual factors influence health-promoting behavior. DESIGN: Not given. SETTING: Classroom. POPULATION: Midwestern carpenters, operating engineers, and plumbers/pipefitters were recruited through trade unions and trade group associations to participate in the study. A total of 359 persons were included in theses analyses. The vast majority were male and Caucasian, the mean age was 33 years old. INTERVENTIONS: Written questionnaires were completed by the participants in classroom settings as they attended journeyman and refresher courses provided by their trade groups. Noise exposure was assessed with a series of questions about time on the job exposed to "high noise" over the last week, month, and 3 months. Perceived control of health, the individual's perception of the meaning of health, the individual's conception of current health and perceived self-efficacy were all measured. Perceived barriers, the real or perceived impediments to engaging in the behavior, was measured by the Barriers to Use of Hearing Protection scale developed for this program of research. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): In this test of the health promotion model, a comparison of the results from the testing of the theoretical model and the exploratory model proved useful. In both models, three cognitive-perceptual factors, benefits (value of use), barriers, and self-efficacy, had significant direct paths to use, with the expected signs. The HPM's ability to predict behavior has been supported. However, further tests of the HPM are needed, especially as not all of the components of the HPM have been fully tested. In the current study, interpersonal influences, which had not been tested with factory workers, were found to be strong predictors of hearing protection use. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Though the HPM is a causal model, structural equation modeling with cross-sectional data provides no evidence about the directions of causality among variables. Some alternative models, including a model with all causal paths reversed, would fit the data equally well. Longitudinal studies and tests of theory-based interventions, such as the one we are currently conducting, are needed to provide evidence of the directions and causal nature of these paths. [CINAHL abstract]  (35 ref)

 

Summary: Abstract includes discussion of causal implications of cross-sectional data when used with SEM

 

_______________________________________________

 

Vollebergh WAM.  Iedema J.  Bijl RV.  de Graaf R.  Smit F.  Ormel J.

Title

  The structure and stability of common mental disorders - The NEMESIS Study

Source

  Archives of General Psychiatry. 58(6):597-603, 2001 Jun.

 

Abstract

  Background: We analyzed the underlying latent structure of 12-month DSM-III-R diagnoses of 9 common disorders for the general population in the Netherlands. In addition, we sought to establish (1) the stability of the latent structure underlying mental disorders across a 1-year period (structural stability) and (2) the stability of individual differences in mental disorders at the level of the latent dimensions (differential stability).

 

  Methods: Data were obtained from the first and second measurement of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS) (response rate at baseline: 69.7%, n=7076; 1 year later, 79.4%, n=5618). Nine common DSM-III-R diagnoses were assessed twice with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview with a time lapse of 1 year. Using structural equation modeling, the number of latent dimensions underlying these diagnoses was determined, and the structural and differential stability were assessed.

 

  Results: A 3-dimensional model was established as having the best fit: a first dimension underlying substance use disorders (alcohol dependence, drug dependence); a second dimension for mood disorders (major depression, dysthymia), including generalized anxiety disorder; and a third dimension underlying anxiety disorders (simple phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia, and panic disorder). The structural stability of this model during a 1-year period was substantial, and the differential stability of the 3 latent dimensions was considerable.

 

  Conclusions: Our results confirm the 3-dimensional model for 12-month prevalence of mental disorders. Results underline the argument for focusing on core psychopathological processes rather than on their manifestation as distinguished disorders in future population studies on common mental disorders. [References: 35]

 

Summary:  longitudinal?? Assesses stability of latent constructs over time.

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Vollebergh WAM

  Netherlands Inst Mental Hlth & Addict, Trimbos Inst

  POB 725,   NL-3500 AS Utrecht,   Netherlands

  

  Netherlands Inst Mental Hlth & Addict, Trimbos Inst

  NL-3500 AS Utrecht,   Netherlands

  

  Social & Cultural Planning Off

  The Hague,   Netherlands

  

  Univ Groningen, Dept Social Psychiat

  Groningen,   Netherlands

 

_______________________________________________

Harford TC.  Muthen BO.

Title

  The dimensionality of alcohol abuse and dependence: A multivariate analysis of DSM-IV symptom items in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 62(2):150-157, 2001 Mar.

 

Abstract

  Objective: This article examines the factor structure of 22 symptom items used to configure the criteria of DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) alcohol abuse and dependence and relates the factor structure to background characteristics.

 

  Method: Data for this study were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Labor Market Experience in Youth (NLSY). The symptom items were related to the covariates using the statistical technique of structural equation modeling generalized to dichotomous outcomes. The present model is a special case of structural equation modeling, a multiple causes and multiple indicators (MIMIC) model, in which one or more latent variables (i.e., alcohol abuse and dependence) intervene between a set of observed background variables predicting a set of observed response variables (i.e., DSM-IV symptom items).

 

  Results: The results of the structural equation analysis provide further support for two dimensions underlying the DSM-IV symptom items. Although the two-factor dimension bore a strong resemblance to the DSM-IV conceptions of abuse and dependence, there were notable differences in the item content of the symptom items for each dimension. The dependence dimension drew upon items related to the abuse criteria for continued drinking despite social problems and recurrent drinking resulting in failure to fulfill role obligations. The abuse dimension drew upon items related to the abuse criterion for hazardous drinking and the dependence criterion for larger amounts over time. The two factors were shown to have different relationships to the background variables. Alcohol dependence tvas related to family history of alcoholism and educational status. Age was not related to dependence and inversely related to alcohol abuse.

 

  Conclusions: Findings from this study replicate the two-dimensional model for DSM-IV criteria found in other studies and provide further support for the validity of alcohol dependence in general population samples. A major implication of the factor structure in the present study relates to the different classification of cases that would otherwise be obtained with DSM-IV criteria. These departures were shown to affect abuse, which retained only 40% of DSM-IV diagnoses, more strongly than dependence, which retained 91% of DSM-IV diagnoses. [References: 31]

Publication Type

  Article

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Harford TC

  Univ Calif Los Angeles, Grad Sch Educ & Informat Studies

  Los Angeles, CA 90024

  USA

  

  Boston Univ, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Social & Behav Sci

  Boston, MA 02215

  USA

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Harford TC.  Muthen BO.

Institution

  Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health, Massachusetts, USA.

Title

  Adolescent and young adult antisocial behavior and adult alcohol use disorders: a fourteen-year prospective follow-up in a national survey.

Source

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol.  61(4):524-8, 2000 Jul.

Abbreviated Source

  J Stud Alcohol.  61(4):524-8, 2000 Jul.

Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) are used to examine the association between antisocial behaviors (ASB) reported in youth (15-22 years old) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) 14 years later in a large (N = 7,326) representative national sample. METHOD: Structural equation modeling generalized to dichotomous outcomes was used to assess the associations between latent variables of ASB with latent variables of AUD and background variables. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis of 17 ASB items yielded three factors having clear interpretations with the literature-property offenses, person offenses and illicit substance involvement. When examined in the context of the multivariate structural equation model, several independent associations between ASB and AUD symptoms and covariates were found. Although there were significant and independent effects for each ASB factor on each of the alcohol use disorder factors, the strength of the association was strongest for the effects of early illicit substance involvement on alcohol abuse and dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Both illicit substance involvement and delinquency other than illicit substance involvement reported in 1980 were associated with alcohol use disorders 14 years later.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

  O'Boyle CA.  Henly SJ.  Larson E.

Institution

  Division of Disease Prevention and Control, Minnesota Department of Health, USA.

Title

  Understanding adherence to hand hygiene recommendations: the theory of planned behavior.

Source

  American Journal of Infection Control.  29(6):352-60, 2001 Dec.

 

Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Most health care workers (HCWs) are aware of the rationale for hand hygiene procedures, yet failure to adhere to guidelines is common. Little is known about factors that motivate HCWs to practice hand hygiene. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to (1) estimate adherence to hand hygiene recommendations; (2) describe relationships among motivational factors, adherence, and intensity of nursing unit activity; and (3) test an explanatory model for adherence to hand hygiene guidelines based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). METHOD: A longitudinal, observational design was used to collect data from 120 registered nurses employed in critical care and postcritical care units. Nurses provided information about motivational factors and intentions and a self-report of the proportion of time they followed guidelines. At least 2 weeks later, the nurses' hand hygiene performance was observed while they provided patient care. Structural equation modeling was used to test the TPB-based model. RESULTS: Rate of adherence to recommendations for 1248 hand hygiene indications was 70%. The correlation between self-reported and observed adherence to handwashing recommendations was low (r = 0.21). TPB variables predicted intention to handwash, and intention was related to self-reported hand hygiene. Intensity of activity in the nursing unit, rather than TPB variables, predicted observed adherence to hand hygiene recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: The limited association between self-reported and observed hand hygiene scores remains an enigma to be explained. Actual hand hygiene behavior may be more sensitive to the intensity of work activity in the clinical setting than to internal motivational factors.

 

 

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________

  Lonczak HS.  Huang B.  Catalano RF.  Hawkins JD.  Hill KG.  Abbott RD.  Ryan JAM.  Kosterman R.

Title

  The social predictors of adolescent alcohol misuse: A test of the social development model

Source

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 62(2):179-189, 2001 Mar.

Abbreviated Source

  J. Stud. Alcohol. 62(2):179-189, 2001 Mar.

Abstract

  Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the ability of the social development model (SDM) to predict alcohol misuse at age 16 and to investigate the ability of the SDM to mediate the effects of alcohol use at age 14 on alcohol misuse at age 16.

 

  Method: The sample of 807 (411 males) is from the longitudinal panel of the Seattle Social Development Project which, in 1985, surveyed all consenting fifth-grade students from 18 elementary schools serving high-crime neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington. Alcohol use was measured at age 14, predictors of alcohol misuse were measured at age 15 and alcohol misuse was measured at age 16. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the fit of the model to the data.

 

  Results: All factor loadings were highly significant and the measurement model achieved a good fit with the data (Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.93). A sec end-order structural model fit the data well (CFI = 0.91) and also explained 45% of the variance in alcohol misuse at age 16. The SDM partially and significantly mediated the direct effect of age-14 alcohol use on age-16 alcohol misuse.

 

  Conclusions: The risk and protective processes specified by the SDM serve as potential targets for the prevention or reduction of adolescent alcohol misuse. [References: 42]

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Catalano RF

  Univ Washington, Sch Social Work, Social Dev Res Grp, Dept Educ Psychol

  9725 3rd Ave NE,401

  Seattle, WA 98115

  USA

  

  Univ Washington, Sch Social Work, Social Dev Res Grp, Dept Educ Psychol

  Seattle, WA 98115

  USA

 

______________________________________________-

 

Gross D.  Conrad B.  Fogg L.  Wothke W.

Institution

  Rush Univ Coll Nurs, 1743 W Harrison St Rm 301 SSH, Chicago IL 60612-3824.

Title

  A longitudinal model of maternal self-efficacy, depression, and difficult temperament during toddlerhood.

Source

  Research in Nursing & Health,  17(3):207-15, 1994 Jun.  (34 ref)

 

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to test a model of maternal self-efficacy during toddlerhood using a longitudinal sequential design. Participants were 126 mothers of 1-year olds (Cohort 1) and 126 mothers of 2-year olds (Cohort 2) who completed questionnaires measuring maternal self-efficacy, depression, and perceived difficult toddler temperament three times over 1 year. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and maximum likelihood estimation. Findings support a model whereby (a) the more depressed the mother feels, the more likely she is to rate her toddler's temperament as difficult, (b) the more difficult the child's temperament is perceived to be, the lower the mother's estimates of her parenting self-efficacy, (c) the lower the mother's self-efficacy, the greater her depression, and (d) the more depressed the mother feels at one point in time, the more likely she is to remain depressed 6 months later. Implications of the findings are discussed as they relate to self-efficacy theory and nursing intervention with parents of difficult toddlers.   (34 ref)

____________________________________________________________

Galaif ER.  Stein JA.  Newcomb MD.  Bernstein DP.

Title

  Gender differences in the prediction of problem alcohol use in adulthood: Exploring the influence of family factors and childhood maltreatment

Source

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 62(4):486-493, 2001 Jul.

 

Abstract

  Objective: The purpose of this study was to contrast men and women in prospective relationships among family-oriented and alcohol-related variables obtained during adolescence, childhood physical, emotional and sexual abuse collected retrospectively, and later adult problem alcohol use. Method: In structural equation models, early family processes (support/bonding, parent drug-use problems, parental divorce and childhood maltreatment) and prior alcohol use simultaneously predicted adult problem alcohol use at two later time points in a longitudinal community sample of 426 (305 female) adults. Results: Significant relationships were found among family processes, childhood maltreatment and problem alcohol use within time and longitudinally for both men and women. Greater family support/bonding during adolescence predicted less problem alcohol use in adulthood. Men and women who experienced sexual abuse as a child reported more problem alcohol use in adulthood. Problem alcohol use was stable across time. Men reported more problem alcohol use in adolescence and adulthood, and women reported more early sexual abuse. These results contradict those that find no significant relationships between childhood abuse and subsequent alcohol-related problems. Parental drug use problems during the participant's adolescence did not directly predict problem alcohol use in adulthood. The relationship was more indirect in that parental drug use was associated with family-related concomitants that in turn were significant predictors of more problem alcohol use in adulthood. Conclusions: The strong stability for problem alcohol use across the three time periods is a signal that alcohol use in adolescence should not be ignored; furthermore, family dynamics need attention in addressing problem alcohol use. [References: 27]

 

Summary: longitudinal study

 

 

Institution

  Reprint available from:

  Galaif ER  Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Psychol  Los Angeles, CA  USA

  

  Univ Calif Los Angeles, Drug Abuse Res Ctr  Los Angeles, CA 90095  USA

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

Maia JAR.  Lefevre J.  Claessens A.  Renson R.  Vanreusel B.  Beunen G.

Institution

  Faculty of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. E-mail: jmaia@fcdef.up.pt.

Title

  Tracking of physical fitness during adolescence: a panel study in boys.

Source

  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,  33(5):765-71, 2001 May.  (51 ref)

 

Abstract

  Purpose: To investigate the tracking in physical fitness (PF) viewed as a whole, a multidimensional trait of the subject, and to establish the stability of each factor of PF in adolescence from the perspective of a panel study using the structural equation modeling approach. Methods: From a sample of 454 boys followed from 12 to 18 yr of age of the Leuven Growth Study, we considered only three consecutive measurement occasions with a mean age of 12.76, 14.69, and 17.73 yr. Physical fitness was evaluated by means of a battery composed of the following tests: plate tapping, sit and reach, vertical jump, arm pull, leg lifts, bent arm hang, and shuttle run. Structural equation models were fitted to the data, namely autoregressive models with latent variables. These models were used to quantify the tracking of PF as a whole and also of the individual marker variables of fitness. Results: Stability estimates of PF as a whole are rather high, beta21 = 0.86 and beta32 = 0.68, with an explained variance of 74% and 73%, respectively. Tracking coefficients represented by disattenuated autocorrelations among the fitness factor gave high results: r1,2 = 0.86; r1,3 = 0.78; and r2,3 = 0.85. Conclusions: Physical fitness as a whole is highly stable in adolescent years and very predictable from early years. The same is observed for each factor of fitness. Moreover, autoregressive models within the context of structural equation modeling are better suited than simple Pearson or Spearman autocorrelations to study the tracking problem of PF.   (51 ref)

 

Summary:  Longitudinal panel study with autoregressive correlation matrix; three measurements over time.

 

__________________________________________________

 

  Zsembik BA.  Peek MK.

Institution

  Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Florida, PO Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330; zsembik@soc.ufl.edu.

Title

  Race differences in cognitive functioning among older adults.

Source

  Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences,  56B(5):S266-74, 2001 Sep.  (59 ref)

Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: Explaining race differences in cognitive functioning in later life continues to challenge researchers. This study was an attempt to incorporate the clinical literature, emphasizing biological correlates of cognitive functioning, and the social research literature, emphasizing social inequalities and consequent health outcomes, in the examination of sources of race differences in cognitive functioning in older adults. METHODS: With data from Wave 1 of the Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old survey, the authors used structural equation models (LISREL 8.30) to estimate the direct effects of race on cognitive functioning and indirect effects through social and biological risk factors for the total sample (N = 5,955). RESULTS: Race had a direct association with cognitive functioning. Race also had indirect effects on cognitive functioning through social risk factors-education and health insurance. There did not appear to be indirect effects of race through bi!

ological risk factors. DISCUSSION: The direct and indirect effects of race through social risk factors attest to the importance of examining different ways through which race can influence cognitive functioning of older adults. This research also emphasizes the need for researchers to investigate more closely race differences in dimensions of cognitive functioning and cognitive functioning over time.   (59 ref)

 

Summary:  Used LISREL to clarify direct and indirect effects

 

__________________________________________________

 

Peek MK.  Lin N. (1999).  Age differences in the effects of network composition on psychological distress.  Social Science & Medicine, 49(5):621-36, 1999 Sep.  (52 ref)

 

  Dept of Health Promotion and Gerontology, University of Texas Medical Branch 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX 77555-1028; mkpeek@utmb.edu.

 

The main goal of this research is to better understand age differences in the effects of social networks on mental health. Using a social network approach to revise the convoy of social support model (Kahn and Antonucci, 1980), we examine specifically how two aspects of social support networks (kin composition and convoy dimensions) influence psychological distress for older and younger samples (18-59 and 60+). We hypothesize that kin composition will influence distress in general but especially for the younger sample, while two competing hypotheses for the convoy of social support model are tested. Using data from a three-wave panel health study, structural equation models (LISREL 8.20) indicate that a greater proportion of kin in the perceived support network and the presence of family members in the inner circle of the convoy significantly reduce distress, primarily for the younger sample. Implications for the convoy model are discussed.   (52 ref)

 

 

___________________________________________

Peek, Coward, Peek

J Gerontol B Psychol  Science Soc Sci, 1998, 53B: S127-136.

Used SE model

 

__________________________________________________

Authors

  Kalichman SC.  Rompa D.  DiFonzo K.  Simpson D.  Austin J.  Luke W.  Kyomugisha F.  Buckles J.

Institution

  Center for AIDS Intervention Research (CAIR), Medical College of Wisconsin.

Title

  HIV treatment adherence in women living with HIV/AIDS: research based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of health behavior.

Source

  Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care,  12(4):58-67, 2001 Jul-Aug.  (24 ref)

 

Abstract

  Close and consistent adherence to anti-HIV medication regimens is necessary to achieve the maximum benefit of these potentially effective treatments. The authors examined cognitive and behavioral factors associated with HIV treatment adherence in a convenience sample of 112 women, 72 of whom were currently taking HIV treatments at the time of the study. Women completed confidential surveys and interviews to assess HIV-related health status, treatment regimens, and cognitive behavioral characteristics derived from the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of health promotion behaviors. Results showed that women who had missed at least one dose of their HIV medications in the past week reported lower intentions (motivation) to remain adherent and lower adherence self-efficacy (skills). Structural equation modeling showed that motivational and skills-building factors significantly predicted the number of medication doses missed. However, treatment-related information did not predict treatment adherence. In addition, women who had missed a dose of medication in the past week were more likely to have ever used devices and strategies to remind them of doses, but were no more likely to currently use such strategies. Interventions that enhance treatment adherence motivation and build adherence skills may help improve HIV treatment adherence in women receiving anti-HIV therapies.   (24 ref)

 

Summary:  May make use of parameter estimates

______________________________________________________

  Resnick B.  Zimmerman S.  Orwig D.  Furstenberg A.  Magaziner J.

Institution

  University of Maryland School of Nursing, Room 375, 655 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 (bresnick@umaryland.edu).

Title

  Model testing for reliability and validity of the Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale.

Source

  Nursing Research,  50(5):293-9, 2001 Sep-Oct.  (40 ref)

 

Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Development of a reliable and valid measure of outcome expectations for exercise appropriate for older adults will help establish the relationship between outcome expectations and exercise. Once established, this measure can be used to facilitate the development of interventions to strengthen outcome expectations and improve adherence to regular exercise in older adults. OBJECTIVES: Building on initial psychometrics of the Outcome Expectation for Exercise (OEE) Scale, the purpose of the current study was to use structural equation modeling to provide additional support for the reliability and validity of this measure. METHODS: The OEE scale is a 9-item measure specifically focusing on the perceived consequences of exercise for older adults. The OEE scale was given to 191 residents in a continuing care retirement community. The mean age of the participants was 85  6.1 and the majority were female (76%), White (99%), and unmarried (76%). Using structural equation modeling, reliability was based on R2 values, and validity was based on a confirmatory factor analysis and path coefficients. RESULTS: There was continued evidence for reliability of the OEE based on R2 values ranging from .42 to .77, and validity with path coefficients ranging from .69 to .87, and evidence of model fit (X2 of 69, df = 27, p < .05, NFI = .98, RMSEA = .07). CONCLUSION: The evidence of reliability and validity of this measure has important implications for clinical work and research. The OEE scale can be used to identify older adults who have low outcome expectations for exercise, and interventions can then be implemented to strengthen these expectations and thereby improve exercise behavior.   (40 ref)

 

Summary:  reliability and validity, using confirmatory factor analysis and path coefficients.

 

_________________________________________-

 

  Logsdon MC.  Usui W.

Institution

  School of Nursing, University of Louisville.

Title

  Psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression in diverse groups of women.

Source

  Western Journal of Nursing Research,  23(6):563-74, 2001 Oct.  (40 ref)

 

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to test the extent to which a causal model developed from a theoretical formulation of postpartum depression was consistent with data collected from three groups of postpartum women. In this cross-sectional, correlational design, the samples consisted of primarily middle-class, Caucasian mothers of term infants and preterm infants, and low-income, African American mothers of term infants. Instruments included the CES-D Depression instrument, the Postpartum Support Questionnaire, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem instrument, and a question regarding closeness to partner. The causal model was tested with structural equation modeling. Importance of support, support received, and closeness to partner were significant predictors of both self-esteem and depression. Predictors of postpartum depression are the same across diverse samples of women, as proposed in the causal model.   (40 ref)

 

Summary:  Validation of a causal model

_______________________________________________________________

Authors

  Martin M.  Gr&#252;nendahl M.  Martin P.

Institution

  German Centre for Research on Ageing, Bergheimer Strasse 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany. E-mail: mmartin@dzfa.uni-heidelberg.de.

Title

  Age difference in stress, social resources, and well-being in middle and older age.

Source

  Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences,  56B(4):P214-22, 2001 Jul.  (46 ref)

 

Abstract

  The present study examines the interrelationships among the constructs of social resources, stress, and well-being in middle-aged and older adults. Two samples of 489 middle-aged adults (41-43 years) and 449 older adults (61-63 years) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development were compared with respect to the availability of social resources, levels of stress, and well-being. The data were used to construct separate structural equation models explaining the influence of stress and social resources on well-being in the two groups. The results indicate higher levels of health-related stress and similar levels of social resources in the older group. Structural equation models and examination of total and indirect effects confirmed that a stress-suppression model has the best fit in explaining the interrelationships between stress, social resources, and well-being. There was a strong effect of stress on well-being, no direct effect of social resources on well-being, and a mediating effect of stress on well-being. The relative contributions of stress and resources to well-being were comparable between age groups.   (46 ref)

 

Summary:  Longitudinal model???

_______________________________________________________________

 

 

 

  Zhou Q.  O'Brien B.  Soeken K.

Institution

  Research Clinical Specialist, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Women's Service, 3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22042 (qiuping@zhou@inova.com).

Title

  Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting -- Form 2 in pregnant women: a confirmatory factor analysis.

Source

  Nursing Research,  50(4):251-7, 2001 Jul-Aug.  (24 ref)

 

Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Despite widespread application of Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting-Form 2 (INV2) in practice and research, empirical analyses have not been consistently performed to verify the a priori factors that guided the subclass construction of the symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To examine the dimensional structure of Rhodes INV in a sample of pregnant women. METHOD: Data were collected from 152 pregnant women who were experiencing some degree of nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy and analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. Five competing measurement structures were tested and compared. The structure (model) that provided the closest fit to the data was selected and relationships (factor loadings) between the constructs and indicators were established. RESULTS: The model fitting the data the closest was a three-factor structure measuring nausea, vomiting, and retching as three separate, but correlated dimensions. The factor loadings were high (0.73-0.96) and significant (p < .001). The model treating nausea and vomiting as a one-factor concept as well as the model including two factors named symptom occurrence and symptom distress did not fit the data. CONCLUSION: Rhodes INV2 is a valid measurement tool if subscales are formed to reflect the multidimensional structure of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.   (24 ref)

 

Summary:  comparison of several structural models

____________________________________________________________

 

 

Weiss MR.  Kimmel LA.  Smith AL.

Institution

  Kinesiology Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.

Title

  Determinants of sport commitment among junior tennis players: enjoyment as a mediating variable.

Source

  Pediatric Exercise Science,  13(2):131-44, 2001 May.  (29 ref)

 

Abstract

  This study examined determinants of junior tennis players' motivation to continue involvement using the sport commitment model as the theoretical framework (20). Based on the sport enjoyment literature, a version of the original sport commitment model (i.e., all determinants directly predict commitment) and a revised model where enjoyment was a mediator of the relationships between determinants and level of commitment were tested. Tennis players (N= 198; ages 10-18 years) completed self-report questionnaires on the constructs of interest. Hypothesized relationships among variables were tested using structural equation modeling. Results provided support for both the original and mediational models, with enjoyment exerting the strongest effect on tennis commitment in both models. An alternative model was tested where both direct and indirect effects through enjoyment on commitment were specified. The alternative model was accepted as most theoretically appealing because determinants of commitment and sources and consequences of sport enjoyment were accounted for within the larger conceptual model.   (29 ref)

_______________________________________________________________

  Svedberg P.  Lichtenstein P.  Pedersen NL.

Institution

  Department of Medical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: Pia.Svedberg@mep.ki.se.

Title

  Age and sex differences in genetic and environmental factors for self-rated health: a twin study.

Source

  Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences,  56B(3):S171-8, 2001 May.  (36 ref)

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: Self-rated health has been shown to be a predictor for future health status and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate age-group and sex differences in genetic and environmental sources of variation for self-rated health. METHODS: A sample of twins from the Swedish Twin Registry participated in a computer-assisted telephone interview with assessment of self-rated health. Structural equation model analyses on 1,243 complete twin pairs provided estimates of genetic and environmental components of variance. RESULTS: Individual differences primarily reflected individual specific environmental influences at all ages. The increase in total variance across age groups was primarily due to genetic influences in the age groups 45--74 years and greater environmental influences in the oldest age group (>74). No significant sex differences were found in variance components. DISCUSSION: Genetic variance in the two middle age groups (45--74) could reflect genetic susceptibility to age-dependent illnesses not yet expressed in the youngest group. The findings suggest that it might be more fruitful to explore the origins of individual differences for self-rated health in the context of an individual's age and birth cohort rather than in the context of sex.   (36 ref)

_______________________________________________________________

  Gutierrez PM.  Rodriguez PJ.  Garcia P.

Institution

  Northern Illinois University, Dept of Psychology, 1425 West Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, IL 60115-2892.

Title

  Suicide risk factors for young adults: testing a model across ethnicities.

Source

  Death Studies,  25(4):319-40, 2001 Jun.  (47 ref)

 

Abstract

  A general path model based on existing suicide risk research was developed to test, factors contributing to current suicidal ideation in young adults. A sample of 67.3 undergraduate students completed a packet of questionnaires containing the Beck Depression Inventory, Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and Multi Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale. They also provided information on history of suicidality and exposure to attempted and completed suicide in others. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of the data to the hypothesized model. Goodness-of fit indices were adequate and supported the interactive effects of exposure, repulsion by life, depression, and history of self-harm on current ideation. Model, fit for three subgroups based on race/ethnicity (i.e., White, Black, and Hispanic) determined that repulsion by life and depression function differently across groups. Implications of these findings for current methods of suicide risk assessment and future research are discussed in the context of the importance of culture.   (47 ref)

_______________________________________________________________

 

 

  Mahon NE.  Yarcheski A.

Institution

  Professor, College of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Title

  Outcomes of depression in early adolescents.

Source

  Western Journal of Nursing Research,  23(4):360-75, 2001 Jun.  (44 ref)

 

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depressed mood and depressive symptomatology and the influence of both variables on perceived social support, interpersonal conflict, general well-being, and perceived health status in 144 early adolescents. The subjects responded to instruments measuring the study variables in classroom settings. Two bivariate regression structural equation models were examined using the LISREL 7 computer software program. In the health model, depressed mood had a direct positive effect on depressive symptoms and a direct negative effect on well-being and on perceived health status. Depressive symptoms had a direct negative effect on well-being and on perceived health status. In the interpersonal model, depressed mood had a direct positive effect on depressive symptoms and on conflict and a direct negative effect on social support. Depressive symptoms had a direct positive effect on conflict and a direct negative effect on social support.   (44 ref)

_______________________________________________________________

  Yarcheski A.  Mahon NE.

Institution

  Professor, College of Nursing, Rutgers University.

Title

  A causal model of depression in early adolescents.

Source

  Western Journal of Nursing Research,  22(8):879-94, 2000 Dec.  (56 ref)

 

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to test the extent to which a causal model developed from a theoretical formulation of depression was consistent with data obtained from early adolescents, age 12 to 14. In this cross-sectional correlational design, the final sample consisted of 225 adolescents who responded to a demographic data sheet and instruments measuring depression, self-esteem, state anxiety, and perceived stress in classrooms. The causal model was tested via the LISREL 7 program, using a maximum likelihood structural equation model. The results yielded a chi-square (l, N = 225) = .71, p =.401, indicating a good fit of the model to the data. Perceived stress had the strongest direct, indirect, and total effect on depression in early adolescents. Contrary to expectation, self-esteem did not have a direct effect on depression, and girls did not report higher levels of depression than did boys.   (56 ref)

_______________________________________________________________

 

Boland CS.

Title

  Social support and spiritual well-being: empowering older adults to commit to health-promoting behaviors.

Source

  Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health,  6(3):12-23, 2000 Fall.  (50 ref)

 

Abstract

  Objectives: Purpose was to examine factors that may enhance level of commitment by older adults to tile practice of health-promoting behaviors. A proposed expansion of Pender's Revised Health Promotion Model (HPM) was tested. Methods: A theoretical model was developed and tested using Structural Equation Modeling in a sample of adults aged 65 and older (N595) from communities in four states. Results: Selected Personal Factors, Social Support (SS) and Spiritual-Well-Being (SWB) had direct and indirect influence on level of commitment and were more relevant to the performance of one health-promoting behavior than to that of another. The combined effect of SS and SWB on commitment and specific behaviors was more efficacious than individually. Recommended additions of spiritual factors to Pender's HPM were supported Conclusions: Findings add to our understanding of older adult health-promoting practices by underscoring the importance of social and spiritual interactions for enco!

uraging health behaviors. Inclusion of recommended spiritual factors would enhance the HPM's effectiveness as a guide to investigate and explain influences in older adult decisions to engage in HPBs and would facilitate design of more powerful, culture-specific and individualized interventions to facilitate commitment to healthy behaviors.   (50 ref)

____________________________________________________________

  Schnoll RA.  Harlow LL.  Brower L.

Institution

  Assistant Member, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.

Title

  Spirituality, demographic and disease factors, and adjustment to cancer.

Source

  Cancer Practice: a Multidisciplinary Journal of Cancer Care,  8(6):298-304, 2000 Nov-Dec.  (51 ref)

 

Abstract

  PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between demographic-disease variables, spirituality, and psychosocial adjustment in a heterogeneous sample of patients with cancer.

  DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: Participants (N = 83) accrued through the Rhode Island Hospital and the American Cancer Society completed questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among disease and demographic factors, spirituality, and psychosocial adjustment to cancer.

  RESULTS: Of five models tested, a mediational model received the strongest support (chi-square(35)-66.61; P = .005; comparative fit index = .90; root mean square error of approximation = .09), explaining 64% of the variance in psychosocial adjustment. Being a woman, having a longer illness duration, and having a lower disease stage were related to greater levels of purpose in life and religious/existential beliefs, which, in turn, were associated with higher levels of family and social adjustment and psychological health.

  CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results indicate that spirituality can influence how patients with cancer adjust to their diagnosis and treatment and, thus, support the need for interventions that target spirituality to promote psychosocial adjustment in this population.   (51 ref)

 

Summary: cancer rehabilitation; mediational model

____________________________________________________________

Resnick B.  Zimmerman SI.  Orwig D.  Furstenberg A.  Magaziner J.

Institution

  University of Maryland School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Room 375, Baltimore, MD 21201. E-mail: bresnick@umaryland.edu.

Title

  Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale: utility and psychometrics.

Source

  Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences,  55B(6):S352-6, 2000 Nov.  (42 ref)

Abbreviated Source

  J GERONTOL B PSYCHOL SCI SOC SCI.  55B(6):S352-6, 2000 Nov.  (42 ref)

Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of outcome expectations for exercise specifically for the older adult (The Outcome Expectations for Exercise [OEE] Scale), and to test the reliability and validity of this measure in a sample of older individuals. This scale was developed based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and the work of prior researchers in the development of measures of outcome expectations. METHODS: The OEE scale, which was completed during a face-to-face interview, was tested in a sample of 175 residents in a continuing care retirement community. RESULTS: There was support for the internal consistency of the OEE scale (alpha coefficient of .89), and some support for reliability based on a structural equation modeling approach that used R2 estimates, although less than half of these were greater than 0.5. There was evidence of validity of the measure based on: (a) a confirmatory factor analysis in which the model fit the data (normed fit index [NFI] = .99, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] - .07, chi2/df = 2.8); (b) support for the hypothesis that those who exercised regularly had higher OEE scores than those who did not (F = 31.3, p < .05, eta squared = .15); and (c) a statistically significant relationship between outcome expectations and self-efficacy expectations (r = .66). DISCUSSION: This study provides some initial support for the reliability and validity of the OEE scale. Outcome expectations for exercise were related to exercise behavior in the older adult, and the OEE scale can help identify older adults with low outcome expectations for exercise. Interventions can then be implemented to help these individuals strengthen their outcome expectations, which may subsequently improve exercise behavior.   (42 ref)

 

Summary: reliability

 

____________________________________________________________

 

  P&#233;rez-Escamilla R.  Cobas JA.  Balcazar H.  Benin MH.

Institution

  Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4017.

Title

  Specifying the antecedents of breast-feeding duration in Peru through a structural equation model.

Source

  Public Health Nutrition,  2(4):461-7, 1999 Dec.  (33 ref)

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of socioeconomic status and biocultural variables (planned pregnancy, prenatal care, timing of initiation of breast-feeding and caesarean section delivery) on breast-feeding duration in Peru using structural equation models. DESIGN AND SETTING: Structural equation models were analysed with LISREL using data from the 1991-92 Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey. SUBJECTS: Models were tested among 6,020 women whose last child was born within 5 years of the survey and among 2,711 women whose last child was born 2-5 years preceding the survey. RESULTS: Unplanned pregnancy and socioeconomic status had a negative influence on breast-feeding duration. Prenatal care was positively associated with the timing of breast-feeding initiation in both samples and with breast-feeding duration in the whole sample. The timing of breast-feeding initiation was inversely associated with breast-feeding duration only in the sample of older children. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that an unplanned pregnancy, a delayed breast-feeding initiation, and higher socioeconomic status are risk factors for an earlier discontinuation of breast-feeding through complex mechanisms involving direct and indirect effects.   (33 ref)

____________________________________________________________

 

 

 

  Fontana A.  Schwartz LS.  Rosenheck R.

Institution

  Northeast Program Evaluation Center (182), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT 06516.

Title

  Posttraumatic stress disorder among female Vietnam veterans: a causal model of etiology.

Source

  American Journal of Public Health,  87(2):169-75, 1997 Feb.  (29 ref)

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: The Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars have awakened people to the realization that military service can be traumatizing for women as well as men. This study investigated the etiological roles of both war and sexual trauma in the development of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder among female Vietnam veterans. METHODS: Data from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study for 396 Vietnam theater women and 250 Vietnam era women were analyzed with structural equation modeling. RESULTS: An etiological model with highly satisfactory fit and parsimony was developed. Exposure to war trauma contributed to the probability of posttraumatic stress disorder in theater women, as did sexual trauma in both theater and era women. Lack of social support at the time of homecoming acted as a powerful mediator of trauma for both groups of women. CONCLUSIONS: Within the constraints and assumptions of causal modeling, there is evidence that both war trauma and sexual trauma are powerful contributors to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder among female Vietnam veterans.   (29 ref)

____________________________________________________________

 

 

SEM and quality of life (HRQL)

 

1.

 

Watkins KW.  Connell CM.  Fitzgerald JT.  Klem L.  Hickey T.  Ingersoll-Dayton B. (2000). Effect of adults' self-regulation of diabetes on quality-of-life outcomes. Diabetes Care,  23(10):1511-5, 2000 Oct.  (30 ref)

 

Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. E-mail: kwatkins@sph.sc.edu.

 

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships among cognitive representations of diabetes, diabetes-specific health behaviors, and quality of life using Leventhal and Diefenbach's self-regulation model of illness (Leventhal H, Diefenbach M: The active side of illness cognition. In Mental Representation in Health and Illness. SkeltonJA, Croyle RT, Eds. New York, Springer-Verlag, 1991, p. 247-272). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This research involved secondary analysis of a mailed survey completed by 296 adults (ages 20-90 years). Structural equation modeling was conducted to investigate relationships among cognitive representations, diabetes-specific health behaviors, and quality of life. Model differences by diabetes type were also investigated. RESULTS: Findings indicated that certain cognitive representation constructs were related to increased diabetes-specific health behaviors, decreased sense of burden, and positive quality-of-life outcomes. Individuals levels of understanding!

 of diabetes and their perceptions of control over diabetes were the most significant predictors of outcomes. However, diabetes-specific health behaviors were related to an increased sense of burden that was negatively associated with quality of life. Multigroup analyses indicated that this self-regulatory model provided a good fit for individuals with type 1 diabetes, those with type 2 diabetes who take insulin, and those with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings advance what is known about cognitive representations of illness and the self-regulation of diabetes as well as the relationships between cognitive representations of illness, quality of life, and behavioral factors. In particular, results from this study suggest the need for further study to address ways of reducing the burden of diabetes associated with health behaviors and decreased quality of life.   (30 ref)

Publication Type

  Journal Article.  Research.  Tables/Charts.

 

 

 

2.

 

Siddiqui O.  Ali MW. (1999).  Linear structural equation model in analyzing quality-of-life-data from clinical trials. Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics.  9(4):661-81, 1999 Nov.

 

Center for Economics Research Unit, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.

 

Assessment of quality of life (QOL) in clinical trials becomes a challenging task from the viewpoint of clinical biostatistics. The responses of the items for measuring QOL indices usually vary widely from patient to patient and from time to time. Measurement errors might be present in the responses of the items, and they might be correlated. Hence, in analyzing QOL data, the usual assumption that there are no measurement errors in responses is too liberal. Because the QOL indices are likely to be correlated, separate analysis of each index might not be efficient from the point of view of statistical methodology. We apply linear structural equation modeling (LISREL) in assessing the QOL data obtained from a clinical trial. A basic premise of the LISREL approach is that the abstract concepts (latent constructs) that are not directly measurable can be studied. LISREL is a statistical procedure for conceiving and testing structural hypotheses that cannot be tested adequately with other statistical procedures. It allows us to specify relations between unobserved and observed variables while controlling for measurement errors and correlations among both the measurement errors and the latent constructs.

 

 

3.

 

Newsom JT.  Schulz R. (1996).  Social support as a mediator in the relation between functional status and quality of life in older adults. Psychology & Aging.  11(1):34-44, 1996 Mar.

 

University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15620, USA.

 

The relations among physical functioning, social support, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction were examined in a national sample of 4,734 adults age 65 and older. Regression analyses were used to examine the relative importance of objective and subjective support measures in understanding the relation between physical impairment and quality of life. Impairment was associated with fewer friendship contacts, fewer family contacts, less perceived belonging support, and less perceived tangible aid, but only measures of perceived support predicted depressive symptomatology. A structural equation modeling approach was then used to explore the mediational role of perceived social support in the relation between impairment and quality of life variables. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that lower reported social support is an important reason for decreases in life satisfaction and increases in depressive symptoms found among older adult populations. Implications for understanding the role of social support in attenuating the effects of physical disability in older adults are discussed.

 

 

 

4.

 

Mitchell WG.  Scheier LM.  Baker SA. (1994).  Psychosocial, behavioral, and medical outcomes in children with epilepsy: a developmental risk factor model using longitudinal data. Pediatrics.  94(4 Pt 1):471-7, 1994 Oct.

 

Department of Neurology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Childrens Hospital, Los Angeles 90027.

 

OBJECTIVE. We studied factors predicting the risk of adverse long-term psychosocial, behavioral, and medical outcomes in children with epilepsy. METHODS. Children (N = 157, 4.5 to 13 years) were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study when first seen. Potential subjects were excluded if they were moderately or severely mentally retarded, had motor or sensory handicaps interfering with testing, or did not speak either English or Spanish. MEASURES. To develop risk predictors, we collected information regarding the child's medical and seizure history, cognitive functioning, and behavior problems, and family functioning. Children and their families were followed for a minimum of 18 months, then underwent reassessment of medical status, parent's attitudes toward epilepsy, and the child's behavioral and cognitive functioning. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis to develop baseline factors (Sociocultural Risk, Seizure Risk, and Behavior Problems) and outcome fac!

tors (Medical/Seizure Problems, Parent's Negative Attitudes Toward Epilepsy, and Behavior Problems), followed by structural equation modeling to determine across-time causal effects. Eighty-eight subjects completed all baseline and outcome measures. RESULTS. Among significant across-time effects, Medical Outcome was predicted by Seizure Risk. An increased number of stressful life events predicted better Medical Outcome. Low acculturation increased Parent's Negative Attitudes and was associated with increased Behavior Problems at baseline. Behavior Problems were stable across time. It is interesting that IQ did not affect any of the outcomes, although its effect may have been mediated through other baseline measures. CONCLUSIONS. Seizure history was the best predictor of ongoing medical difficulties, whereas the most important causes of ongoing parental anxiety and negative attitudes toward epilepsy were sociocultural. Variation in medical or attitudinal outcomes was not influe!

nced by either the child's IQ or reported behavioral problems. These findings suggest that to alter attitudes toward epilepsy, programs should be tailored to the sociocultural background of the family. Studies of quality of life of children with epilepsy should include appropriate sociocultural measures.

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________

GJ Botvin's name comes up as one who uses SEM to study longitudinal data, especially as it relates to prevention.  Several examples:

 

1.

 

  Scheier LM.  Botvin GJ.  Griffin KW.

Institution

  Department of Public Health, Institute for Prevention Research, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10021, USA. lmscheie@med.cornell.edu

Title

 Preventive intervention effects on developmental progression in drug use: Structural equation modeling analyses using longitudinal data.

Source

  Prevention Science.  2(2):91-112, 2001 Jun.

 

Abstract

  This study examined the plausibility of the gateway hypothesis to account for drug involvement in a sample of middle school students participating in a drug abuse, prevention trial. Analyses focused on a single prevention approach to exemplify intervention effects on drug progression. Improvements to social competence reduced multiple drug use at 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Specific program effects disrupted drug progression by decreasing alcohol and cigarette use over 1 year and reducing cigarette use over a 2-year period. Controlling for previous drug use, alcohol was integrally involved in the progression to multiple drug use. Subgroup analyses based on distinctions of pretest use/nonuse of alcohol and cigarettes provided partial support for the gateway hypothesis. However, evidence also supported alternate pathways including cigarette use as a starting point for later alcohol and multiple drug use. Findings underscore the utility of targeting more than one gateway substance to prevent escalation of drug involvement and reinforce the importance of social competence enhancement as an effective deterrent to early-stage drug use.

 

 

2.

 

  Epstein JA.  Griffin KW.  Botvin GJ.

Institution

  Institute for Prevention Research, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York 10021, USA.

Title

Role of general and specific competence skills in protecting inner-city adolescents from alcohol use.

Source

  Journal of Studies on Alcohol.  61(3):379-86, 2000 May.

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this longitudinal investigation was to test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to greater refusal assertiveness that is, in turn, related to less subsequent alcohol use among inner-city adolescents. METHOD: A large sample of students attending 22 middle and junior high schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, at 1-year follow-up and at 2-year follow-up (N = 1,459; 54% female). The students self-reported alcohol use. decision-making skills, self-efficacy and refusal assertiveness. Teams of three to five data collectors administered the questionnaire following a standardized protocol. The data were collected in school during a regular 40-minute class period. RESULTS: According to the tested structural equation model, Decision Making (beta = .07, p < .05) and Self-Efficacy (beta = .24, p < .001) predicted higher Refusal Assertiveness and this greater assertiveness predicted less drinking at the 2-year follow-up (beta = -.21, p < .001). Earlier drinking predicted 2-year follow-up drinking (beta = .40, p < .001). Goodness-of-fit indices were excellent (chi2 = 1107.9, 238 df, N = 1,438, p < .001; NFI = .93, NNFI = .94, CFI = .95). CONCLUSIONS: The tested model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with theory. This research highlights the importance of addressing decision-making skills, self-efficacy and refusal assertiveness within adolescent alcohol prevention programs.

 

3.

 

Epstein JA.  Griffin KW.  Botvin GJ.

Institution

  Institute for Prevention Research, Cornell University Medical College, 411 East 69th St, KB 201, New York, NY 10021; jepstein@mail.med.cornell.edu.

Title

  A model of smoking among inner-city adolescents: the role of personal competence and perceived social benefits of smoking.

Source

  Preventive Medicine,  31(2 part 1):107-14, 2000 Aug.  (48 ref)

 

Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Based on current trends, smoking will remain a major public health problem in the 21st century. Effective smoking prevention approaches offer the best hope for decreasing the rise in adolescent smoking rates. Competence enhancement approaches to smoking prevention are among the most successful. Yet, there is not a full understanding of how effective prevention approaches work. This study tests whether a deficiency in competence (poor decision-making skills and low personal efficacy) is linked to acquiring beliefs in the perceived benefits of smoking and whether these perceived benefits are then related to subsequent smoking. METHODS: A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle and junior high schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, 1-year follow-up and 2-year follow-up during a regular class period. They self-reported smoking, decision-making skills, personal efficacy and beliefs in the perceived benefits of smoking. RESULTS: The tested structural equation model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with the theory underlying the competence approach to smoking prevention. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights the importance of addressing decision-making skills, personal efficacy, and beliefs in the social benefits of smoking within adolescent smoking prevention programs. Copyright 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.   (48 ref)

 

 

4.

 

  Epstein JA.  Griffin KW.  Botvin GJ.

Institution

  Institute for Prevention Research, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA. jepstein@mail.med.cornell.edu

Title

  Competence skills help deter smoking among inner city adolescents.

Source

  Tobacco Control.  9(1):33-9, 2000 Mar.

 

Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: To test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to more frequent use of refusal assertiveness that is in turn related to less subsequent smoking among inner city adolescents. METHODS: Longitudinal study conducted during three year middle school or junior high school period. A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle (ages 11-14 years) and junior high (ages 12-15 years) schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, one year follow up, and two year follow up. The students self reported smoking, decision making skills, personal efficacy, and refusal assertiveness. Teams of three to five data collectors administered the questionnaire following a standardised protocol. These data were collected in school during a regular 40 minute class period. RESULTS: Based on the tested structural equation model, decision making and personal efficacy (that is, general competence) predicted higher refusal assertiveness and this greater assertiveness predicted less smoking at the two year follow up. The tested model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with theory. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent smoking prevention programmes often teach refusal skills in order to help youth resist peer pressure to smoke. The present findings suggest that teaching general competence skills as well may help to reduce smoking because youth with better personal efficacy and decision making skills are better able to implement smoking refusal strategies.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________