Standardization in Causal Analysis

Kim, Jae-On; Ferree, G. Donald

doi:10.1177/004912418101000203

Cited by 129 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The path coefficients noted in the figure are standardized (beta) coefficients for each relationship (Kim & Ferree, 1981). The figure shows that when pain is high for those who have greater illness uncertainty, the perception that symptoms were more difficult to cope with from week to week increases.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of illness uncertainty on coping with fibromyalgia symptoms.

2006

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Uncertainty is a common component of the illness experience and can increase the burden of managing chronic illness. The present study examined the role of illness uncertainty in pain coping among 51 women with Fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic pain condition of unknown origin. After completing demographic and illness uncertainty questionnaires, participants underwent 10 to 12 weekly interviews regarding pain, coping difficulty, and coping efficacy. Multilevel analyses indicated that pain elevations in the presence of illness uncertainty predicted increases in coping difficulty. Furthermore, when participants had more difficulty coping, they also had lower levels of coping efficacy. Results are consistent with a model where illness uncertainty accompanied by episodic pain negatively affects coping efficacy, an important resource in adaptation to FM. KeywordsIllness uncertainty; pain; coping difficulty; coping efficacy; fibromyalgia Uncertainty is a salient issue for many who have been diagnosed with life-threatening or chronic illnesses (Mast, 1995;Mishel, 1999), particularly for those whose illness itself has no known organic cause. One such prevalent condition is Fibromyalgia (FM). FM has been characterized by the presence of widespread and often unpredictable musculoskeletal pain, tenderness, fatigue, stiffness, and sleep disturbance. However, it has also been associated with numerous psychosocial conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and physical and sexual abuse (Wolfe & Hawley, 1999;Wolfe, Ross, Anderson, Russell, & Hebert, 1995). Not only do FM patients have a greater number of comorbid physical and psychological conditions than many other chronic pain conditions, but they also have more difficulty coping with their condition (Zautra, Hamilton & Burke, 1999). Furthermore, because the syndrome is characterized by multiple symptoms with no known organic basis, FM is difficult to treat (MacFarlane et al., 2001;Wolfe & Hawley, 1999). According to a meta-analysis conducted by Rossy et al. (1999), the optimal treatment for FM consists of a combination of nonpharmacological treatments, such as exercise, education, and cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication management for sleep and pain symptoms. Although these treatments may be helpful in alleviating symptoms of FM, they are not always effective and there is variable resolution of symptoms.To further our understanding of the difficulties in adjustment for FM patients, we sought to examine a variable that differentiates FM from other rheumatic diseases. Illness uncertainty has been found to be significantly higher in FM compared to OA patients (Reich, Olmsted, & Van Puymbroeck, in press sense of loss of control, and a perception about one's illness that changes over time (Mast, 1995, Weiner & Dodd, 1993. Mishel defines illness uncertainty as "the inability to determine the meaning of illness-related events (that) occurs in situations where the decision-maker is unable to assign definite values to objects and events and/or is unable to accurately predi...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of illness uncertainty on coping with fibromyalgia symptoms.

2006

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“…The transformation eliminates potential bias introduced into the model caused by the wide range of concentrations observed in the dataset, giving equal weight to all variables independent of magnitude. Model multivariate linear regression coefficients can then be compared to one another without consideration to original concentration of the variables (Kim and Ferree, 1981). Our interest here is the source of VOCs with highest coefficients (e.g., fossil fuel, biogenic, biogenic from biomass burning).…”

Section: Multivariate Regression To Investigate Wsoc Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the sources and atmospheric processing of fine particles from Asia and the Northwestern United States measured during INTEX B

et al. 2008

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Abstract. During the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment, Phase B (INTEX-B), in the spring of 2006, airborne measurements were made in the United States Pacific Northwest of the major inorganic ions and the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) of submicron (PM 1.0 ) aerosol. An atmospheric trajectory (HYSPLIT) and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model (Flexpart) quantifying source contributions for carbon monoxide (CO) were used to segregate air masses into those of primarily Asian influence (>75% Asian CO) or North American influence (>75% North American CO). Of the measured compounds, fine particle mass mostly consisted of water-soluble organic carbon and sulfate, with median sulfate and WSOC concentrations in two to four times higher, respectively, in North American air masses versus transported Asian air masses. The fraction of WSOC to sulfate in transported Asian air masses was significantly lower than one at altitudes above 3 km due to depleted organic aerosol, opposite to what has been observed closer to Asia and in the northeastern United States, where organic components were at higher concentrations than sulfate in the free troposphere. The observations could be explained by loss of sulfate and organic aerosol by precipitation scavenging, with reformation of mainly sulfate during advection from Asia to North America. In contrast to free tropospheric measurements, for all air masses below approximately 2 km altitude median WSOC-sulfate ratios were consistently between Correspondence to: R. J. Weber (rweber@eas.gatech.edu) one and two. WSOC sources were investigated by multivariate linear regression analyses of WSOC and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In Asian air masses, of the WSOC variability that could be explained (49%), most was related to fossil fuel combustion VOCs, compared to North American air masses, where 75% of the WSOC variability was explained through a nearly equal combination of fossil fuel combustion and biogenic VOCs. Distinct WSOC plumes encountered during the experiment were also studied. A plume observed near the California Central Valley at 0.6 km altitude was related to both fossil fuel combustion and biogenic VOCs. Another Central Valley plume observed over Nevada at 3 to 5 km, in a region of cloud detrainment, was mostly related to biogenic VOCs.

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“…The unstandardized coefficient, in contrast, is not confounded by these factors. To place the unstandardized estimates on an interpretable scale, we standardized the offspring variables before conducting the analyses using unstandardized coefficients (see Kim & Ferree, 1981, for an explanation of the distinction between standardizing variables and using standardized coefficients). Table 1 lists the prevalence, proband concordance rates, tetrachoric correlations, and sample size for marital instability in the five zygosity and gender groups.…”

Section: Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Genetically Informed Study of Marital Instability and Its Association With Offspring Psychopathology.

D’Onofrio¹,

Turkheimer²,

Emery³

et al. 2005

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

115

164

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Parental divorce is associated with a number of emotional and behavioral problems in young-adult offspring, but theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that the relation may be partially or fully accounted for by passive gene-environment correlation or environmental selection characteristics. The current study used the Children of Twins Design to explore whether shared environmental or genetic factors confound the relationship between parental marital instability and measures of psychopathology. Comparisons of the offspring of adult twins in Australia on 3 factors of abnormal behavior, including drug and alcohol, behavioral, and internalizing problems, suggest that environmental influences associated with divorce account for the higher rates of psychopathology. The results are consistent with a causal connection between marital instability and psychopathology in young-adult offspring. Keywords divorce; behavior genetics; children of twins; externalizing; depressionThe high rate of marital divorce and separation has engendered great concern about the development of children because of the belief that being raised by both biological parents is the most optimal rearing situation (e.g., Popenoe, 1999). Yet, other researchers suggest that many different family forms can provide children with the necessary nurturance and guidance (Silverstein & Auerbach, 1999). Overall, the consequences of marital instability for children Correspondence NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript and society at large continue to be heavily debated in the academic and popular press (e.g., Emery, 2004;Hetherington & Kelly, 2002;Wallerstein, Lewis, & Blakeslee, 2000; review in Thompson & Wyatt, 1999).Numerous studies have found that divorce is associated with problems for children across various domains, including academic difficulties, externalizing behaviors, depressed mood, lower social competence, lower self-esteem, and subclinical distress (reviews in Amato, 2000;Emery, 1999;Hetherington & Stanley-Hagan, 1999). Although the effect sizes are small to medium (Amato & Keith, 1991a), marital disruption is linked with a twofold increase in some problems, such as seeking mental health services. Parental divorce is also associated with negative outcomes and earlier life transitions as offspring enter young adulthood and later life. Psychological difficulties, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, subjective wellbeing, early sexual activity, nonmarital childbirth, earlier marriage, cohabitation, marital discord, and divorce are all associated with parental separation (reviews in Amato, 1999;Amato & Keith, 1991b;Emery, 1999;Furstenberg & Teitler, 1994). Although divorce has become more prevalent and socially accepted (Thornton & Young-DeMarco, 2001), the differences between children from intact and divorced families has not decreased over the past 40 years; rather, they have increased (Amato, 2001). Longitudinal research has also indicated that the magnitude of emotional problems ass...

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Standardization in Causal Analysis

Cited by 129 publications

References 23 publications

The role of illness uncertainty on coping with fibromyalgia symptoms.

The role of illness uncertainty on coping with fibromyalgia symptoms.

Investigating the sources and atmospheric processing of fine particles from Asia and the Northwestern United States measured during INTEX B

A Genetically Informed Study of Marital Instability and Its Association With Offspring Psychopathology.

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