Top

Published in:

01-05-2011 | METHODS

Identification of operating mediation and mechanism in the sufficient-component cause framework

Authors: Etsuji Suzuki, Eiji Yamamoto, Toshihide Tsuda

Published in: European Journal of Epidemiology | Issue 5/2011

Abstract

The assessment of mediation and mechanism is one way to more deeply explore cause-effect relationships, providing a stronger test and explanation of the observed associations. Most previous studies have described direct and indirect effects in terms of potential outcomes and response types, exploring mediation analysis in the counterfactual (= potential-outcome) framework. A recent paper by Hafeman (Eur J Epidemiol 23(11):711–721, 2008) provided a conceptual description of mediation in the sufficient-component cause framework, and VanderWeele (Eur J Epidemiol 24(5):217–224, 2009) explored the distinctions and relationships between the concepts of mediation and mechanism. This study builds on this prior work and demonstrates that further insight can be given by elucidating the concepts of mediation and mechanism in the sufficient-component cause framework, distinguishing their operation from presence. The careful consideration of the concepts of mediation and mechanism can clarify the relationship between them. Then, the present article describes how investigators can identify mediation as well as mechanism by showing their correspondence with direct and indirect effects in the counterfactual framework. This study also demonstrates how a researcher can decompose the total effect into the effect due to mediated paths and the effect due to non-mediated paths in terms of the probabilities of background factors of sufficient causes.

Available only for authorised users

Pearl J. Causality: models, reasoning, and inference. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 2009.

Hafeman DM, Schwartz S. Opening the black box: a motivation for the assessment of mediation. Int J Epidemiol. 2009;38(3):838–45.PubMedCrossRef

Hafeman DM. A sufficient cause based approach to the assessment of mediation. Eur J Epidemiol. 2008;23(11):711–21.PubMedCrossRef

VanderWeele TJ. Mediation and mechanism. Eur J Epidemiol. 2009;24(5):217–24.PubMedCrossRef

Hafeman DM. “Proportion explained”: a causal interpretation for standard measures of indirect effect? Am J Epidemiol. 2009;170(11):1443–8.PubMedCrossRef

Hafeman DM, VanderWeele TJ. Alternative assumptions for the identification of direct and indirect effects. Epidemiology. 2011. doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181c311b2.

Little RJ, Rubin DB. Causal effects in clinical and epidemiological studies via potential outcomes: concepts and analytical approaches. Annu Rev Public Health. 2000;21:121–45.PubMedCrossRef

Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Poole C, et al. Causation and causal inference. In: Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash TL, editors. Modern Epidemiology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. p. 5–31.

Greenland S, Rothman KJ, Lash TL. Measures of effect and measures of association. In: Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash TL, editors. Modern epidemiology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. p. 51–70.

10.

Hernán MA. A definition of causal effect for epidemiological research. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2004;58(4):265–71.PubMedCrossRef

11.

Maldonado G, Greenland S. Estimating causal effects. Int J Epidemiol. 2002;31(2):422–9.PubMedCrossRef

12.

Greenland S, Lash TL, Rothman KJ. Concepts of interaction. In: Rothman KJ, Greenland S, Lash TL, editors. Modern epidemiology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. p. 71–83.

13.

Greenland S, Poole C. Invariants and noninvariants in the concept of interdependent effects. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1988;14(2):125–9.PubMed

14.

Miettinen OS. Causal and preventive interdependence. Elementary principles. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1982;8(3):159–68.PubMed

15.

Petersen ML, Sinisi SE, van der Laan MJ. Estimation of direct causal effects. Epidemiology. 2006;17(3):276–84.PubMedCrossRef

16.

Robins JM. Semantics of causal DAG models and the identification of direct and indirect effects. In: Green PJ, Hjort NL, Richardson S, editors. Highly Structured Stocahstic Systems. Oxford, New York: Oxford statistical science series 2003;27:70–81.

17.

VanderWeele TJ, Vansteelandt S. Conceptual issues concerning mediation, interventions and composition. Stat Interface. 2009;2(4):457–68.

18.

Robins JM, Greenland S. Identifiability and exchangeability for direct and indirect effects. Epidemiology. 1992;3(2):143–55.PubMedCrossRef

19.

VanderWeele TJ. Bias formulas for sensitivity analysis for direct and indirect effects. Epidemiology. 2010;21(4):540–51.PubMedCrossRef

20.

Rothman KJ. Causes. Am J Epidemiol. 1976;104(6):587–92.PubMed

21.

Khoury MJ, Flanders WD, Greenland S, et al. On the measurement of susceptibility in epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1989;129(1):183–90.PubMed

22.

Gatto NM, Campbell UB. Redundant causation from a sufficient cause perspective. Epidemiol Perspect Innov. 2010;7(1):5.PubMedCrossRef

23.

VanderWeele TJ. Attributable fractions for sufficient cause interactions. Int J Biostat. 2010;6(2):5.

24.

Greenland S, Robins JM. Conceptual problems in the definition and interpretation of attributable fractions. Am J Epidemiol. 1988;128(6):1185–97.PubMed

25.

Robins JM, Greenland S. Estimability and estimation of excess and etiologic fractions. Stat Med. 1989;8(7):845–59.PubMedCrossRef

26.

Robins JM, Greenland S. The probability of causation under a stochastic model for individual risk. Biometrics. 1989;45(4):1125–38.PubMedCrossRef

27.

VanderWeele TJ. Marginal structural models for the estimation of direct and indirect effects. Epidemiology. 2009;20(1):18–26.PubMedCrossRef

28.

Vansteelandt S. Estimating direct effects in cohort and case-control studies. Epidemiology. 2009;20(6):851–60.PubMedCrossRef

29.

VanderWeele TJ, Vansteelandt S. Odds ratios for mediation analysis for a dichotomous outcome. Am J Epidemiol. 2010;172(12):1339–48.PubMedCrossRef

30.

Imai K, Keele L, Tingley D. A general approach to causal mediation analysis. Psychol Methods. 2010;15(4):309–34.PubMedCrossRef

31.

Imai K, Keele L, Yamamoto T. Identification, inference and sensitivity analysis for causal mediation effects. Stat Sci. 2010;25(1):51–71.CrossRef

32.

Flanders WD. On the relationship of sufficient component cause models with potential outcome (counterfactual) models. Eur J Epidemiol. 2006;21(12):847–53.PubMedCrossRef

33.

VanderWeele TJ, Hernán MA. From counterfactuals to sufficient component causes and vice versa. Eur J Epidemiol. 2006;21(12):855–8.PubMedCrossRef

34.

Suzuki E, Yamamoto E, Tsuda T. On the link between sufficient-cause model and potential-outcome model. Epidemiology. 2011;22(1):131–2.PubMedCrossRef

35.

Greenland S, Brumback B. An overview of relations among causal modelling methods. Int J Epidemiol. 2002;31(5):1030–7.PubMedCrossRef

Title: Identification of operating mediation and mechanism in the sufficient-component cause framework
Authors: Etsuji Suzuki
Eiji Yamamoto
Toshihide Tsuda
Publication date: 01-05-2011
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: European Journal of Epidemiology / Issue 5/2011
Print ISSN: 0393-2990
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7284
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9568-3

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Identification of operating mediation and mechanism in the sufficient-component cause framework

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 5/2011

Long-term impact of secondary preventive treatments in patients with stable angina

Subtleties of explanatory language: what is meant by “mediation”?

Chlamydia trachomatis and placental inflammation in early preterm delivery

Mortality after myocardial infarction: impact of gender and smoking status

Ten-year risk of all-cause mortality: assessment of a risk prediction algorithm in a French general population

Is low birth weight in the causal pathway of the association between maternal smoking in pregnancy and higher BMI in the offspring?