Causal Inference in Psychiatric Epidemiology

Kendler, Kenneth S.

doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.0502

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…To date, observational studies examining the impact of ACEs have used a range of multivariate statistical techniques to control for measured covariates that are associated with both ACEs and examined outcomes to provide less biased estimates of the direct effect of ACEs. The inclusion of covariates increases the likelihood that observed associations will not be the product of “backdoor paths” (D’Onofrio et al, 2016), where common causes partly or entirely explain the observed link and lead to a spurious association (Kendler, 2017). As such, measured covariates are included into multivariate statistical models to block backdoor paths and increase confidence in reported findings.…”

Section: Conceptual Models For the Relationship Between Aces Antisocmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further Evaluating the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Antisocial Behavior, and Violent Victimization: A Sibling-Comparison Analysis

Connolly

2019

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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A developing line of research suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk for antisocial behavior and future victimization. However, the mechanisms that underlie this association remain largely speculative. To address this gap in the existing body of research, data on full siblings from a large population-based sample of youth were analyzed to evaluate the direct effect of ACEs on child antisocial behavior, adolescent delinquency, and young adult violent victimization after controlling for familial confounders. Traditional between-family analyses revealed that ACEs were significantly associated with higher levels of childhood antisocial behavior, adolescent delinquent behavior, and risk for violent crime victimization. After controlling for unmeasured common genetic and shared environmental confounds using fixed-effect sibling comparisons, siblings exposed to more ACEs did not demonstrate higher levels of antisocial behavior, delinquent behavior, or risk for future victimization. The implications of these results for future ACEs research are discussed.

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Section: Conceptual Models For the Relationship Between Aces Antisocmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further Evaluating the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Antisocial Behavior, and Violent Victimization: A Sibling-Comparison Analysis

Connolly

2019

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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“…Thus, our sample offers more refined family and individual-level data than samples drawn from larger medical registries that have been used to examine similar questions. A strength of this design is that causality can be ruled out when associations are attributable to familial confounding, and any within-family associations can be concluded as potentially causal (e.g., causality has not been ruled out, but neither has it been confirmed, as other non-familial confounders could still explain the association; Kendler, 2017). We hypothesized that SDP-ADHD behavior associations will be explained by familial confounds when assessed using a DSM-based symptom measure (Estabrook et al, 2015; Lindblad & Hjern, 2010; Obel et al, 2015; Skoglund et al, 2014; Thapar et al, 2009), but that a within-family, potentially causal effect will be found when ADHD behaviors are assessed using the SWAN, specifically for hyperactivity/impulsivity (Knopik, Marceau, Bidwell, et al, 2016).…”

Section: Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Within-Family Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy on ADHD: the Importance of Phenotype

Marceau

Bidwell

Karoly

et al. 2017

J Abnorm Child Psychol

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We sought to test within- and between- family associations of smoking during pregnancy (SDP) and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms using a structured interview based on the conventional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) symptoms and the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behavior (SWAN) scale, which is a population based measure that grew out of the notion that an ADHD diagnosis exists on the extreme end of a continuum of normative behaviors and includes both above- and below- average performance on attention and activity. We used a sibling-comparison approach in a sample of 173 families including siblings aged 7-16 years (52% male) drawn from the state of Missouri, USA, wherein mothers smoked during one pregnancy but not the other. There was a within-family effect of smoking during pregnancy on SWAN hyperactivity/impulsivity and SWAN total ADHD behaviors. The associations between SDP and DSM-IV-based ADHD symptom dimensions as well as SWAN inattention were explained by familial confounds. These findings suggest that SDP exerts a potentially causal effect on increased ADHD hyperactive/impulsive behaviors and that this SDP effect is best captured when hyperactivity/impulsivity is assessed more normatively across the population, rather than specifically assessing problematic behaviors via DSM symptoms. Thus, any potentially causal effect of SDP on ADHD symptom dimensions may be restricted to hyperactive/impulsive behaviors rather than inattention, and normative, non-DSM-IV based behavioral measures may provide a more sensitive test of mechanisms of SDP-ADHD symptom associations, particularly in non-clinical samples.

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“…In this study, we carried out a stringent test of these non-causal interpretations, capitalizing on design and analytical features with complementary strengths. To account for family-wide factors, we used a co-twin control design 20 to test whether adolescents with the same genotype and rearing environment—but different exposure to adolescent victimization—had a different risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. To account for individual factors, we used propensity score matching 21 to test whether adolescents with a similar individual propensity to experience victimization—but different exposure to adolescent victimization—had a different risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent Victimization and Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors: A Genetically Sensitive Cohort Study

Baldwin

Arseneault

Caspi

et al. 2019

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psych

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Objective Victimized adolescents have an increased risk of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. However, poor understanding of causal and non-causal mechanisms underlying this observed risk limits the development of interventions to prevent premature death in adolescents. This study tested whether pre-existing family-wide and individual vulnerabilities account for victimized adolescents’ increased risk of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Method Participants were 2,232 British children followed from birth to 18 years of age as part of the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study. Adolescent victimization (maltreatment, neglect, sexual victimization, family violence, peer/sibling victimization, cyber victimization, and crime victimization) was assessed through interviews with participants and co-informant questionnaires at the 18-year assessment. Suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempt in adolescence were assessed through interviews with participants at 18 years. Results Victimized adolescents had an increased risk of suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR] 2.40, 95% CI 2.11–2.74), self-harm (OR 2.38, 95% CI 2.10–2.69), and suicide attempt (OR 3.14, 95% CI 2.54–3.88). Co-twin control and propensity score matching analyses showed that these associations were largely accounted for by pre-existing familial and individual vulnerabilities, respectively. Over and above their prior vulnerabilities, victimized adolescents still showed a modest increase in risk for suicidal ideation (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.10–1.91) and self-harm (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.18–1.91) but not for suicide attempt (OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.83–1.98). Conclusion Risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in victimized adolescents is explained only in part by the experience of victimization. Pre-existing vulnerabilities account for a large proportion of the risk. Therefore, effective interventions to prevent premature death in victimized adolescents should not only target the experience of victimization but also address pre-existing vulnerabilities.

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Causal Inference in Psychiatric Epidemiology

Cited by 27 publications

References 11 publications

Further Evaluating the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Antisocial Behavior, and Violent Victimization: A Sibling-Comparison Analysis

Further Evaluating the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Antisocial Behavior, and Violent Victimization: A Sibling-Comparison Analysis

Within-Family Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy on ADHD: the Importance of Phenotype

Adolescent Victimization and Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors: A Genetically Sensitive Cohort Study

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