Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Institution
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Statistical Models
Bayesian Strategies For Propensity Score Estimation In Causal Inference., Uthpala I. Wanigasekara
Bayesian Strategies For Propensity Score Estimation In Causal Inference., Uthpala I. Wanigasekara
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Causal inference is a method used in various fields to draw causal conclusions based on data. It involves using assumptions, study designs, and estimation strategies to minimize the impact of confounding variables. Propensity scores are used to estimate outcome effects, through matching methods, stratification, weighting methods, and the Covariate Balancing Propensity Score method. However, they can be sensitive to estimation techniques and can lead to unstable findings. Researchers have proposed integrating weighing with regression adjustment in parametric models to improve causal inference validity. The first project focuses on Bayesian joint and two-stage methods for propensity score analysis. Propensity score modeling …
Using Ensemble-Based Methods For Directly Estimating Causal Effects: An Investigation Of Tree-Based G-Computation, Peter C. Austin
Using Ensemble-Based Methods For Directly Estimating Causal Effects: An Investigation Of Tree-Based G-Computation, Peter C. Austin
Peter Austin
Researchers are increasingly using observational or nonrandomized data to estimate causal treatment effects. Essential to the production of high-quality evidence is the ability to reduce or minimize the confounding that frequently occurs in observational studies. When using the potential outcome framework to define causal treatment effects, one requires the potential outcome under each possible treatment. However, only the outcome under the actual treatment received is observed, whereas the potential outcomes under the other treatments are considered missing data. Some authors have proposed that parametric regression models be used to estimate potential outcomes. In this study, we examined the use of …
Optimal Caliper Widths For Propensity-Score Matching When Estimating Differences In Means And Differences In Proportions In Observational Studies., Peter C. Austin
Optimal Caliper Widths For Propensity-Score Matching When Estimating Differences In Means And Differences In Proportions In Observational Studies., Peter C. Austin
Peter Austin
In a study comparing the effects of two treatments, the propensity score is the probability of assignment to one treatment conditional on a subject's measured baseline covariates. Propensity-score matching is increasingly being used to estimate the effects of exposures using observational data. In the most common implementation of propensity-score matching, pairs of treated and untreated subjects are formed whose propensity scores differ by at most a pre-specified amount (the caliper width). There has been a little research into the optimal caliper width. We conducted an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulations to determine the optimal caliper width for estimating differences …
Causal Inference In Longitudinal Studies With History-Restricted Marginal Structural Models, Romain Neugebauer, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Ira B. Tager
Causal Inference In Longitudinal Studies With History-Restricted Marginal Structural Models, Romain Neugebauer, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Ira B. Tager
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
Causal Inference based on Marginal Structural Models (MSMs) is particularly attractive to subject-matter investigators because MSM parameters provide explicit representations of causal effects. We introduce History-Restricted Marginal Structural Models (HRMSMs) for longitudinal data for the purpose of defining causal parameters which may often be better suited for Public Health research. This new class of MSMs allows investigators to analyze the causal effect of a treatment on an outcome based on a fixed, shorter and user-specified history of exposure compared to MSMs. By default, the latter represents the treatment causal effect of interest based on a treatment history defined by the …
Data Adaptive Estimation Of The Treatment Specific Mean, Yue Wang, Oliver Bembom, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Data Adaptive Estimation Of The Treatment Specific Mean, Yue Wang, Oliver Bembom, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
An important problem in epidemiology and medical research is the estimation of the causal effect of a treatment action at a single point in time on the mean of an outcome, possibly within strata of the target population defined by a subset of the baseline covariates. Current approaches to this problem are based on marginal structural models, i.e., parametric models for the marginal distribution of counterfactural outcomes as a function of treatment and effect modifiers. The various estimators developed in this context furthermore each depend on a high-dimensional nuisance parameter whose estimation currently also relies on parametric models. Since misspecification …
History-Adjusted Marginal Structural Models And Statically-Optimal Dynamic Treatment Regimes, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya L. Petersen
History-Adjusted Marginal Structural Models And Statically-Optimal Dynamic Treatment Regimes, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya L. Petersen
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
Marginal structural models (MSM) provide a powerful tool for estimating the causal effect of a treatment. These models, introduced by Robins, model the marginal distributions of treatment-specific counterfactual outcomes, possibly conditional on a subset of the baseline covariates. Marginal structural models are particularly useful in the context of longitudinal data structures, in which each subject's treatment and covariate history are measured over time, and an outcome is recorded at a final time point. However, the utility of these models for some applications has been limited by their inability to incorporate modification of the causal effect of treatment by time-varying covariates. …
Comparison Of The Inverse Probability Of Treatment Weighted (Iptw) Estimator With A Naïve Estimator In The Analysis Of Longitudinal Data With Time-Dependent Confounding: A Simulation Study, Thaddeus Haight, Romain Neugebauer, Ira B. Tager, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Comparison Of The Inverse Probability Of Treatment Weighted (Iptw) Estimator With A Naïve Estimator In The Analysis Of Longitudinal Data With Time-Dependent Confounding: A Simulation Study, Thaddeus Haight, Romain Neugebauer, Ira B. Tager, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
A simulation study was conducted to compare estimates from a naïve estimator, using standard conditional regression, and an IPTW (Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighted) estimator, to true causal parameters for a given MSM (Marginal Structural Model). The study was extracted from a larger epidemiological study (Longitudinal Study of Effects of Physical Activity and Body Composition on Functional Limitation in the Elderly, by Tager et. al [accepted, Epidemiology, September 2003]), which examined the causal effects of physical activity and body composition on functional limitation. The simulation emulated the larger study in terms of the exposure and outcome variables of interest-- physical …
A Semiparametric Model Selection Criterion With Applications To The Marginal Structural Model, M. Alan Brookhart, Mark J. Van Der Laan
A Semiparametric Model Selection Criterion With Applications To The Marginal Structural Model, M. Alan Brookhart, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
Estimators for the parameter of interest in semiparametric models often depend on a guessed model for the nuisance parameter. The choice of the model for the nuisance parameter can affect both the finite sample bias and efficiency of the resulting estimator of the parameter of interest. In this paper we propose a finite sample criterion based on cross validation that can be used to select a nuisance parameter model from a list of candidate models. We show that expected value of this criterion is minimized by the nuisance parameter model that yields the estimator of the parameter of interest with …
Analysis Of Longitudinal Marginal Structural Models , Jennifer F. Bryan, Zhuo Yu, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Analysis Of Longitudinal Marginal Structural Models , Jennifer F. Bryan, Zhuo Yu, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
In this article we construct and study estimators of the causal effect of a time-dependent treatment on survival in longitudinal studies. We employ a particular marginal structural model (MSM), and follow a general methodology for constructing estimating functions in censored data models. The inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) estimator is used as an initial estimator and the corresponding treatment-orthogonalized, one-step estimator is consistent and asymptotically linear when the treatment mechanism is consistently estimated. We extend these methods to handle informative censoring. A simulation study demonstrates that the the treatment-orthogonalized, one-step estimator is superior to the IPTW estimator in terms …
An Empirical Study Of Marginal Structural Models For Time-Independent Treatment, Tanya A. Henneman, Mark J. Van Der Laan
An Empirical Study Of Marginal Structural Models For Time-Independent Treatment, Tanya A. Henneman, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
In non-randomized treatment studies a significant problem for statisticians is determining how best to adjust for confounders. Marginal structural models (MSMs) and inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) estimators are useful in analyzing the causal effect of treatment in observational studies. Given an IPTW estimator a doubly robust augmented IPTW (AIPTW) estimator orthogonalizes it resulting in a more e±cient estimator than the IPTW estimator. One purpose of this paper is to make a practical comparison between the IPTW estimator and the doubly robust AIPTW estimator via a series of Monte- Carlo simulations. We also consider the selection of the optimal …
Why Prefer Double Robust Estimates? Illustration With Causal Point Treatment Studies, Romain Neugebauer, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Why Prefer Double Robust Estimates? Illustration With Causal Point Treatment Studies, Romain Neugebauer, Mark J. Van Der Laan
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
In point treatment marginal structural models with treatment A, outcome Y and covariates W, causal parameters can be estimated under the assumption of no unobserved confounders. Three estimates can be used: the G-computation, Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighted (IPTW) or Double Robust (DR) estimates. The properties of the IPTW and DR estimates are known under an assumption on the treatment mechanism that we name "Experimental Treatment Assignment" (ETA) assumption. We show that the DR estimating function is unbiased when the ETA assumption is violated if the model used to regress Y on A and W is correctly specified. The practical …
Estimating Causal Parameters In Marginal Structural Models With Unmeasured Confounders Using Instrumental Variables, Tanya A. Henneman, Mark Johannes Van Der Laan, Alan E. Hubbard
Estimating Causal Parameters In Marginal Structural Models With Unmeasured Confounders Using Instrumental Variables, Tanya A. Henneman, Mark Johannes Van Der Laan, Alan E. Hubbard
U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series
For statisticians analyzing medical data, a significant problem in determining the causal effect of a treatment on a particular outcome of interest, is how to control for unmeasured confounders. Techniques using instrumental variables (IV) have been developed to estimate causal parameters in the presence of unmeasured confounders. In this paper we apply IV methods to both linear and non-linear marginal structural models. We study a specific class of generalized estimating equations that is appropriate to these data, and compare the performance of the resulting estimator to the standard IV method, a two-stage least squares procedure. Our results are applied to …