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Results for “Structural equation modeling”

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PubMed2006

There is no meaningful relationship between television exposure and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The recent but methodologically limited longitudinal study of the adverse attentional effects of television viewing in early childhood suggests a possible association. The purpose of the present study was to extend this investigation to a more current sample of kindergarten students using structural equation modeling, which allows for the simultaneous evaluation of predictors. METHODS: Two samples were randomly selected from nationally representative data collected from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. A structural equation model was developed positing a relationship between kindergartners' television exposure and subsequent first-grade symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while controlling for variables related to socioeconomic status and parent involvement. Variables were selected rather than developed and do not include an acceptable measure of ADHD, which limited the scope of the measures used. The model was tested by using the first sample and then cross-validated to the second sample. RESULTS: Although the adequate fit of the model to the data suggests that children's television exposure during kindergarten was related to symptoms of ADHD during the first grade, the amount of variance accounted for in the ADHD-symptoms variable revealed television exposure as a weak predictor of later ADHD symptoms. Effect sizes for the relationship between television exposure and symptoms of ADHD were close to zero and not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Methodologic issues, including participant age, the measurement of ADHD symptoms, and evaluation of the importance of variables, may explain the differences between the present study and the results of others who have found television exposure to be related to attention problems. The measurement of ADHD symptoms through the use of longitudinal databases is an important limitation, because only a small number of items can be selected to represent symptoms. Future research is necessary to address these issues.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2003

A quantitative genetic analysis of schizotypal personality traits.

BACKGROUND: Previous twin studies investigating the heritability of schizotypy have often had limited power and have failed to measure the disorganization/social anxiety component. METHOD: Seven hundred and thirty-three female twin pairs, drawn from the Institute of Psychiatry Volunteer Twin Register, completed the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences and the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory. Structural equation modelling was carried out on scores for MZ and DZ twin pairs. RESULTS: The best fitting models for all scales comprised additive genetic and unique environmental effects. Heritability was estimated at approximately 50% for most scales, although it was lower at 37% for the PDI scale. Multivariate structural equation model fitting revealed a best-fitting model in which additive genetic and unique environmental influences act through a single common pathway for Cognitive Disorganization, Unusual Experiences and the PDI, and through a separate common pathway for Cognitive Disorganization and Introvertive Anhedonia. CONCLUSIONS: The various components of schizotypy are moderately heritable. Multivariate model fitting indicates that at least two latent factor structures are required to account for the covariation between the various components of schizotypy. The positive and negative components of schizotypy are relatively genetically independent, although each in turn may be related to Cognitive Disorganization.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Empowerment in parents of school-aged children with and without developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of the term 'empowerment' in clinical literature to describe both a desirable process and the outcome of service delivery, the term remains more of a theoretical than practical construct. This study examined the factors that contribute to empowerment in parents of school-aged children with and without developmental disabilities (DD) using the Double ABCX model of family adaptation contrasted with the linear ACBX model. METHODS: Parents of children with (n = 100, 97% mothers) and without (n = 100, 98% mothers) DD completed questionnaires relating to child behaviour problems, parent stress and well-being, and formal and informal support. Structural equation modelling was used RESULTS: Parents of children with DD reported more child behaviour problems, more stress, less well-being and more social support than parents of children without DD. Structural equation modelling supported the ACBX model for both groups. A linear relationship was found in which parent well-being and resources mediated the relationship between the stressor (child behaviour problems) and the outcome (empowerment). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study support Hastings and Taunt's assertion in 2002, in that empowerment was adequately explained using a traditional model of family functioning. The significant prediction offered by the parent's resources points to the need to deliver services in a manner that is more family-centred. In the education system, this means providing parents with clear messages regarding the schools goals, clarifying the parent's rights and responsibilities, including the parent in planning and decision making, respecting their knowledge as caregivers and supporting their hopes for their child.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1996

Appraisals of negative events by preadolescent children of divorce.

This study investigated the appraisals of the significance of negative events made by 256 preadolescent children of divorce. Appraisals were assessed by a 24-item self-report scale. Confirmatory factor analysis of this scale found support for a 3-dimensional model: negative self-appraisal, negative other-appraisal, and material loss. Differentiation between the dimensions of appraisal increased with age in both cross-sectional and over-time data. Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of the self-report measure of appraisals was found with scores derived from children's open-ended descriptions of their appraisals. Cross-sectional structural equation models found significant paths between negative appraisal and psychological symptoms, over and above the direct effects of the traditional life event measure of stress. Structural equation modeling of longitudinal (5.5 months) data found a significant path from Time 1 appraisal to Time 2 anxiety for the older children.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1994

Four-year cross-lagged associations between physical and mental health in the Medical Outcomes Study.

This article provides an application of structural equation modeling to the evaluation of cross-lagged panel models. Self-reports of physical and mental health at 3 different time points spanning a 4-year interval were analyzed to illustrate the cross-lagged analysis methodology. Data were collected from a sample of 856 patients with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or depression (or any combination of these) participating in the Medical Outcomes Study. Cross-lagged analyses of physical and mental health constructs revealed substantial stability effects across time. A structural model with standard effects revealed positive effects of physical health on mental health but negative (suppression) effects of mental health on physical health. The effects of mental health on physical health became nonsignificant when the model was revised by adding nonstandard effects (direct effects of measured variable residuals on latent variables). Recommendations for structural equation modeling of cross-lagged panel data are provided.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Pilot testing the Readiness Estimate and Deployability Index Revised for Air Force Nurses.

The Readiness Estimate and Deployability Index Revised for Air Force Nurses (READI-R-AFN) was derived from modifications of Reineck's Readiness Instrument. Reliability and validity of the READI-R-AFN was estimated on completed questionnaires of 181 active duty Air Force nurses. The READI-R-AFN was evaluated based on item analysis, internal consistency (alpha coefficient, >0.70), confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modeling, and hypothesis testing. The findings were supported by Flannery's model of stress resistance. There was evidence of reliability and validity of the 83-item READI-R-AFN based on internal consistency (alpha, 0.80-0.96), structural equation modeling, and hypothesis testing. The original hypothesized six dimensions were retained.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Testing the level of response to alcohol: social information processing model of alcoholism risk--a 20-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The low level of response (LR) to alcohol is a genetically influenced characteristic associated with an enhanced risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). An optimal understanding of how this intermediate phenotype relates to the AUD risk requires evaluation of the milieu in which LR operates, and this study tested an LR/social information processing model in adult men. METHODS: Almost 300 Caucasian males (97% of those eligible, to date) from the San Diego Prospective Study participated in an alcohol challenge at approximately age 20 and were evaluated with a structural equation model regarding their expectations of the effects of alcohol, drinking among peers, use of alcohol to cope with stress, and alcohol-related problems during follow-up. RESULTS: The direct paths in the structural equation model in these 40-year-old men explained 58% of the variance of the alcoholic outcome at age 40 and 35% at age 35 while demonstrating good fitness characteristics. The LR to alcohol was related to the family history of AUDs and to the alcoholic outcome; the latter primarily operated through the use of alcohol to cope with stress. Although drinking in peers and expectations of the effects of alcohol both contributed to the model in these 40-year-old men, they were not directly related to LR. CONCLUSIONS: The results continue to support the importance of the low LR to alcohol as a predictor of AUDs, even when evaluated in the context of additional relevant characteristics. Future evaluations of adolescent and young adult subjects will also explore the potential importance of expectations of the effects of alcohol and drinking among peers as mediators or moderators of alcoholism risk among subjects with a low LR.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic and environmental influences on type A behavior pattern: evidence from twins and their parents in the Netherlands Twin Register.

OBJECTIVE: There is a dose-response positive relationship between type A behavior (TABP) and cardiovascular disease-related symptoms. Estimates of heritability for TABP from previous studies vary; this might be explained by limitations in the sizes and compositions of the samples. METHODS: This study combines a large sample size, twin and parental, data from males and females, two generations of young adults and older adults, and the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) and full information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimation. To assess TABP, the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) was collected from MZ and DZ twins and their parents (n = 1670 twin families). Structural equation modeling is used to evaluate and estimate the effects of additive and nonadditive genetic effects, nonshared environmental effects, and competitive sibling interaction. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of the variance in TABP was the result of genetic factors (28% were additive and 17% were nonadditive). The remaining 55% of the variance was explained by environmental factors not shared by the members of the same family. Competitive sibling interaction effects were not significant. There was no evidence of sex differences either in variances or means. CONCLUSION: Understanding the sources of variance on TABP is important for therapy and prevention. According to the present results, the relevant environmental factors for the development of TABP are not shared by the members of the same family. The genetic portion of the variance is also worth considering for therapeutic purposes. Although the genetic code cannot be altered, its effects on behavior may be modifiable through the treatment of the biological mediators.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Childhood depression and aggression: a covariance structure analysis.

The purpose of the present study was to: (a) evaluate the comorbidity of depression and aggression in a community sample of school-age children; (b) demonstrate the use of confirmatory factor analysis as a statistical tool in the assessment of the construct validity of childhood depression and aggression measures; and (c) using multisample analysis and structural equation modeling, examine the generalizability of comorbidity across two potential moderating or mediating variables (i.e. gender and peer unpopularity). A series of hypothetical models was tested to identify the number of factors represented by the data, the convergent and discriminant validity of the measures, the relationship between the latent variables of childhood depression and aggression, the influence of method-specific variation, and structural relationships among the latent constructs. Results supported a two-factor comorbidity model (childhood depression and aggression) and the presence of method effects (i.e. rater bias). Though the basic measurement model identified substantial comorbid symptoms and was generally invariant across gender, boys' self-reports of symptomatology evidenced poor validity. The structural equation models supported the independent effects of peer aggression and unpopularity on depression for both boys and girls, though aggression may be somewhat more strongly related to unpopularity among girls. Results were consistent with psychiatric investigations of comorbid depressive and aggressive disorders and emerging developmental psychopathology research on the socioemotional development of aggression and depression in youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Universal session-level change processes in an early session of psychotherapy: path models.

The authors used structural equation modeling to investigate universal change processes identified in the generic model of psychotherapy (GMP). Three path models of increasing complexity were examined in Study 1 in dynamic therapy. The best fitting model from Study 1 was replicated in Study 2 for participants receiving either cognitive or interpersonal therapy. Findings provided support for the universality of the GMP constructs in different types of therapy. Positive influences for therapeutic bond, openness, and realizations were observed, as was a surprising negative impact for one aspect of bond. Discussion highlights a complex conception of the therapy relationship that underscores the importance of investigating the multiple functions that the therapy relationship might serve in different psychotherapies.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Writing and reading: connections between language by hand and language by eye.

Four approaches to the investigation of connections between language by hand and language by eye are described and illustrated with studies from a decade-long research program. In the first approach, multigroup structural equation modeling is applied to reading and writing measures given to typically developing writers to examine unidirectional and bidirectional relationships between specific components of the reading and writing systems. In the second approach, structural equation modeling is applied to a multivariate set of language measures given to children and adults with reading and writing disabilities to examine how the same set of language processes is orchestrated differently to accomplish specific reading or writing goals, and correlations between factors are evaluated to examine the level at which the language-by-hand system and the language-by-eye system communicate most easily. In the third approach, mode of instruction and mode of response are systematically varied in evaluating effectiveness of treating reading disability with and without a writing component. In the fourth approach, functional brain imaging is used to investigate residual spelling problems in students whose problems with word decoding have been remediated. The four approaches support a model in which language by hand and language by eye are separate systems that interact in predictable ways.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Examining the disablement process among older Mexican American adults.

The Disablement Process model (Verbrugge and Jette, Social Science & Medicine 38 (1994) 1) describes a pathway leading from pathology to impairment to functional limitations, and, ultimately to disability. Components of this model have been examined among older White adults; however, very little research has examined the disablement process among older adults of other ethnic groups. Our goal in this research is to evaluate the Disablement Process model using Activities of Daily Living (ADL) disability as the outcome among a representative group of older Mexican American adults in the Southwestern United States. Respondents are from two waves of the Hispanic Established Populations Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE) (n=2439). Structural equation models (LISREL 8.30) are utilized to examine the Disablement Process model. We also investigate aspects of the original model that have potentially important effects on the process of becoming disabled, such as cognitive impairment and perceived emotional support. Findings from structural equation models suggest that the main pathway from pathology to ADL disability is through functional limitations among older Mexican Americans. Risk factors, especially age and gender, have significant indirect effects on ADL disability. The main pathway in the Disablement Process model receives preliminary support among older Mexican Americans. We discuss implications of this model for future research.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1997

Confirmatory analysis of opinions regarding the pros and cons of mammography.

This investigation extends prior research to apply decision-making constructs from the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change to mammography screening. Study subjects were 8,914 women ages 50-80, recruited from 40 primarily rural communities in Washington State. Structural equation modeling showed that favorable and unfavorable opinions about mammography (i.e., pros and cons) fit the observed data. Analysis of variance supported the associations between readiness to obtain screening (i.e., stage of adoption) and opinions about mammography (i.e., decisional balance) previously found in research using smaller samples from another geographic region. This report extends these earlier studies by using structural equation modeling, opinion scales based both on principal component analyses and on a priori definitions, a developmental sample and a confirmatory sample, and by sampling from a different geographic region. It is recommended that future research examine whether opinions regarding the cons of mammography are more individually specific than the pros.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Cigarette smoking in the adolescent children of drug-abusing fathers.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the longitudinal predictors of cigarette smoking in a sample of at-risk adolescents whose fathers were drug abusers (N = 296). METHODS: At time 1, structured interviews were administered, separately and in private, to male and female youth (X age = 16.3) and their fathers; adolescents were reinterviewed approximately 1 year later (at time 2). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the interrelationship of time 1 paternal tobacco and illicit drug use, father-child relations, adolescent psychological adjustment, and peer group factors and adolescent smoking at time 2. A supplementary analysis assessed the same model with control on the adolescent's age, gender, frequency of contact with the father, and the father's treatment status. RESULTS: The structural equation model showed a mediational pathway linking paternal tobacco and drug use to a weak and conflictual father-child relationship, which was associated with greater adolescent maladjustment, which in turn was related to deviant peer affiliations, which predicted adolescent smoking at time 2. There was also a direct path from paternal tobacco and drug use to adolescent time 2 smoking. The supplementary analysis found no significant differences between the models with and without control. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide evidence of the mechanisms that underlie the association between paternal drug use characteristics and smoking in the adolescent child. Clinical implications suggest the importance of the father-child relationship to smoking prevention programs for at-risk youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The intergenerational transmission of health-risk behaviors: adolescent lifestyles and gender moderating effects.

The present longitudinal study of 330 adolescents used structural equation models to investigate whether (1) health-risk lifestyles exist among adults and adolescents, (2) parents' health-risk behaviors influence adolescents' health-risk behaviors, and (3) intergenerational transmission occurs by way of a health-risk lifestyle, by direct transmission of specific behaviors, or through both mechanisms. To address these questions, we estimated several models. The findings were generally supportive of the expectations. Results of single factor measurement models provided modest evidence for the existence of an underlying health-risk lifestyle factor among parents and adolescents. Results of structural equation models also demonstrated that parents' health-risk behaviors were transmitted to adolescents both at the lifestyle factor level and the unique component level. These associations prevailed even after controlling for family social status. However, parents' health-risk lifestyles mediated the effect of family social status on adolescents' lifestyles, net of the direct effect of family social status on adolescents' lifestyle. In these two-parent families, the effects of parents' health-risk lifestyles on adolescents seems to have gender symmetry. The findings of the separate models for boys and girls demonstrated that (1) fathers' health-risk lifestyle affected only boys' health-risk lifestyle, whereas (2) mother's health-risk lifestyle affected only girls' health-risk lifestyle. A similar gender moderating effect was not found for specific health-risk behaviors. Implications of these findings for future research and theoretical development are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Negatively oriented personality and perceived negative job characteristics as predictors of future psychological and physical symptoms: a meta-analytic structural modelling approach.

OBJECTIVES: There is evidence that perceptions of negative job characteristics (e.g., lack of control) and negatively oriented personality (e.g., negative affect) both predict symptom reporting. However, the relative contribution of these factors is rarely examined. This paper uses meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MA-SEM) to explore their relative contribution. METHODS: A meta-analysis of recent longitudinal studies was conducted. Eight studies covering 10 separate samples met the inclusion criteria (N=2104) and were used in the MA-SEM. Meta-correlations were used to construct structural equations models in which perceived negative job characteristics (PNJC) and negatively oriented personality (NOP) at baseline were used to predict concurrent and future symptom reporting, controlling for symptom reporting at baseline. RESULTS: The results indicated that a model based solely on NOP offered a more parsimonious account for baseline and future symptom reporting than did PNJC. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence indicates interventions should focus on both individuals and organizations, and not just organizational-level interventions.

Affect↗

PubMed2005

Genetic and environmental causes of tracking in explosive strength during adolescence.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the observed phenotypic stability in explosive strength during adolescence, as measured by inter-age correlations in vertical jump (VTJ), is mainly caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. METHODS: Subjects are from the Leuven Longitudinal Twin Study (LLTS) (n = 105 pairs, equally divided over five zygosity groups). VTJ data were aligned on age at peak height velocity (APHV) to attenuate the temporal fluctuations in inter-age correlations caused by differences in timing of the adolescent growth spurt. Simplex models were fitted using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: After aligning the data on APHV, the annual inter-age correlations show a clear simplex structure over a 4 year interval. The best fitting models included additive genetic and unique environmental sources of variation. Heritability estimates ranged between 60.8% (CI 37.7%-77.2%) and 87.3% (CI 74.2%-94.0%) for boys and between 76.5% (CI 56.7%-89.0%) and 88.6% (CI 77.8%-94.1%) for girls. Up to 56.4% and 62.8% of the total variation at the last measurement occasion is explained by additive genetic factors that already explained a significant amount of variation at previous measurement occasions in boys and girls respectively. It thus can be concluded that the observed stability of explosive strength during adolescence is mainly caused by a stable genetic influence in boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS: Additive genetic factors seem to be the main cause of the observed phenotypic stability in VTJ performance in boys and girls during adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

A model of impairment and functional limitation in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: We have previously proposed a theoretical model for studying physical disability and other outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this paper is to test a model of impairment and functional limitation in (RA), using empirical data from a sample of RA patients. We based the model on the disablement process framework. METHODS: We posited two distinct types of impairment in RA: 1) Joint inflammation, measured by the tender, painful and swollen joint counts; and 2) Joint deformity, measured by the deformed joint count. We hypothesized direct paths from the two impairments to functional limitation, measured by the shirt-button speed, grip strength and walking velocity. We used structural equation modeling to test the hypothetical relationships, using empirical data from a sample of RA patients recruited from six rheumatology clinics. RESULTS: The RA sample was comprised of 779 RA patients. In the structural equation model, the joint inflammation impairment displayed a strong significant path toward the measured variables of joint pain, tenderness and swelling (standardized regression coefficients 0.758, 0.872 and 0.512, P <or= 0.001 for each). The joint deformity impairment likewise displayed significant paths toward the measured upper limb, lower limb, and other deformed joint counts (standardized regression coefficients 0.849, 0.785, 0.308, P <or= 0.001 for each). Both the joint inflammation and joint deformity impairments displayed strong direct paths toward functional limitation (standardized regression coefficients of -0.576 and -0.564, respectively, P <or= 0.001 for each), and explained 65% of its variance. Model fit to data was fair to good, as evidenced by a comparative fit index of 0.975, and the root mean square error of approximation = 0.058. CONCLUSION: This evidence supports the occurrence of two distinct impairments in RA, joint inflammation and joint deformity, that together, contribute strongly to functional limitations in this disease. These findings may have implications for investigators aiming to measure outcome in RA.

Adult↗