Consequences of Measurement Error for Inference in Cross-Lagged Panel Design—The Example of the Reciprocal Causal Relationship Between Subjective Health and Socio-Economic Status. (15th September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kröger, Hannes; Hoffmann, Rasmus; Pakpahan, Eduwin
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Volume 179:Number 2(2016:Apr.)
• Page Start: 607
• Page End: 628
• Publication Date: 2015-09-15
• Subjects: Bias -- Cross-lagged panel design -- Health selection -- Integrated nested Laplace approximation -- Measurement error -- Social causation; Social sciences -- Statistical methods -- Periodicals; Statistics -- Periodicals; 300.15195
• DOI: 10.1111/rssa.12129
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0964-1998

Abstract

Abstract : We discuss the problem of random measurement error in two variables when using a cross-lagged panel design. We apply the problem to the question of the causal direction between socio-economic status and subjective health, known also as health selection versus social causation. We plot the bias of the ratio between the social causation and the health selection coefficient as a function of the degree of measurement error in subjective health and socio-economic status for different scenarios which might occur in practice. Using simulated data we give an example of a Bayesian model for the treatment of measurement error that relies on external information about the degree of measurement error.