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Estimation and sensitivity analysis for causal decomposition in health disparity research

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  • Soojin Park
  • Xu Qin
  • Chioun Lee

Abstract

In the field of disparities research, there has been growing interest in developing a counterfactual-based decomposition analysis to identify underlying mediating mechanisms that help reduce disparities in populations. Despite rapid development in the area, most prior studies have been limited to regression-based methods, undermining the possibility of addressing complex models with multiple mediators and/or heterogeneous effects. We propose a novel estimation method that effectively addresses complex models. Moreover, we develop a sensitivity analysis for possible violations of an identification assumption. The proposed method and sensitivity analysis are demonstrated with data from the Midlife Development in the US study to investigate the degree to which disparities in cardiovascular health at the intersection of race and gender would be reduced if the distributions of education and perceived discrimination were the same across intersectional groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Soojin Park & Xu Qin & Chioun Lee, 2024. "Estimation and sensitivity analysis for causal decomposition in health disparity research," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 53(2), pages 571-602, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:somere:v:53:y:2024:i:2:p:571-602
    DOI: 10.1177/00491241211067516
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Imai, Kosuke & Yamamoto, Teppei, 2013. "Identification and Sensitivity Analysis for Multiple Causal Mechanisms: Revisiting Evidence from Framing Experiments," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 141-171, April.
    2. Chioun Lee & Soojin Park & Jennifer M Boylan & Jessica Kelley, 2021. "Cardiovascular Health at the Intersection of Race and Gender: Identifying Life-Course Processes to Reduce Health Disparities," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(6), pages 1127-1139.
    3. Imbens,Guido W. & Rubin,Donald B., 2015. "Causal Inference for Statistics, Social, and Biomedical Sciences," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521885881, August.
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