Marginal Structural Models for the Estimation of Direct and Indirect Effects
Abstract
The estimation of controlled direct effects can be carried out by fitting a marginal structural model and using inverse probability of treatment weighting. To use marginal structural models to estimate natural direct and indirect effects, 2 marginal structural models can be used: 1 for the effects of the treatment and mediator on the outcome and 1 for the effect of the treatment on the mediator. Unlike marginal structural models typically used in epidemiologic research, the marginal structural models used to estimate natural direct and indirect effects are made conditional on the covariates.
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The expression for indirect effects under nonconfoundedness (the Mediation Formula) provides a principled, parametric-free target quantity that is valid in both linear and nonlinear models.
“In addition to providing researchers with a principled, parametric-free target quantity that is valid in both linear and nonlinear models, the formula can also serve as an analytical laboratory for testing the effectiveness of various estimation techniques under various types of model mispecification (VanderWeele, 2009).”
From Causal inference in statistics: An overview (2009) · cites this paper as VanderWeele, 2009
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“In addition to providing researchers with a principled, parametric-free target quantity that is valid in both linear and nonlinear models, the formula can also serve as an analytical laboratory for testing the effectiveness of various estimation techniques under various types of model mispecification (VanderWeele, 200…”
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- Authors
- VanderWeele, T. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- VanderWeele, Tyler J.
- Venue
- Epidemiology
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 18-26
- ISSN
- 1044-3983 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1993211119
- Cited by
- 583
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 39
- FWCI
- 19.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Advanced Causal Inference Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
- Keywords
- marginal structural models, natural direct effect, natural indirect effect, controlled direct effect, inverse probability of treatment weighting, mediation analysis, causal inference
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Models, Statistical, Treatment Outcome, Outcome Assessment, Health Care
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