Directed acyclic graphs: An under-utilized tool for child maltreatment research.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Child maltreatment research involves modeling complex relationships between multiple interrelated variables. Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) are one tool child maltreatment researchers can use to think through relationships among the variables operative in a causal research question and to make decisions about the optimal analytic strategy to minimize potential sources of bias. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this paper is to highlight the utility of DAGs for child maltreatment research and to provide a practical resource to facilitate and support the use of DAGs in child maltreatment research. RESULTS:We first provide an overview of DAG terminology and concepts relevant to child maltreatment research. We describe DAG construction and define specific types of variables within the contex

SUBMITTER: Austin AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6452862 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature