The Peril of Power: A Tutorial on Using Simulation to Better Understand When and How We Can Estimate Mediating Effects.

ABSTRACT: Mediation analyses are valuable for examining mechanisms underlying an association, investigating possible explanations for nonintuitive results, or identifying interventions that can improve health in the context of nonmanipulable exposures. However, designing a study for the purpose of answering a mediation-related research question remains challenging because sample size and power calculations for mediation analyses are typically not conducted or are crude approximations. Consequently, many studies are probably conducted without first establishing that they have the statistical power required to detect a meaningful effect, potentially resulting in wasted resources. In an effort to advance more accurate power calculations for estimating direct and indirect effects, we present a tutorial

SUBMITTER: Rudolph KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8453240 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature