Longitudinal Mediation Analysis Research Articles

Relationship with parents in adolescence and social media addiction in adulthood: Longitudinal links and mediation analyses.

Relationship with parents in adolescence and social media addiction in adulthood: Longitudinal links and mediation analyses.

Prospective relationship between Electronic Health Literacy and Health-promoting Lifestyle among Chinese Older Adults: A Three-wave Longitudinal Study

BackgroundImproving older people’s health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) may slow the progression of health conditions and improve quality of life. Electronic health (eHealth) literacy is increasingly important for individuals managing health in the digital age. Previous cross-sectional studies have shown a positive association between eHealth literacy and HPL among older adults. However, no longitudinal studies have examined the association over time, their temporal relationship, and the potential underlying mechanisms. ObjectivesTo examine the longitudinal association and temporal relationship between eHealth literacy and HPL among older adults, and to explore their underlying mechanism based on the Integrated Model of eHealth Use (iMeHU). MethodsThis longitudinal study was conducted among older adults in Jiangxi Province, China, from February to November 2022. Data were collected at baseline (T1) and 3-month (T2) and 6-month follow-up (T3), using online self-reported questionnaires. Older people’s eHealth literacy and HPL were measured using the Digital Health Literacy Instrument and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II. Statistical analyses included Linear mixed model (LMM), cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), longitudinal mediation analysis, and multi-group analysis. Results611 participants were included at T1; 464 (75.9%) completed the follow-ups at T2 and T3. The LMM results suggested that older individuals with higher eHealth literacy levels showed better HPL over time (adjusted β = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.27∼0.35, p<.001), after adjusting for covariates. CLPMs supported that eHealth literacy could predict older people’s improved HPL subsequently, but not the reverse. Attitude towards eHealth mediated the relationship from eHealth literacy to improved HPL, with a mediated proportion of 17.2%. In addition, the prospective relationships were stronger and only significant in older patients. ConclusionsFrom a longitudinal perspective, this study highlighted the important roles of eHealth literacy and attitude towards eHealth in improving older people’s HPL, especially for the patients. The findings provide robust evidence and practical implications to develop targeted interventions.

Examining the association between the FTO gene and neuroticism reveals indirect effects on subjective well-being and problematic alcohol use

Associations between the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene and obesity are well-established. However, recent studies have linked FTO to addiction phenotypes and dopaminergic signaling, thus suggesting broader psychiatric implications. We explored this assumption by conducting a phenome-wide association study across 4756 genome-wide association studies, identifying 23–26 psychiatric traits associated with FTO at the multiple-corrected significance level. These traits clustered into four categories: substance use, chronotype/sleep, well-being, and neuroticism. To validate these findings, we analyzed a functionally suggestive FTO variant (rs1421085) in a separate cohort, examining its impact on (i) alcohol use based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), (ii) subjective well-being based on the WHO (Ten) Well-Being Index, and (iii) neuroticism based on Schafer’s Five Factor Model or the Karolinska Scales of Personality. Our results confirmed a direct association between rs1421085 and neuroticism that was independent of age, sex, alcohol use, body mass index (BMI), and childhood adversities. Interestingly, while no direct association with alcohol intake was observed, both cross-sectional and lagged longitudinal mediation analyses uncovered indirect relationships between rs1421085 and problematic alcohol use (AUDIT-P), with increased neuroticism acting as the intermediary. Mediation analyses also supported an indirect effect of rs1421085 on lower well-being through the pathways of increased neuroticism and BMI. Our study is the first to validate a direct association between FTO and neuroticism. However, additional studies are warranted to affirm the causal pathways linking FTO to well-being and alcohol use through neuroticism.

Increased reproductive tract infections among secondary school girls during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with pandemic-related stress, mental health, and domestic safety.

Kenya, like many countries, shuttered schools during COVID-19, with subsequent increases in poor mental health, sexual activity, and pregnancy. We sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic may mediate the risk of reproductive tract infections. We analyzed data from a cohort of 436 secondary schoolgirls in western Kenya. Baseline and 6-, 12-, and 18-month study visits occurred from April 2018 to December 2019 (pre-COVID-19), and 30-, 36-, and 48-month study visits occurred from September 2020 to July 2022 (COVID-19 period). Participants self-completed a survey for sociodemographics and sexual activity and provided self-collected vaginal swabs for bacterial vaginosis (BV) testing, with sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing at annual visits. We hypothesized that greater COVID-19-related stress would mediate risk via mental health, feeling safe inside the home, and sexual exposure, given the pandemic mitigation-related impacts of school closures on these factors. COVID-19-related stress was measured with a standardized scale and dichotomized at the highest quartile. Mixed effects modeling quantified how BV and STI changed over time. Longitudinal mediation analysis quantified how the relationship between COVID-19 stress and increased BV was mediated. Analysis outcomes were BV and STI. BV and STI prevalence increased from 12.1% and 10.7% pre-COVID-19 to 24.5% and 18.1% during COVID-19, respectively. This equated to 26% (95% CI, 1.00-1.59) and 36% (95% CI, 0.98-1.88) higher relative prevalence of BV and STIs in the COVID-19 vs pre-COVID-19 periods, adjusted for numerous sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Higher COVID-19-related stress was associated with elevated depressive symptoms and feeling less safe inside the home, which were each associated with a greater likelihood of having a boyfriend. In mediation analyses, the direct effect of COVID-19-related stress on BV was small and nonsignificant, indicating that the increased BV was due to the constellation of factors that were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results highlight factors to help maintain reproductive health for adolescent girls in future crises, such as anticipating and mitigating mental health impacts, domestic safety concerns, and maintaining sexual health services. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on drivers of reproductive tract health among those who did not attend school or who live in different settings may differ. In this cohort of adolescent girls, BV and STIs increased following COVID-19-related school closures, and risk was mediated by depressive symptoms and feeling less safe in the home, which led to a higher likelihood of sexual exposures.

The Role of Attentional Control in Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Longitudinal Mediation Analyses.

This study aimed to investigate whether attentional control serves as a mediator for mindfulness-based interventions for emotional distress, utilizing a randomized waitlist (WL)-controlled design. A total of 498 participants with high emotional distress was recruited online and randomly assigned to a 49-day online Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress (MIED) group (N = 249) or a WL control group (N = 249). Levels of attentional control, anxiety and depression were assessed at baseline (T0), Week 3 (T3), Week 5 (T5) and Week 7 (postintervention, T7). Linear mixed models revealed significant Group-by-Time interaction effects for attentional control (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p < 0.05). Latent growth curve analyses demonstrated a significant increase in attentional control and a decrease in anxiety and depression levels during the MIED programme. These changes becoming evident starting Week 3. Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed that the slope of attentional control significantly mediated the effects of the MIED programme on the slope of anxiety and depression levels. Further, attentional control level at Week 3 significantly mediates the effect of MIED programme on anxiety and depression levels at Weeks 5 and 7. Similarly, attentional control level at Week 5 significantly mediates the MIED programme's effects on anxiety and depression levels at Week 7. The present trial provides evidence suggesting that mindfulness interventions may alleviate emotional distress through the enhancement of attentional control. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry number: ChiCTR2200064140.

The role of psychosis and clozapine load in excessive checking in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: longitudinal observational study.

A significant proportion of people with clozapine-treated schizophrenia develop 'checking' compulsions, a phenomenon yet to be understood. To use habit formation models developed in cognitive neuroscience to investigate the dynamic interplay between psychosis, clozapine dose and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). Using the anonymised electronic records of a cohort of clozapine-treated patients, including longitudinal assessments of OCS and psychosis, we performed longitudinal multi-level mediation and multi-level moderation analyses to explore associations of psychosis with obsessiveness and excessive checking. Classic bivariate correlation tests were used to assess clozapine load and checking compulsions. The influence of specific genetic variants was tested in a subsample. A total of 196 clozapine-treated individuals and 459 face-to-face assessments were included. We found significant OCS to be common (37.9%), with checking being the most prevalent symptom. In mediation models, psychosis severity mediated checking behaviour indirectly by inducing obsessions (r = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.09; P < 0.001). No direct effect of psychosis on checking was identified (r = -0.28, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.03; P = 0.340). After psychosis remission (n = 65), checking compulsions correlated with both clozapine plasma levels (r = 0.35; P = 0.004) and dose (r = 0.38; P = 0.002). None of the glutamatergic and serotonergic genetic variants were found to moderate the effect of psychosis on obsession and compulsion (SLC6A4, SLC1A1 and HTR2C) survived the multiple comparisons correction. We elucidated different phases of the complex interplay of psychosis and compulsions, which may inform clinicians' therapeutic decisions.

Daily stress reactivity and risk appraisal mediates childhood parental abuse predicting adulthood psychopathology severity: An 18-year longitudinal mediation analysis

Identifying mechanisms of childhood abuse-adulthood psychopathology relations could facilitate preventive efforts, but most prior studies used cross-sectional or two-wave designs and did not test the effects of childhood maternal and paternal abuse separately. Our 18-year three-wave study thus determined if Wave 2 daily stress reactivity and risk appraisal severity mediated Wave 1 retrospectively-reported childhood maternal and paternal abuse on Wave 3 generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), alcohol (AUD), and substance use disorder (SUD) self-rated symptom severity. Longitudinal structural equation modeling was employed, adjusting for Wave 1 psychopathology severity. Higher childhood maternal and paternal abuse consistently predicted greater future daily stress reactivity and risk appraisal, and these mediators subsequently predicted increased GAD, MDD, and PD, but not AUD and SUD severity. Daily stress reactivity and risk appraisal consistently mediated the pathways between childhood maternal and paternal abuse predicting heightened adulthood GAD, MDD, and PD (Cohen's d = 0.333–0.888) but not AUD and SUD severity. Mediation effect sizes were stronger for childhood maternal (24.5–83.0%) than paternal (19.5–56.0%) abuse as the predictor. The latent interaction between Wave 1 childhood maternal and paternal abuse did not moderate the effect of Wave 1 maternal or paternal abuse on any Wave 3 adulthood psychopathology severity through Wave 2 daily stress reactivity and risk appraisal. Our research emphasizes the urgent requirement for continuous evaluation and intervention initiatives in trauma-informed care, both in inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.

Associations among diabetes medication use, serum magnesium, and insulin resistance in a cohort of older Puerto Rican adults

BackgroundHypomagnesemia is commonly observed in individuals with diabetes, but how diabetes medications alter magnesium (Mg) status remains unclear. ObjectivesWe aimed to examine the association between diabetes medication and hypomagnesemia and evaluate whether serum Mg mediates the association between diabetes medication and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in a prospective cohort. MethodsAdults from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study were included (n = 1106). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for cross-sectional association between diabetes medication and hypomagnesemia (serum Mg <0.75 mmol/L). Longitudinal mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the direct and indirect (via serum Mg) associations between diabetes medication and 4-y HOMA-IR in 341 participants with baseline hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of ≥6.5%. ResultsMean age at baseline was 59.0 ± 7.6 y, with 28.0% male and 45.8% with hypomagnesemia. Use of metformin [OR (95% CI) = 3.72 (2.53, 5.48)], sulfonylureas [OR (95% CI) = 1.68 (1.00, 2.83)], and glitazones [OR (95% CI) = 2.09 (1.10, 3.95)], but not insulin, was associated with higher odds of hypomagnesemia. Use of multiple diabetes medications and longer duration of use were associated with higher odds of hypomagnesemia. Serum Mg partially mediated the association between metformin and HOMA-IR [indirect association: β (95% CI) = 1.11 (0.15, 2.07)], which weakened the direct association [β (95% CI) = -5.16 (-9.02, -1.30)] by 22% [total association: β (95% CI) = -4.05 (-7.59, -0.51)]. Similarly, serum Mg mediated 17% of the association between sulfonylureas and elevated HOMA-IR. However, the mediation by serum Mg was weak for insulin and glitazones. ConclusionsDiabetes medication, especially metformin, was associated with elevated odds of hypomagnesemia, which may weaken the association between metformin and lowering of HOMA-IR. The causal inference needs to be confirmed in further studies.

Maternal Migration, Prenatal Stress and Child Autistic Traits: Insights From a Population-Based Cohort Study

There is emerging evidence for an increased prevalence of autism in children of mothers with a migration background. To date, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are poorly understood. We investigated whether prenatal stress exposure mediates the association between maternal migration and child autistic traits, assessing first- and second-generation migrant mothers in the Netherlands and their children. The study was embedded in the prospective population-based Generation R cohort. Of the 4,727 participants, 1,773 mothers (38%) had a migration background. Prenatal stress was assessed using questionnaires related to stressful life events, family functioning, self-esteem, long-lasting difficulties, symptoms of psychopathology, social support, and perceived discrimination. Autistic traits were measured at age 6 years with the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale exclusively. Longitudinal multiple mediation analyses were performed. Analyses were stratified by migration origin (Europe and outside Europe) because of differences in migration characteristics. Maternal migration background was associated with more experienced stress and with higher child autistic trait scores (Europe: mean= 0.42, SD= 0.25; outside Europe: mean= 0.50, SD= 0.24) compared to no migration background (Netherlands: mean= 0.38, SD= 0.23; both p< .01). Prenatal stress, especially perceived discrimination and maternal psychopathology, accounted for up to half of the total effect of maternal migration, which remained after adjusting for sociodemographic factors (Bindirect= 0.035, 95% CI= 0.027, 0.043, Btotal= 0.074). Stress during pregnancy mediated the association between maternal migration status and child autistic traits. Future research should focus on early interventions to assess whether reducing prenatal stress exposure among women with a migration background can result in lower offspring autistic traits. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

The Influence Mechanism of Prison Police’s Depression: A Cross-Lagged Analysis

Due to the particularity of the work of the prison police, the prevalence of depression is increasing. To explore the influence mechanism of prison police depression, this study used questionnaire to measure burnout, work–family conflict, and depression of prison police in two follow-ups with 6-month intervals, and the number of valid subjects was 118. Cross-lagged analysis and longitudinal mediation analysis were used for data processing. The results showed that job burnout and depression among prison police can influence and predict each other. Work–family conflict significantly positively predicted depression. Burnout and work–family conflict are important predictors of changes in depression among prison police. The policy and practice implications of the findings are discussed at the end of the study.

The relationship between caregiver contribution to self-care and patient quality of life in heart failure: A longitudinal mediation analysis.

Patients with heart failure may experience poor quality of life due to a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. Quality of life can improve if patients adhere to consistent self-care behaviors. Patient outcomes (i.e., quality of life) are thought to improve as a result of caregiver contribution to self-care. However, uncertainty exists on whether these outcomes improve as a direct result of caregiver contribution to self-care or whether this improvement occurs indirectly through the improvement of patient heart failure self-care behaviors. To investigate the influence of caregiver contribution to self-care on quality of life of heart failure people and explore whether patient self-care behaviors mediate such a relationship. This is a secondary analysis of the MOTIVATE-HF randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT02894502). Data were collected at baseline and 3 months. An autoregressive longitudinal path analysis model was conducted to test our hypotheses. We enrolled a sample of 510 caregivers [mean age = 54 (±15.44), 24% males)] and 510 patients [mean age = 72.4 (±12.28), 58% males)]. Patient self-care had a significant and direct effect on quality of life at three months (β = 0.20, p < .01). Caregiver contribution to self-care showed a significant direct effect on patient self-care (β = 0.32, p < .01), and an indirect effect on patient quality of life through the mediation of patient self-care (β = 0.07, p < .001). Patient quality of life is influenced by self-care both directly and indirectly, through the mediation of caregiver contribution to self-care. These findings improve our understanding on how caregiver contribution to self-care improves patient outcomes.

Revisiting the Three Basic Dimensions model: A critical empirical investigation of the indirect effects between perceived teaching quality and student outcomes

The Three Basic Dimensions (TBD) model, the leading model of teaching quality in German-speaking countries, theorizes three mediation paths for the effect of teaching quality on student outcomes. However, the existence of these paths and their effects have largely not been empirically tested. This study investigated the mediating role of depth-of-processing, time-on-task, and need satisfaction between student-rated teaching quality and students’ mathematics achievement and interest, expanding the TBD model to include mediation paths suggested by theories of motivation, cognition, and effort. Data from the TALIS Video Study Germany, comprising 958 secondary school students in 41 classrooms, were used to run multilevel longitudinal and correlational mediation analyses. The results found mediation effects only at the student level; there were no mediating effects at the classroom level. Not all of the hypothetical relationships thought to exist between the mediators and achievement and interest outcomes were confirmed. Specifically, at the student level, we found that time-on-task predicted student interest and depth of processing predicted student achievement, but none of the other hypothesized relationships were observed. The conceptual sequence of the variables, the choice of correlational vs. longitudinal evidence, and the level of analysis were all shown to have an impact on the results. The study thus confirms some of the assumptions of the TBD model, identifies new paths between teaching quality and student outcomes, and provides suggestions for how to proceed with the further investigation of a model which should be expanded and empirically tested.

The Longitudinal Relationship among Satisfaction of Middle School Years’ Experience Activity, Sense of Community, School Adaptation, and Life Satisfaction during High School Years: Longitudinal Mediation Analysis using LGM

The Longitudinal Relationship among Satisfaction of Middle School Years’ Experience Activity, Sense of Community, School Adaptation, and Life Satisfaction during High School Years: Longitudinal Mediation Analysis using LGM

Long-term protective effects of physical activity and self-control on problematic smartphone use in adolescents: A longitudinal mediation analysis

Background and aimsAdolescents are more likely to experience problematic smartphone use (PSU) due to developmental immaturity. As most previous studies have focused on cross-sectional relationships between PSU, self-control, and physical activity, it is difficult to make valid inferences about their causal relationships and long-term effects. This study aims to investigate the interrelationships between these three variables through a mediation analysis based on a cross-lagged model in a longitudinal design. MethodsA total of 2131 participants (Mage = 12.14, SD = 2.29, 51.5% female) were surveyed at three time points with 1-year intervals. Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS) and revised Self-Control Scale were used to assess PSU and self-control respectively. Physical activity was measured with an item questioning frequency of physical activity. ResultsCross-lagged model showed that both self-control and physical activity were negatively and bidirectionally associated with PSU. Self-control had a positive predictive effect on physical activity at the next time point. Additionally, self-control positively predicted subsequent physical activity, which in turn negatively predicted subsequent PSU, indicating a mediating effect of physical activity between self-control and PSU. ConclusionSelf-control and physical activity had a long-term effect on reducing the propensity for PSU. Because of the accessibility and operability of physical activity interventions, the public and policy-makers need to prioritize physical activity as an intervention to prevent PSU in adolescents.

Study protocol and rationale for a pilot randomized clinical trial comparing processing of positive memories technique with supportive counseling for PTSD

BackgroundResearch indicates that positive memories have a role in posttraumatic stress disorder's (PTSD) symptomatology and treatment. Following treatment development guidelines, a novel PTSD intervention – Processing of Positive Memories Technique (PPMT) – was developed and subsequently examined for its effects and feasibility in pilot studies. Extending this research, the proposed pilot randomized clinical trial with PPMT and Supportive Counseling (SC) arms will examine PPMT's effects on PTSD severity and biomarkers of stress systems' dysregulation (awakening salivary alpha amylase [sAA] and cortisol concentrations); examine mechanistic targets (affect) underlying PPMT's effects; and refine PPMT. We hypothesize that the PPMT arm will report greater decreases in PTSD severity and greater decreases in awakening sAA/cortisol ratio compared to the SC arm; and that improved affect (more positive affect and less negative affect) will mediate associations between intervention arm and changes in PTSD severity. MethodsWe will recruit 70 individuals aged 18–65 years with PTSD. They will be randomized to 5 weekly therapy sessions of PPMT or SC, and will be assessed at baseline, weekly during treatment, 1-week post-treatment, and 3-months post-treatment. Primary outcomes are past-week PTSD severity, past-week positive and negative affect levels, and feedback data on PPMT's feasibility, format, and content. The secondary outcome is the awakening sAA/cortisol ratio. Statistical analyses include mixed-effect models and within-subjects cross-lag longitudinal mediation analyses. ConclusionStudy results will advance knowledge of trauma interventions by examining effects and feasibility of a novel PTSD intervention, and by elucidating potential mechanisms underlying PPMT's effects.Clinical Trials #: NCT05523453

Mediation Analyses of Intensive Longitudinal Data with Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling

Currently, dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) and residual DSEM (RDSEM) are commonly used in testing intensive longitudinal data (ILD). Researchers are interested in ILD mediation models, but their analyses are challenging. The present paper mathematically derived, empirically compared, and step-by-step demonstrated three types (i.e., 1-1-1, 2-1-1, and 2-2-1) of intensive longitudinal mediation (ILM) analyses based on DSEM and RDSEM models. Specifically, each ILM model was demonstrated with a simulated example and illustrated with the corresponding annotated Mplus codes. We compared two types of detrending methods in mediation analyses and showed that RDSEM was superior to DSEM because the latter included the time tj variable as a Level 1 predictor. Lastly, we extended ILM analyses based on DSEM and RDSEM to multilevel autoregressive mediation models, cross-classified DSEM, and intensive longitudinal moderated mediation models.

Perceived Control and Inflammation: Mediating and Moderating Effects in the Relationship Between Cumulative Trauma and Depression.

The effects of trauma exposure on depression risk and severity are well established, but psychosocial and biological factors that impact or explain those relationships remain poorly understood. This study examined the moderating and mediating effects of perceived control and inflammation in the relationship between trauma and depression. Moderation analyses and longitudinal mediation analyses were conducted on data from 945 adults who completed all three waves (spanning around 19 years) of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study and the MIDUS Biomarker Study. Data were collected during a phone interview, self-report surveys distributed in the mail, and an in-person blood draw. Two dimensions of perceived control-mastery and constraints-were examined separately in all analyses. Perceived control did not significantly moderate the relationship between trauma and depression severity at MIDUS 2 ( b = 0.03, SE = .02, p = .091). Constraints significantly mediated the relationship between trauma and MIDUS 3 depression (indirect effect = 0.03, SE = 0.01, p = .016) but not after accounting for MIDUS 2 depression. Perceived control did not have a significant moderating effect in the relationships between trauma and inflammation or inflammation and depression. Findings from this study revealed that perceived control may be better characterized as an explanatory factor rather than a buffer in trauma-associated depression. Perceived constraints in particular may be a useful treatment target for trauma-associated depression. Further research is needed to examine whether these results generalize to populations other than among mostly non-Hispanic White adults in the United States.

Longitudinal mediation analysis through generalised linear mixed models: a comparison of maximum-likelihood and Bayesian estimation

Longitudinal mediation analysis through generalised linear mixed models: a comparison of maximum-likelihood and Bayesian estimation

NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS AND SLEEP PROBLEMS: MEDIATING ROLES OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract Existing studies have well-documented the relationship between the neighborhood environment and health among older adults. Yet very few have focused on how the neighborhood environment predicts late-life sleep quality. Using longitudinal data (Rounds 7-9) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, this study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between neighborhood characteristics (physical disorder and social cohesion) and sleep problems among Americans aged 65 or older, as well as whether health behaviors and mental health mediated these associations. The analytical sample included 4,029 adults aged 65 or older. Logistic regressions with a lagged dependent variable were adopted to test longitudinal associations. Longitudinal mediation analyses were also used to examine the mediation effects of health behaviors and mental health. The results suggested that neighborhood physical disorder was a significant predictor of sleep problems cross-sectionally, whereas social cohesion was both cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with sleep problems. Moreover, mediation analysis revealed that health behaviors and mental health significantly mediated the longitudinal relationship between social cohesion and sleep problems, though the strength of the indirect effect diminished over time. These findings suggest that neighborhood physical disorder and social cohesion are significant predictors of late-life sleep problems among older Americans. The study also highlighted older adults’ resilience and adaptability to adverse neighborhood environments and the long-term health benefits of social cohesion in late-life sleep quality. Therefore, community health interventions that facilitate older adults’ physical and social activity, along with mental health programs, may help community-dwelling older adults improve their sleep quality.

A sensitivity analysis for temporal bias in cross-sectional mediation.

For over three decades, methodologists have cautioned against the use of cross-sectional mediation analyses because they yield biased parameter estimates. Yet, cross-sectional mediation models persist in practice and sometimes represent the only analytic option. We propose a sensitivity analysis procedure to encourage a more principled use of cross-sectional mediation analysis, drawing inspiration from Gollob and Reichardt (1987, 1991). The procedure is based on the two-wave longitudinal mediation model and uses phantom variables for the baseline data. After a researcher provides ranges of possible values for cross-lagged, autoregressive, and baseline Y and M correlations among the phantom and observed variables, they can use the sensitivity analysis to identify longitudinal conditions in which conclusions from a cross-sectional model would differ most from a longitudinal model. To support the procedure, we first show that differences in sign and effect size of the b-path occur most often when the cross-sectional effect size of the b-path is small and the cross-lagged and the autoregressive correlations are equal or similar in magnitude. We then apply the procedure to cross-sectional analyses from real studies and compare the sensitivity analysis results to actual results from a longitudinal mediation analysis. While no statistical procedure can replace longitudinal data, these examples demonstrate that the sensitivity analysis can recover the effect that was actually observed in the longitudinal data if provided with the correct input information. Implications of the routine application of sensitivity analysis to temporal bias are discussed. R code for the procedure is provided in the online supplementary materials. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).