Correlates of dysfunctional career thoughts in breast cancer survivors from the Bahamas.

The purpose of this research was to examine the correlates of dysfunctional career thoughts (DCTs) in a sample of breast cancers survivors. A total of 195 breast cancer survivors from the Bahamas completed a cross-sectional survey. The Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and standard medical and demographic items were administered.

Comparing the Performance of Approaches for Testing the Homogeneity of Variance Assumption in One-Factor ANOVA Models.

Various tests to check the homogeneity of variance assumption have been proposed in the literature, yet there is no consensus as to their robustness when the assumption of normality does not hold. This simulation study evaluated the performance of 14 tests for the homogeneity of variance assumption in one-way ANOVA models in terms of Type I error control and statistical power. Seven factors were manipulated: number of groups, average number of observations per group, pattern of sample sizes in groups, pattern of population variances, maximum variance ratio, population distribution shape, and nominal alpha level for the test of variances.

Predicting group-level outcome variables: An empirical comparison of analysis strategies.

This study provides a review of two methods for analyzing multilevel data with group-level outcome variables and compares them in a simulation study. The analytical methods included an unadjusted ordinary least squares (OLS) analysis of group means and a two-step adjustment of the group means suggested by Croon and van Veldhoven (2007). The Type I error control, power, bias, standard errors, and RMSE in parameter estimates were compared across design conditions that included manipulations of number of predictor variables, level of correlation between predictors, level of intraclass correlation, predictor reliability, effect size, and sample size.

Social Determinants of Health and Adolescent Pregnancy: An Analysis From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Purpose: Although rates of adolescent pregnancy are at an all-time low in the United States, racial/ethnic and geographic disparities persist. This research used National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) data to analyze empirical relationships between social determinants of health (SDoH) and adolescent pregnancy. Examining relationships between the SDoH and adolescent pregnancy provides support for funding priorities and interventions that expand on the current focus on individual- and interpersonal-level factors.

How Do Propensity Score Methods Measure Up in the Presence of Measurement Error? A Monte Carlo Study.

Considering that the absence of measurement error in research is a rare phenomenon and its effects can be dramatic, we examine the impact of measurement error on propensity score (PS) analysis used to minimize selection bias in behavioral and social observational studies. A Monte Carlo study was conducted to explore the effects of measurement error on the treatment effect and balance estimates in PS analysis across seven different PS conditioning methods. In general, the results indicate that even low levels of measurement error in the covariates lead to substantial bias in estimates of treatment effects and concomitant reduction in confidence interval coverage across all methods of conditioning on the PS.