To what extent is the association between disability and mental health in adolescents mediated by bullying? A causal mediation analysis

T King; Z Aitken; A Milner; E Emerson; N Priest; A Karahalios; A Kavanagh; T Blakely

Journal article

To what extent is the association between disability and mental health in adolescents mediated by bullying? A causal mediation analysis

T King, Z Aitken, A Milner, E Emerson, N Priest, A Karahalios, A Kavanagh, T Blakely

International Journal of Epidemiology | OXFORD UNIV PRESS | Published : 2018

DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy154

Abstract

Background: Disability among adolescents is associated with both poorer mental health (MH) and higher levels of bullying-victimization. Bullying, therefore, conceivably mediates the association between disability and MH. Quantifying this pathway is challenging as the exposure (disability), mediator (bullying) and outcome (MH) are subjective, and subject to dependent measurement error if the same respondent reports on two or more variables. Methods: Utilizing the counterfactual and potential outcomes approaches to causal mediation, we decomposed the total effect of disability on MH into natural indirect effects (through bullying) and natural direct effects (not through bullying) using a sampl..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Tania King Author

Zoe Aitken Author

Naomi Priest Author

Emily Karahalios Author

Related Projects (2)

CENTRE OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN DISABILITY AND HEALTH

The first research centre of its kind internationally, the CRE in Disability and Health brings together a first-rate team of national and in..

STANDING UP TO RACISM AND RADICAL BULLYING AMONG AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL STUDENTS

This project aims to substantially increase understandings of bystander responses (including their extent, nature, potential, merits, benefi..

Grants

Awarded by National Bureau of Statistics of China

Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Disability Research Initiative grant from the University of Melbourne and an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health grant (APP1116385).