Modeling a categorical variable allowing arbitrarily many category choices

Generalized Mantel-Haenszel Estimators for Simultaneous Differential Item Functioning Tests

The Mantel-Haenszel estimator is one of the most popular techniques for measuring differential item functioning (DIF). A generalization of this estimator is applied to the context of DIF to compare items by taking the covariance of odds ratio estimators between dependent items into account. Unlike the Item Response Theory, the method does not rely on the local item independence assumption which is likely to be violated when one item provides clues about the answer of another item. Furthermore, we use these (co)variance estimators to construct a hypothesis test to assess DIF for multiple items simultaneously. A simulation study is presented to assess the performance of several tests. Finally, the use of these DIF tests is illustrated via application to two real data sets.

Deconstructing "Sexual Deviance": Identifying and Empirically Examining Assumptions about "Deviant" Sexual Fantasy in the DSM

We identify and examine three assumptions underpinning "sexual deviance" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders: (1) the "sexual deviant" - often, "the male sex offender" - prefers "deviant," and has limited (if any) "non-deviant," sexual fantasies; (2) this differentiates them from the non-sexual-/non-offending "norm"; (3) preferred fantasies are "deviant" or "non-deviant." Adult volunteers (N = 279; equal numbers of sexual offending [SO], non-sexual offending [NSO] and non-offending [NO] men) provided anonymous descriptions of their favorite sexual thought and responses to a revised Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire during a wider computerized survey of 6,289 men from prison and the community. Latent class analysis identified five types of favorite sexual thought; vaginal/oral sex with 1+ woman was commonest for SO men and the WSFQ findings supported this - challenging the first assumption. Both SO and NO men were over-represented for thought types considered "deviant" by the DSM - tempering the second assumption - although SO men were over-represented for thoughts involving children specifically. All thought types were multidimensional; none included solely elements considered "deviant" by the DSM - contesting the third assumption. Notions of the "sexual deviant" as "different"/"other" may underpin these assumptions, potentially negatively impacting research, therapy and understanding sexual crime.

Economic and mental health impacts of multiple adverse events: Hurricane Harvey, other flooding events, and the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

To assess the economic and mental health impacts of COVID-19 in the presence of previous exposure to flooding events.

METHODS

Starting in April 2018, the Texas Flood Registry (TFR) invited residents to complete an online survey regarding their experiences with Hurricane Harvey and subsequent flooding events. Starting in April 2020, participants nationwide were invited to complete a brief online survey on their experiences during the pandemic. This study includes participants in the TFR (N = 20,754) and the COVID-19 Registry (N = 8568) through October 2020 (joint N = 2929). Logistic regression and generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between exposure to flooding events and the economic and mental health impacts of COVID-19.

RESULTS

Among COVID-19 registrants, 21% experienced moderate to severe anxiety during the pandemic, and 7% and 12% of households had difficulty paying rent and bills, respectively. Approximately 17% of Black and 15% of Hispanic households had difficulty paying rent, compared to 5% of non-Hispanic white households. The odds of COVID-19 income loss are 1.20 (1.02, 1.40) times higher for those who previously had storm-related home damage compared to those who did not and 3.84 (3.25-4.55) times higher for those who experienced Harvey income loss compared to those who did not. For registrants for whom Harvey was a severe impact event, the odds of having more severe anxiety during the pandemic are 5.14 (4.02, 6.58) times higher than among registrants for whom Harvey was a no meaningful impact event.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple crises can jointly and cumulatively shape health and wellbeing outcomes. This knowledge can help craft emergency preparation and intervention programs.

Analysis of Cancer Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Adolescents and Young Adults in Two Texas Rural Communities

The Youth and Young Adults Cancer Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (C-KAP) exploratory study in 2 rural underserved areas in a border community. C-KAP is an interdisciplinary research pilot project led by university scholars in psychology and social work in partnership with community partners. The exploratory cross-sectional mix-method study recruited 141 (n=141) youth and young adults (ages 18-39). This study was informed on empirical research and a bilingual online questionnaire was field-tested, and data was collected via QuestionPro Software. Quantitative analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics and frequency analysis were used for demographics and basic statistics. Chi square tests and Fisher's exact tests between variables were ran to find statistically significant associations. For the qualitative data, independent coders conducted recurrent content analysis to identify themes. Salient themes include knowledge about cancer types; access to health care; prevention; and the perceived impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight a lack of knowledge and orientation on cancer in youth and young adults suggesting the need for community tailored education and screening interventions. Other findings reflect gender differences in knowledge and practices, which indicates that a gender-specific lens is needed when delivering education.

The Advantages of Industry 4.0 Applications for Sustainability: Results from a Sample of Manufacturing Companies

Far from being exclusively related to economic considerations, the advantages of Industry 4.0 applications also include environmental and social concerns. An increasing amount of scientific publications relate the implementation of the fourth industrial revolution paradigm to sustainability. Several studies reported opportunities of Industry 4.0 implementation particularly to the environmental dimension of sustainability, e.g., through improved logistics streams and lowered waste from production. The present research aims at providing evidence on whether manufacturing companies consider Industry 4.0 implementation as an advantage contributing to environmental and social sustainability in terms of lower environmental impact of production, as well as higher physical relief for workers and flexibility of work organisation. The results were an attempt to study such relations with company sizes, industry sectors, turnover and self-assessed levels of digitalization varying. The sample encompasses 65 companies located in the Marche region (Italy). The results show that overall the perception of economic opportunities prevail, while the association of a beneficial impact of Industry 4.0 on environmental sustainability is rather low across companies, regardless of their size, turnover and digital level. As for the statistically significant variables, the results suggest a strong association of the size and the digital level to specific Industry 4.0 related advantages, referring to the social and economic dimension of sustainability, respectively.

Cherry Picking: Virginity Loss Definitions Among Gay and Straight Cisgender Men

Virginity loss is a vital milestone in the development of one's sexual identity. Unfortunately, there is very little literature available studying virginity loss definitions among the wider straight population, and even less examining virginity loss among LGBTQ+ populations. The present study recruited 251 (45.4%) cisgender straight men and 114 (54.6%) cisgender gay men. An online, anonymous survey was administered to explore whether they considered various male-on-male (M-M) and male-on-female (M-F) sexual behaviors as constitutive of virginity loss. Results indicate that more gay men than straight considered M-M receptive anal intercourse (i.e., bottoming) and M-F penetrative anal intercourse to be constitutive of virginity loss. Results also indicate that both gay and straight men almost unanimously endorsed M-F penovaginal sex to be constitutive of virginity loss. This study is a first-step toward gaining a better understanding of LGBTQ+ virginity loss conceptualizations. Future research is strongly encouraged.

Men Presenting With Sexual Thoughts of Children or Coercion: Flights of Fancy or Plans for Crime?

INTRODUCTION

There is limited evaluation of clinical and theoretical claims that sexual thoughts of children and coercing others facilitate sexual offending. The nature of these thoughts (what they contain) also is unknown.

AIM

To examine the relation between child or coercive sexual thoughts and sexual offending and to determine the nature of these thoughts and any differences among sexual offending (SO), non-sexual offending (NSO), and non-offending (NO) men.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional computerized survey, anonymous qualitative and quantitative self-reported sexual thought and experience data were collected from 279 adult volunteers composing equal numbers of SO, NSO, and NO men recruited from a medium-security UK prison and a community sample of 6,081 men.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Computerized Interview for Sexual Thoughts and Computerized Inventory of Sexual Experiences.

RESULTS

Three analytical approaches found child sexual thoughts were related to sexual offending; sexual thoughts with coercive themes were not. Latent class analyses identified three types of child sexual thought (primarily differentiated by interpersonal context: the reporting of own emotions, emotions of others, or both) and four types of sexual thoughts of coercing others (chiefly discriminated by the other person's response: no emotional states reported, consent, non-consent, or mixed). Type of child sexual thought and participant group were not significantly related. Type of coercive sexual thought and group were marginally related; the consensual type was more common for the NO group and the non-consensual type was more common for the SO group than expected statistically.

CONCLUSION

Child sexual thoughts are a risk factor for sexual offending and should be assessed by clinicians. In general, sexual thoughts with coercive themes are not a risk factor, although thought type could be important (ie, thoughts in which the other person expresses an enduring lack of consent). Exploring the dynamic risk factors associated with each type of child and coercive thought could lead to more targeted treatment.

Role of H7 hemagglutinin in murine infectivity of influenza viruses following ocular inoculation

H7 subtype influenza viruses have demonstrated an ocular tropism in humans, causing conjunctivitis and not respiratory symptoms in many infected individuals. However, the molecular determinants which confer ocular tropism are still poorly understood. Here, we used a murine model of ocular inoculation to demonstrate that H7 influenza viruses are more likely to cause infection following ocular exposure than are non-H7 subtype viruses. We included investigation regarding the potential role of several properties of influenza viruses with murine infectivity following ocular inoculation, including virus lineage, pathogenicity, and HA cleavage site composition. Furthermore, we examined the potential contribution of internal proteins to murine ocular infectivity. These studies establish a link between H7 subtype viruses and the risk of heightened infectivity in a mammalian species following ocular exposure, and support the development of non-traditional inoculation methods and models to best understand the human risk posed by influenza viruses of all subtypes.

The analysis of stratified multiple responses

Surveys often contain qualitative variables for which respondents may select any number of the outcome categories. For instance, for the question "What type of contraception have you used?" with possible responses (oral, condom, lubricated condom, spermicide, and diaphragm), respondents would be instructed to select as many of the outcomes that apply. This situation is known as multiple responses. When the data includes stratification variables, we discuss two approaches: (1) the "GEE" approach which uses logit models directly applying the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method (Liang and Zeger, 1986); and (2) the "GMH" approach which extends the generalized Mantel-Haenszel type estimators (Greenland, 1989) to make inferences across multiple responses. These approaches can also be used for data with dependent observations across strata.

Insomnia as a risk factor for onset of depression in the elderly

There are at least 9 studies that provide evidence that insomnia is a significant risk factor for recurrent and new onset major depressive disorder (MDD), two of which suggest that this association also exists specifically for the elderly. In this study, archival data from a community sample of healthy elderly participants were used to assess the extent to which insomnia predicts future illness in this age cohort. Out of the 147 participants with no prior history of mental illness, 66 participants were classified as having no insomnia, 47 had indeterminate insomnia, and 34 had persistent insomnia. Twelve participants developed MDD during the 1-year follow-up period. Two had no insomnia, 4 had indeterminate insomnia, and 6 had persistent insomnia. Persistent insomnia with onset of depression occurred only in female participants and was significantly associated with middle insomnia. These data suggest that elderly participants with persistent insomnia are at greater risk for the development of new onset depression.

Testing for Marginal Independence between Two Categorical Variables with Multiple Responses

Questions that ask respondents to "choose all that apply" from a set of items occur frequently in surveys. Categorical variables that summarize this type of survey data are called both pick any/c variables and multiple-response categorical variables. It is often of interest to test for independence between two categorical variables. When both categorical variables can have multiple responses, traditional Pearson chi-square tests for independence should not be used because of the within-subject dependence among responses. An intuitively constructed version of the Pearson statistic is proposed to perform the test using bootstrap procedures to approximate its sampling distribution. First- and second-order adjustments to the proposed statistic are given in order to use a chi-square distribution approximation. A Bonferroni adjustment is proposed to perform the test when the joint set of responses for individual subjects is unavailable. Simulations show that the bootstrap procedures hold the correct size more consistently than the other procedures.

Permutation analysis of data with multiple binary category choices

In many studies, respondents may mark all answers that apply when responding to a multiple-choice question, i.e., a cafeteria or multiple-response question. One exact and two approximate permutation methods are described to analyze multiple-response questions. The methods provide the probability, under the null hypothesis, that the multiple binary responses do not differ among specified groups.

Testing for conditional multiple marginal independence

Survey respondents are often prompted to pick any number of responses from a set of possible responses. Categorical variables that summarize this kind of data are called pick any/c variables. Counts from surveys that contain a pick any/c variable along with a group variable (r levels) and stratification variable (q levels) can be marginally summarized into an r x c x q contingency table. A question that may naturally arise from this setup is to determine if the group and pick any/c variable are marginally independent given the stratification variable. A test for conditional multiple marginal independence (CMMI) can be used to answer this question. Since subjects may pick any number out of c possible responses, the Cochran (1954, Biometrics 10, 417-451) and Mantel and Haenszel (1959, Journal of the National Cancer Institute 22, 719-748) tests cannot be used directly because they assume that units in the contingency table are independent of each other. Therefore, new testing methods are developed. Cochran's test statistic is extended to r x 2 x q tables, and a modified version of this statistic is proposed to test CMMI. Its sampling distribution can be approximated through bootstrapping. Other CMMI testing methods discussed are bootstrap p-value combination methods and Bonferroni adjustments. Simulation findings suggest that the proposed bootstrap procedures and the Bonferroni adjustments consistently hold the correct size and provide power against various alternatives.

On the first-order Rao-Scott correction of the Umesh-Loughin-Scherer statistic

Decady and Thomas (2000, Biometrics 56, 893-896) propose a first-order corrected Umesh-Loughin-Scherer statistic to test for association in an r x c contingency table with multiple column responses. Agresti and Liu (1999, Biometrics 55, 936-943) point out that such statistics are not invariant to the arbitrary designation of a zero or one to a positive response. This paper shows that, in addition, the proposed testing procedure does not hold the correct size when there are strong pairwise associations between responses.

A simple test of association for contingency tables with multiple column responses

Loughin and Scherer (1998, Biometrics 54, 630-637) investigated tests of association in two-way tables when one of the categorical variables allows for multiple-category responses from individual respondents. Standard chi-squared tests are invalid in this case, and they developed a bootstrap test procedure that provides good control of test levels under the null hypothesis. This procedure and some others that have been proposed are computationally involved and are based on techniques that are relatively unfamiliar to many practitioners. In this paper, the methods introduced by Rao and Scott (1981, Journal of the American Statistical Association 76, 221-230) for analyzing complex survey data are used to develop a simple test based on a corrected chi-squared statistic.