Model-Robust Direct Effect Under Confounder-Mediator Ambiguity
混杂变量与中介角色不明时的模型稳健直接效应
Direct effect analyses usually require deciding whether a focal variable is a pre-exposure confounder or a post-exposure mediator. In observational studies, that distinction may be unclear because timing is measured coarsely or the variable reflects an evolving process. Considering the average treatment effect (ATE) and the natural direct effect (NDE) as a common notion of the direct effect when the focal variable is a confounder and a mediator, respectively, we show that,…