Propensity Score Analysis with Guaranteed Subgroup Balance

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Li, Yan, Kuo, Yong-Fang, Li, Liang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Li, Yan
Kuo, Yong-Fang
Li, Liang
author_facet Li, Yan
Kuo, Yong-Fang
Li, Liang
contents Estimating the causal treatment effects by subgroups is important in observational studies when the treatment effect heterogeneity may be present. Existing propensity score methods rely on a correctly specified propensity score model. Model misspecification results in biased treatment effect estimation and covariate imbalance. We proposed a new algorithm, the propensity score analysis with guaranteed subgroup balance (G-SBPS), to achieve covariate mean balance in all subgroups. We further incorporated nonparametric kernel regression for the propensity scores and developed a kernelized G-SBPS (kG-SBPS) to improve the subgroup mean balance of covariate transformations in a rich functional class. This extension is more robust to propensity score model misspecification. Extensive numerical studies showed that G-SBPS and kG-SBPS improve both subgroup covariate balance and subgroup treatment effect estimation, compared to existing approaches. We applied G-SBPS and kG-SBPS to a dataset on right heart catheterization to estimate the subgroup average treatment effects on the hospital length of stay and a dataset on diabetes self-management training to estimate the subgroup average treatment effects for the treated on the hospitalization rate.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_11713
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Propensity Score Analysis with Guaranteed Subgroup Balance
Li, Yan
Kuo, Yong-Fang
Li, Liang
Methodology
Estimating the causal treatment effects by subgroups is important in observational studies when the treatment effect heterogeneity may be present. Existing propensity score methods rely on a correctly specified propensity score model. Model misspecification results in biased treatment effect estimation and covariate imbalance. We proposed a new algorithm, the propensity score analysis with guaranteed subgroup balance (G-SBPS), to achieve covariate mean balance in all subgroups. We further incorporated nonparametric kernel regression for the propensity scores and developed a kernelized G-SBPS (kG-SBPS) to improve the subgroup mean balance of covariate transformations in a rich functional class. This extension is more robust to propensity score model misspecification. Extensive numerical studies showed that G-SBPS and kG-SBPS improve both subgroup covariate balance and subgroup treatment effect estimation, compared to existing approaches. We applied G-SBPS and kG-SBPS to a dataset on right heart catheterization to estimate the subgroup average treatment effects on the hospital length of stay and a dataset on diabetes self-management training to estimate the subgroup average treatment effects for the treated on the hospitalization rate.
title Propensity Score Analysis with Guaranteed Subgroup Balance
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.11713