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Main Authors: Bardo, Maximilian, Hens, Niel, Unkel, Steffen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.00804
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author Bardo, Maximilian
Hens, Niel
Unkel, Steffen
author_facet Bardo, Maximilian
Hens, Niel
Unkel, Steffen
contents Random effect models for time-to-event data, also known as frailty models, provide a conceptually appealing way of quantifying association between survival times and of representing heterogeneities resulting from factors which may be difficult or impossible to measure. In the literature, the random effect is usually assumed to have a continuous distribution. However, in some areas of application, discrete frailty distributions may be more appropriate. The present paper is about the implementation and interpretation of the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions. We propose methods of estimation for this family of densities in the context of shared frailty models for the hazard rates for case I interval-censored data. Our optimization framework allows for stratification of random effect distributions by covariates. We highlight interpretational advantages of the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions and the K-point distribution as compared to other frailty distributions. A unique feature of the Addams family and the K-point distribution is that the support of the frailty distribution depends on its parameters. This feature is best exploited by imposing a model on the distributional parameters, resulting in a model with non-homogeneous covariate effects that can be analysed using standard measures such as the hazard ratio. Our methods are illustrated with applications to multivariate case I interval-censored infection data.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_00804
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions for modelling multivariate case I interval-censored data
Bardo, Maximilian
Hens, Niel
Unkel, Steffen
Methodology
Random effect models for time-to-event data, also known as frailty models, provide a conceptually appealing way of quantifying association between survival times and of representing heterogeneities resulting from factors which may be difficult or impossible to measure. In the literature, the random effect is usually assumed to have a continuous distribution. However, in some areas of application, discrete frailty distributions may be more appropriate. The present paper is about the implementation and interpretation of the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions. We propose methods of estimation for this family of densities in the context of shared frailty models for the hazard rates for case I interval-censored data. Our optimization framework allows for stratification of random effect distributions by covariates. We highlight interpretational advantages of the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions and the K-point distribution as compared to other frailty distributions. A unique feature of the Addams family and the K-point distribution is that the support of the frailty distribution depends on its parameters. This feature is best exploited by imposing a model on the distributional parameters, resulting in a model with non-homogeneous covariate effects that can be analysed using standard measures such as the hazard ratio. Our methods are illustrated with applications to multivariate case I interval-censored infection data.
title On the Addams family of discrete frailty distributions for modelling multivariate case I interval-censored data
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.00804