title: Statistical challenges in studying complex and changing families.
abstract: This paper describes challenges of studying complex and changing families and provides suggestions for methods of analyses to study these family systems. Five common problems that NIMH-funded investigators have encountered in analyzing family based studies are addressed and analytic solutions for addressing these problems are illustrated using data from Family HIV/AIDS projects. The problems discussed in the paper are (1) differences in subgroup responses to interventions; (2) longitudinal changes in family relationships and covariates that vary by group in nested designs; (3) dealing with missing data over time from attrition and planned missing data due to death; (4) dealing with multiple reports from different family members; and (5) developing concordance measures among family members. The use of multi-level and growth curve modeling techniques to address these problems is illustrated with some of the studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77098, USA. jbray@bcm.edu
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bray
authors.forename: Willo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pequegnat
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009315:National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.); D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology