T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
Psychology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2018 Mar;79(2):171-181. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2018.79.171.
OBJECTIVE: Mediation models are used in prevention and intervention research to assess the mechanisms by which interventions influence outcomes. However, researchers may not investigate mediators in the absence of intervention effects on the primary outcome variable. There is emerging evidence that in some situations, tests of mediated effects can be statistically significant when the total intervention effect is not statistically significant. In addition, there are important conceptual and practical reasons for investigating mediation when the intervention effect is nonsignificant. METHOD: This article discusses the conditions under which mediation may be present when an intervention effect does not have a statistically significant effect and why mediation should always be considered important. RESULTS: Mediation may be present in the following conditions: when the total and mediated effects are equal in value, when the mediated and direct effects have opposing signs, when mediated effects are equal across single and multiple-mediator models, and when specific mediated effects have opposing signs. Mediation should be conducted in every study because it provides the opportunity to test known and replicable mediators, to use mediators as an intervention manipulation check, and to address action and conceptual theory in intervention models. CONCLUSIONS: Mediators are central to intervention programs, and mediators should be investigated for the valuable information they provide about the success or failure of interventions.
目的:在预防和干预研究中,中介模型用于评估干预如何影响结果的机制。然而,如果干预对主要结果变量没有影响,研究人员可能不会研究中介。有新的证据表明,在某些情况下,当总干预效应没有统计学意义时,中介效应的检验可能在统计学上是显著的。此外,当干预效果不显著时,研究中介具有重要的概念和实际意义。
方法:本文讨论了当干预效果没有统计学意义时中介可能存在的条件,以及为什么应该始终认为中介很重要。
结果:当总效应和中介效应的数值相等、中介效应和直接效应的符号相反、中介效应在单和多中介模型中相等以及特定的中介效应的符号相反时,可能存在中介。应该在每项研究中进行中介分析,因为它提供了测试已知和可复制的中介的机会,将中介作为干预操纵检查,并解决干预模型中的行动和概念理论。
结论:中介是干预计划的核心,应该调查中介,以获取它们提供的关于干预成功或失败的有价值信息。
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