The ‘well control’ artefact in case/control studies of specific psychiatric disorders

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Schwartz ◽  
Bruce G. Link

SynopsisAn appropriate choice of controls in case/control studies of specific psychiatric disorders is crucial for valid risk-factor assessment. One suggested approach to control-group selection, the use of a well control group, is the focus of this paper. While using well controls has intuitive appeal, this paper shows that such a procedure can lead to ambiguous and biased results.

2021 ◽  
pp. 025371762110336
Author(s):  
S.M. Yasir Arafat ◽  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Natarajan Varadharajan ◽  
Sujita Kumar Kar

Background: Psychiatric disorders have been identified as an important risk factor for suicide. However, different psychological autopsy studies have revealed different prevalences at different times and places. Objective: We aimed to see the distribution of psychological autopsy studies and the prevalence of mental disorders among suicides and identify major risk factors in Southeast Asian countries. Method: We scrutinized psychological autopsy studies published in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia (SEA) region countries. We also searched the available bibliographies to identify the studies in the region so that all the possible articles could be included. Results: Out of the 11 countries, 14 psychological autopsy studies were identified in five SEA countries (Bangladesh [1], India [9], Indonesia [1], Nepal [1], and Sri Lanka [2]). Seven studies (50%) used a case-control study design, and eight (57.1%) were carried out in urban settings. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in case-control studies was from 37% to 88%. Stressful life event was identified as a major risk factor in all the case-control studies. Conclusion: Psychological autopsy studies have not been conducted in 6 out of 11 countries of the SEA region. The presence of pre-existing psychiatric morbidity and stressful life events were the two most common risk factors noted across settings, even though there is wide heterogeneity in samples, study design, instruments, and study settings.


2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton Trabert ◽  
Noel S. Weiss ◽  
Carole B. Rudra ◽  
Delia Scholes ◽  
Victoria L. Holt

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 684-690
Author(s):  
John M. Leventhal

To determine whether the findings of case-control studies of risk factors for child abuse may have been biased because of inattention to scientific principles of research design, 22 case-control studies were reviewed investigating either of two risk factors: (1) prematurity or low birth weight of the abused child or (2) young maternal age of the mother of the abused child. Each study was examined to determine compliance with seven methodologic standards that would minimize bias or distortion of the results. No study satisfied all seven standards. Two standards, choice of a specific control group and adjustment for differences in clinical and demographic susceptibility factors, most often affected the results. Studies complying with both of these standards indicated that prematurity or low birth weight is not a risk factor for abuse and that young maternal age at the birth of the abused child is likely to be a risk factor. Few studies complied with the standard concerned with avoidance of detection bias; this failure may have a major effect on the direction of the results of certain studies. Previous case-control studies of child abuse have important methodologic flaws that can affect the validity of the results. The standards presented should be helpful in planning methodologically rigorous studies.


2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serap Teber ◽  
Gülhis Deda ◽  
Nejat Akar ◽  
Kazım Soylu

Lipoprotein (a) is a cholesterol-rich plasma lipoprotein with a lipid composition similar to that of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Many prospective and case-control studies identified elevated levels of lipoprotein (a) as a risk factor for premature myocardial infarction and stroke. Elevated lipoprotein (a) has been identified as a genetically determined risk factor for stroke in young adults, but only preliminary data are available on its role as a risk factor for ischemic stroke in infants and children. Fifty two children with arterial ischemic stroke and 78 age- and sex-matched healthy children were studied. Data of this study indicate that 26.9% of children with arterial ischemic stroke had high lipoprotein (a) levels in comparison with the age matched healthy control group. Measurement of lipoprotein (a) should be included in screening programs performed in young patients suffering not only from venous thromboembolism but also arterial ischemic stroke, in addition to other thrombophilic factors.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5654
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Barańska ◽  
Agata Błaszczuk ◽  
Wiesław Kanadys ◽  
Maria Malm ◽  
Katarzyna Drop ◽  
...  

To perform a meta-analysis of case-control studies that addressed the association between oral contraceptive pills (OC) use and breast cancer (BrCa), PubMED (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify case-control studies of OC and BrCa published between 2009 and 2020. We used the DerSimonian–Laird method to compute pooled odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs), and the Mantel–Haenszel test to assess the association between OC use and cancer. Forty-two studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria and we included a total of 110,580 women (30,778 into the BrCa group and 79,802 into the control group, of which 15,722 and 38,334 were using OC, respectively). The conducted meta-analysis showed that the use of OC was associated with a significantly increased risk of BrCa in general, OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.31, p = 0.0358. Regarding other risk factors for BrCa, we found that increased risk was associated significantly with early menarche, nulliparous, non-breastfeeding, older age at first parity, postmenopause, obesity, smoking, and family history of BrCa. Despite our conclusion that birth control pills increase the cancer risk being supported by extensive previous studies and meta-analyzes, further confirmation is required.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar Verma ◽  
Priyanka Kapoor ◽  
Rajeev Yadav ◽  
Ravindra Kumar Manohar

2015 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 111-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tayeb Ghadimi ◽  
Bahman Gheitasi ◽  
Sayran Nili ◽  
Mohammad Karimi ◽  
Ebrahim Ghaderi

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate occupational risk factors associated with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: In this case–control study, control group included patients who referred to a specialized clinic in the same city and hospitals where patients had been registered. Data were entered into SPSS software. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated for occupational variables and other characteristics. Then, using logistic regression, the association between cancer and drugs was studied while smoking was controlled. Results: Cigarette smoking, even after quitting, was also associated with bladder cancer (OR = 2.549). Considering the classification of occupations, the OR of working in metal industry in patients was 10.629. Multivariate analysis showed that use of the drug by itself can be a risk factor for bladder cancer. Drug abuse together with the control of smoking increased the risk of bladder cancer by 4.959. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, contact with metal industries such as welding, and working with tin was found as a risk factor for bladder cancer. In addition, cigarette smoking and opium abuse individually were associated with bladder cancer.


Nutrition ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junyu Zhao ◽  
Haipeng Wang ◽  
Zhongwen Zhang ◽  
Xiaojun Zhou ◽  
Jinming Yao ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. e32711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Shakeri ◽  
Farin Kamangar ◽  
Dariush Nasrollahzadeh ◽  
Mehdi Nouraie ◽  
Hooman Khademi ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Mark Elwood

This chapter presents study designs which can test and show causation. Cohort and intervention studies compare people exposed to an agent or intervention with those unexposed or less exposed. Case-control studies compare people affected by a disease or outcome with a control group of unaffected people or representing a total population. Surveys select a sample of people, not chosen by exposure or outcome. Cohort studies may be prospective or retrospective; case-control studies are retrospective; surveys are cross-sectional in time, but retrospective or prospective aspects can be added. In part two, strengths, weaknesses and applications of these designs are shown. Intervention trials, ideally randomised, are the prime method of assessing healthcare interventions; special types include crossover trials and community-based trials. Non-randomised trials are noted. The strengths and weaknesses of cohort studies, case-control studies, and surveys are shown.


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