st: RE: Stset-ing Multiple Failure/Multiple Spell Data : Moving in and out of risk set

["Laura Rodwell" <laura.rodwell@sydney.edu.au>]

Hi Kathleen,

What you are describing sounds like gap time, or interval truncation in a survival dataset, where a subject is not observed for a period of time, in your example when they enter waged employment. To account for this in the multiple record data format as you have presented you have the subject exit at the known failure time then re-enter at the next start time. So if your subject fails at Year = 1994 then re-enters self employment in 1996 then 1996 would be the year0 on your next row - so they are not being observed in 1995. You might need to have your dates in months or at least half yearly periods to identify the gaps.  Once you have your data in this format then you can stset with the appropriate start and time0 specifications. 

Cleves describes this in Chapter 5 - recording survival data (Third edition, pg 38).

Another thing I noticed is you currently have someone with a failure in that 1994-1995 period where you have them as a 0 for self-employed. To fail you need to be at risk so again this may be a matter of being more specific with your times and ensuring your failure events match with your times at risk. 

I think you mentioned it however I always find this FAQ document useful when setting up this type of survival data, particularly with the actual specification of the stset.

http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/stat/stmfail.html

Regards,
Laura. 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Kathleen Bui
Sent: Monday, 14 March 2011 2:31 AM
To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
Subject: st: Stset-ing Multiple Failure/Multiple Spell Data : Moving in and out of risk set

My question is how to stset a multiple failure data set when an individual can 
move in and out of the risk set. 
 
I have read Cleves’s An Introduction to Survival Analysis Using Stata, Cleve’s  
STB-49, and all previous posts concerning st-setting multiple failures. Others 
have asked similar questions as mine, but I have yet to find a solution that 
works.  
 
I am analyzing the duration of an individual’s stay in Self-Employment. Failure 
will be exit from self-employment.  My question is how can I stset the data so 
that Stata recognizes that an individual can move into and out of the risk set 
(which is being Self-Employed).
 
To be more explicit, for each individual in my data set, I have information as 
to whether or not they are Self-Employed.  The issue arises when an individual 
has a self employment history as follows:
 
The individual is self-employed and therefore at risk of failure.  Then they 
fail (leave self employment) and enter waged employment. By entering waged 
employment, they are no longer at risk of failing, since they are no longer 
Self-Employed. However, after a period of time, they once again become Self 
Employed (thus re-enter the risk set) and fail once again (their second 
failure).
 
As a result, multiple failures are possible as individuals are moving in and out 
of different employment states. However, although I understand that Stata can 
recognize multiple failures, I am unsure of how stset can be used to recognize 
the multiple spells of Self-Employment, particularly the period of time between 
spells when the individual is no longer at risk.
 
Specifically, I am unable to set the analysis time back to 0 for when the 
individual begins a second period at risk after being not at risk.
 
For example, one individual in my data set of multiple individuals can look 
like:

   +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
       | ID   Year0   Year   SelfEmploy     Failure         |
       |--------------------------------------------------------------------|
1.    |  1    1989    1990        0                  0            |
2.    |  1    1990    1991        1                  0            |
3.    |  1    1991    1992        1                  0            |
4.     |  1    1992    1993        1                  0            |
5.     |  1    1993    1994        1                  0            |
6.     |  1    1994    1995        0                  1            |
7.     |  1    1995    1996        0                  0            |
8.     |  1    1996    1997        1                  0            |
9.     |  1    1997    1998        1                  0            |
10.   |  1    1998    1999        1                  0            |
11.   |  1    1999    2000        0                  1            |
       +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
where “SelfEmploy” is the indicator variable denoting whether or not the 
individual is self employed, “Failed” is an indicator variable denoting if the 

individual has left self employment and year0 and year are the corresponding 
beginning and end of time period.
 
So between, 1990 and 1994, the individual is at risk of failing, and fails 
between 1994 and 1995. But between 1995 and 1996, they are no longer at risk of 

failing (say they are employed in the waged sector). But then they enter self 
employment in 1996 and thus experience another failure between in 1999-2000.
 
Is there a command in stset that allows Stata to “ignore” the periods when they 
are no longer at risk?
 
For example, when I stset my data as follows: stset year, origin(SelfEmploy==1) 
failure(Failed)  time0(Year0)  id(PersonID) exit(time .), the period when they 
are no longer at risk of failing is treated as if they are in self-employment as 
the output I receive is:
 
   
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +

    | ID   Year0   Year   SelfEmploy   Failure   _s   _d       _t0    _t   |    
    |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

1. |  1    1989    1990       0               0         0         0        .    
.     |
2. |  1    1990    1991       1              0         0        0       .    
.     |                          
3. |  1    1991    1992       1              0         1        0        0   
 1    |
4. |  1    1992    1993       1              0         1        0        1  
  2    |
5. |  1    1993    1994       1              0         1        0        2   
 3    |
6. |  1    1994    1995       0               1         1        1        3   
 4    |
7. |  1    1995    1996       0               0         1         0        4   
 5    |
8. |  1    1996    1997       1              0         1         0        5   
 6    |
9. |  1    1997    1998       1               0         1         0        6   
 7    |
10.|  1    1998    1999       1              0         1        0        7   
 8    |
11.|  1    1999    2000       0              1         1         1        8   
 9    |
   
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

 
Stata seems to count the period form 1995-1996,as a time where the individual is 
at risk of failing, when he is not. 



Therefore,  am unsure as to how to st-set the data so that from 1995-1996, Stata 
recognizes that the individual is no longer at risk of failing and that my 

analysis time can be “Reset” to 0 for when the individual begins a second period 
at risk after being not at risk.
 
Any suggestions?
 
Any help would be appreciated! 
 
Thanks!!
 
Kathleen Bui


      

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