st: Testing for mediation with categorical mediators and complex survey data?

["Galinsky, Adena M." <agalinsk@jhsph.edu>]

Hello all,

I would like to test for mediation by calculating Sobel-Goodman tests for mediated effects, using the Preacher and Hayes method of bootstrapping the standard error of the mediated effects.

I understand that the standard way to do this in Stata is to use sgmediation.

However, sgmediation does not work if either the Independent Variable (IV) or Mediating Variable (MV) is categorical, nor does it work with the svy command.

For my analysis, I am using categorical IV's and MV's (the Dependent Variable (DV) is continuous) that were collected in a survey with complex design (i.e., that are appropriately analyzed using the svy commands)

(I've already looked at "How can I do mediation analysis with a categorical IV in Stata?" found here: http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/faq/mediation_cativ.htm. This page recommended using sureg - a command that does not work with svy nor with categorical mediating variables. It thus did not answer my question since a. It only covers the case when the IV is categorical, not when the MV is categorical and b. It does not mention what to do when using complex survey data and c. It does not mention Sobel-Goodman tests (though presumably I could write a program to calculate these tests, if I could find a solution to a. and b.)

Can you recommend what I should do?

Thank you for your help!

best,
Adena

ps  By the way, it looks like Hayes has a new SPSS macro that can handle categorical IV's and MV's - has anyone converted this into a stata version? (The SPSS version is here: http://www.afhayes.com/spss-sas-and-mplus-macros-and-code.html)

*
*   For searches and help try:
*   http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
*   http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
*   http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/