Mediating Pathways

Potential mediators were selected using expert knowledge, literature review, and assessment of data availability. Including many mediators may cause sparse data and model convergence problems. The study aims to quantify how much SES-related mental health disparity might be reduced by shifting specific mediators among low-SES children toward higher-SES patterns. Potential observable mediators include child protection risk reports, education, parental death, incarceration, homelessness, social housing, location, parental mental health, juvenile criminal activity, and teenage parenthood.