Using Multidimensional IRT Latent Transition Analysis to Examine Stigma and HIV Health Outcomes

Using Multidimensional IRT Latent Transition Analysis and Markov Models to Examine the Longitudinal Associations between Intersectional Stigma and HIV Health Outcomes. Featuring Andrea Norcini Pala PhD, SUNY Downstate NY, and Bulent Turan, Koc University, Turkey PhD
Goals of the Workshop
• Learn about Multidimensional IRT Latent Transition Analysis (MIRT/LTA).
• Application of MIRT/LTA to examine intersectional stigma longitudinally.
• Discuss the Intersectional Stigma measurement model and measurement error within the MIRT/LTA framework.
• Use of Markov Models and a three-step approach to estimate the relationship between • Intersectional Stigma and HIV Health Outcomes (both, categorical and continuous)
• Strengths and limitations of MIRT/LTA
• Overview of statistical packages to perform MIRT/LTA
Hour 1
• Introduction of Multidimensional IRT and Latent Transition Analysis data;
• Main steps involved in MIRT/LTA;
• Importance of testing MIRT and LTA measurement model longitudinal invariance;
• Interpretation of MIRT/LTA parameters (i.e., discrimination and location parameters, within and between classes’ latent trait mean, initial state, and transition probability).
Hour 2
• Application of MIRT/LTA to examine Intersectional Stigma and HIV Health Outcomes.
• Discussion of the main results.
• Strengths and limitations of MIRT/LTA and Markov Models (e.g., use of inverse propensity weights, covariates, and distal outcomes)
• Questions and answers
Dr. Andrea Norcini Pala. Dr. Norcini Pala is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, at SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY. He holds a master's degree in clinical, social, and experimental developmental psychology from the University of Parma, Italy, with a focus on psychometric and internet-based research methods. Dr. Norcini Pala obtained his PhD in Clinical Health Psychology, concentrating on the biopsychosocial factors affecting HIV infection progression, from Milano, Italy. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Columbia University, where he expanded his research to intersectional stigma and mental and physical health outcomes among women living with HIV and African American men who have sex with men and live with HIV. In his subsequent appointments at Columbia University, he continued to develop and apply skills in advanced psychometric and research methods, including Multidimensional Latent Class/Transition Item Response Theory, Network Analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, and Bayesian methods applied to pilot RCTs. Additionally, he has expertise in qualitative methods, which he is currently applying to design a technology-based intervention for African American men living with HIV who have sex with men to address intersectional stigma and improve adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy. More recently, Dr. Norcini Pala has begun work on AI models to apply in clinical, research, and teaching settings.
Dr. Bulent Turan is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. He completed his doctoral training in Psychology at Stanford University and his postdoctoral training in health psychology at UCSF. Dr. Turan examines how stigma and discrimination-as well as other psycho-social factors-affect different populations, such as people living with HIV, substance use, and epilepsy, or living as a refugee. He also examines intersecting stigmas due to race, gender, sexual orientation, and poverty to understand and address disparities in physical and psychological health outcomes. His research includes biomarkers of stress (hair, blood, and saliva samples for cortisol and alpha-amylase). He also studies the mechanisms underlying the association between social bonds and well-being. These include effects of attachment orientations, social support, and negative social evaluation on psychological and physical well-being.
0:00 Introductions
5:06 What is Stigma?
9:31 Intersectional Stigma
13:32 LCA/LPA
20:55 Goals
24:48 Intersectionality Research Methods
30:39 MLCIRT
36:47 Item Response Theory
45:34 MLCIRT to MLTIRT: Longitudinal Analysis of Intersectional Stigma
54:00 Transition Probability
58:05 Experienced Intersectional Stigma Measures
1:13:12 Intersectional Stimgas and Distal Outcomes: The 3-Step Approach
1:31:54 Strengths of MLTIRT
1:35:33 Statistical Packages
1:40:17 Q & A
A CAPS Methods Core presentation.
Recorded Friday, April 26th, 2024.