Handbook Of Missing Data Methodology

Missing data affect nearly every discipline by complicating the statistical analysis of collected data. But since the 1990s, there have been important developments in the statistical methodology for handling missing data. Written by renowned statisticians in this area, Handbook of Missing Data Methodology presents many methodological advances and t

Sooner or later anyone who does statistical analysis runs into problems with missing data in which information for some variables is missing for some cases. Why is this a problem? Because most statistical methods presume that every case has information on all the variables to be included in the analysis. Using numerous examples and practical tips, this book offers a nontechnical explanation of the standard methods for missing data (such as listwise or casewise deletion) as well as two newer (and, better) methods, maximum likelihood and multiple imputation. Anyone who has been relying on ad-hoc methods that are statistically inefficient or biased will find this book a welcome and accessible solution to their problems with handling missing data.

Missing data affect nearly every discipline by complicating the statistical analysis of collected data. But since the 1990s, there have been important developments in the statistical methodology for handling missing data. Written by renowned statisticians in this area, Handbook of Missing Data Methodology presents many methodological advances and the latest applications of missing data methods in empirical research. Divided into six parts, the handbook begins by establishing notation and terminology. It reviews the general taxonomy of missing data mechanisms and their implications for analysis and offers a historical perspective on early methods for handling missing data. The following three parts cover various inference paradigms when data are missing, including likelihood and Bayesian methods; semi-parametric methods, with particular emphasis on inverse probability weighting; and multiple imputation methods. The next part of the book focuses on a range of approaches that assess the sensitivity of inferences to alternative, routinely non-verifiable assumptions about the missing data process. The final part discusses special topics, such as missing data in clinical trials and sample surveys as well as approaches to model diagnostics in the missing data setting. In each part, an introduction provides useful background material and an overview to set the stage for subsequent chapters. Covering both established and emerging methodologies for missing data, this book sets the scene for future research. It provides the framework for readers to delve into research and practical applications of missing data methods.

Along with many examples, this text covers the most up-to-date statistical theories and computational methods for analyzing incomplete data. It presents a thorough treatment of statistical theories of likelihood-based inference with missing data. It also discusses numerous computational techniques and theories on imputation and extensively covers methods involving propensity score weighting, nonignorable missing data, longitudinal missing data, survey sampling, and statistical matching. Some of the research ideas introduced can be developed further for specific applications.

While most books on missing data focus on applying sophisticated statistical techniques to deal with the problem after it has occurred, this volume provides a methodology for the control and prevention of missing data. In clear, nontechnical language, the authors help the reader understand the different types of missing data and their implications for the reliability, validity, and generalizability of a study’s conclusions. They provide practical recommendations for designing studies that decrease the likelihood of missing data, and for addressing this important issue when reporting study results. When statistical remedies are needed--such as deletion procedures, augmentation methods, and single imputation and multiple imputation procedures--the book also explains how to make sound decisions about their use. Patrick E. McKnight's website offers a periodically updated annotated bibliography on missing data and links to other Web resources that address missing data.

Missing data pose challenges to real-life data analysis. Simple ad-hoc fixes, like deletion or mean imputation, only work under highly restrictive conditions, which are often not met in practice. Multiple imputation replaces each missing value by multiple plausible values. The variability between these replacements reflects our ignorance of the true (but missing) value. Each of the completed data set is then analyzed by standard methods, and the results are pooled to obtain unbiased estimates with correct confidence intervals. Multiple imputation is a general approach that also inspires novel solutions to old problems by reformulating the task at hand as a missing-data problem. This is the second edition of a popular book on multiple imputation, focused on explaining the application of methods through detailed worked examples using the MICE package as developed by the author. This new edition incorporates the recent developments in this fast-moving field. This class-tested book avoids mathematical and technical details as much as possible: formulas are accompanied by verbal statements that explain the formula in accessible terms. The book sharpens the reader’s intuition on how to think about missing data, and provides all the tools needed to execute a well-grounded quantitative analysis in the presence of missing data.

Walking readers step by step through complex concepts, this book translates missing data techniques into something that applied researchers and graduate students can understand and utilize in their own research. Enders explains the rationale and procedural details for maximum likelihood estimation, Bayesian estimation, multiple imputation, and models for handling missing not at random (MNAR) data. Easy-to-follow examples and small simulated data sets illustrate the techniques and clarify the underlying principles. The companion website includes data files and syntax for the examples in the book as well as up-to-date information on software. The book is accessible to substantive researchers while providing a level of detail that will satisfy quantitative specialists. This book will appeal to researchers and graduate students in psychology, education, management, family studies, public health, sociology, and political science. It will also serve as a supplemental text for doctoral-level courses or seminars in advanced quantitative methods, survey analysis, longitudinal data analysis, and multilevel modeling, and as a primary text for doctoral-level courses or seminars in missing data.

Missing data have long plagued those conducting applied research in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Good missing data analysis solutions are available, but practical information about implementation of these solutions has been lacking. The objective of Missing Data: Analysis and Design is to enable investigators who are non-statisticians to implement modern missing data procedures properly in their research, and reap the benefits in terms of improved accuracy and statistical power. Missing Data: Analysis and Design contains essential information for both beginners and advanced readers. For researchers with limited missing data analysis experience, this book offers an easy-to-read introduction to the theoretical underpinnings of analysis of missing data; provides clear, step-by-step instructions for performing state-of-the-art multiple imputation analyses; and offers practical advice, based on over 20 years' experience, for avoiding and troubleshooting problems. For more advanced readers, unique discussions of attrition, non-Monte-Carlo techniques for simulations involving missing data, evaluation of the benefits of auxiliary variables, and highly cost-effective planned missing data designs are provided. The author lays out missing data theory in a plain English style that is accessible and precise. Most analysis described in the book are conducted using the well-known statistical software packages SAS and SPSS, supplemented by Norm 2.03 and associated Java-based automation utilities. A related web site contains free downloads of the supplementary software, as well as sample empirical data sets and a variety of practical exercises described in the book to enhance and reinforce the reader’s learning experience. Missing Data: Analysis and Design and its web site work together to enable beginners to gain confidence in their ability to conduct missing data analysis, and more advanced readers to expand their skill set.