Excited to share that my new book (w/ Xiang Zhou), Causal Mediation Analysis, is now out from CUP.

Order at tinyurl.com/3hspt6em with discount code CMA2025.

Includes software for Stata and R, available here: causalmedanalysis.github.io.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.

Figure showing predicted cognitive functioning trajectory with years since baseline by sibship size, Health and Retirement Study, 1998–2020, linked to the 1940 census (N = 42,530 person-wave observations)

Using HRS data linked to the 1940 Census, @yiangli.bsky.social shows that individuals with more childhood co-residing siblings are linked to steeper late-life cognitive decline, and women raised with brothers show the fastest deterioration.

www.demographic-research.org/articles/vol...

Thanks Michael!

Paper abstract

New in @ssreditorial.bsky.social with @jasonwongyh.bsky.social and Linda Waite. We introduce and examine the "linked long arms" where early family disadvantages have spillover effects within marriage on social lives with women’s early disadvantage especially consequential. doi.org/10.1016/j.ss...

Paper abstract

New paper in Social Science & Medicine with Meiyi Li and @michalengelman.bsky.social. We study spousal cognitive decline and own perception of marital strain. We find spouse’s cognitive impairment is linked to women facing higher marital strain but men report lower strain. doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

Thanks and yes! Just DM’ed you.

Both substantive and methodological techniques I have learnt along the way at UChicago have led to this paper. Special thanks to Edward O. Laumann, @gtwodtke.bsky.social, and @drschut.bsky.social for their helpful comments on earlier versions of the paper! [7/7]

Mediation analyses using regression imputation further reveal that both physical functioning and social perceptions of attractiveness partly explain these patterns, underscoring the interplay between physiological and social factors in later-life intimacy. [6/7]

Our findings show that larger body size is associated with lower likelihood of having a partner and engaging in partnered sexual activities. Notably, these associations are more pronounced for women, while solitary sexual ideation appears less affected by body size. [5/7]

We decomposed the total effects of body size into direct effects and those mediated by functional limitations (measured by ADL restrictions) and interviewer-rated attractiveness. We tried to understand if the mechanisms are different for women and men. [4/7]

We both objective measure—Body Mass Index (BMI)—and subjective measure through interviewer-rated body shape. We study how they affect access to partnership, partnered sexual behaviors and solitary sexual activities among older adults and become a gendered source of social stratification. [3/7]

Building on Mead and Goffman, we argue that the social construction of the self is strongly tied to how physical attributes are perceived. Although attractive individuals often receive social and economic advantages, less is know about how physical appearance affects the access to partnership. [2/7]

The paper I started three years ago is now published in @sfjournal.bsky.social! We study how obesity/body size as measured and socially evaluated explain gendered disparities in access to partnership and partnered sex. Thanks to my advisor and coauthor Linda Waite. doi.org/10.1093/sf/s... [1/7]