Causal Attribution Analysis for Continuous Outcomes

This paper introduces a novel approach to causal attribution analysis for continuous outcome variables, a significant departure from prior research primarily focused on binary outcomes. This new method proposes a series of posterior causal estimands, such as posterior intervention effects, posterior total causal effects, and posterior natural direct effects, to retrospectively evaluate multiple correlated causes of a continuous effect. The authors establish the identifiability of these estimands under specific assumptions, including sequential ignorability, monotonicity, and perfect positive rank, and outline a two-step estimation procedure. An artificial hypertension example and a real developmental toxicity dataset are utilized to illustrate the practical application of this framework, aiming to enhance the accuracy of causal conclusions in fields like medicine and policy analysis.