Question

question 16 of 38
researchers at the university of pennsylvania found that patients who are divorced, separated, or widowed had approximately a 40% greater chance of dying or developing a new functional disability in the first two years following cardiac surgery than their married peers. the data included 1576 subjects who underwent cardiac surgery, of which 65% were married; 33% were divorced, separated, or widowed; and 2% had never been married. the findings were reported to be statistically significant.
marc neuman and rachel werner, \marital status and postoperative functional recovery,\ journal of the american medical association surgery, 151 (2016), pp. 194-196.
some variables might differ between the subjects in the study who were married versus those who are divorced, separated, or widowed.
identify if any of these variables are possible confounding variables.
□ access to care
□ price of the surgery
□ financial support
□ length of the surgery
□ emotional support

Explanation:

To identify confounding variables, we analyze variables that may affect both marital status and postoperative outcomes. Access to care: Marital status (married vs. divorced/separated/widowed) may influence access to care (e.g., married people might have better insurance or support to access care), and access to care affects surgical outcomes. Financial support: Married individuals may have more financial support for surgery, impacting outcomes, and financial status can relate to marital status. Emotional support: Married people often have more emotional support, which can affect recovery, and emotional support availability is tied to marital status. Length of surgery and price of surgery are more related to surgical procedure itself, less likely to be confounded by marital status. So access to care, financial support, and emotional support are possible confounding variables.

Answer:

• access to care (checked)
• financial support (checked)
• emotional support (checked)