[R] Not sure how to handle hazard in my survival model

bsaj bsaj at leeds.ac.uk
Thu Mar 10 12:10:24 CET 2011


Hi R experts :)

I'm trying to carry out a survival model on my data, but I am unsure of
whether it's appropriate or if I should do something specific in regards to
hazard.

My data is time to death by predator where I have 8 prey and one predator in
the setting. This means that two prey can't possibly die at the same time
and I can't quite get my head around how to include this in the model. I
have repeats, so I have 15 replicates of the 8 prey one predator setting.
What I have done so far is include replicate as a random factor in a coxme
(as it is a different predator each time, so the time of death may vary
depending on predator), but that doesn't really address the issue of prey
having to die in a sequential manner. I was thinking I could make the time
to death the time until first prey eaten for prey one and then the time from
prey one to prey two the time to death for prey two, but I'm not sure if
that's appropriate. Also, encounter rates will decrease as there are fewer
prey available and the predator will become less hungry the more prey it
eats. All the examples (and examples are the way I learn best) have survival
analysis based on completely independent deaths such as dying from cancer,
time to flowering etc where the event could happen at the same time for all
the individuals.

Can anyone help me get my head around this or maybe point me to some good
information in a book or online?

Just realised this sounds a bit gruesome, but the prey are frozen bloodworms
and the predator a small fish.

Thank you ever so much,

Freya

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