What analysis should I use

[kas]

Hi, I am new to this and completely confused. I am trying to test a hypothesis: Higher opioid overdose deaths are the result of illicit drug use due to lower prescribing of opioids. I have the following data: 5 separate years of death rates (2015-2019) Variable for each year - Scale
5 separate years of prescribing rates (2015-2019) Variable for each year- Scale
Variable - Limit Laws - Categorical
Variable - Medicaid Expansion - Categorical
Variable - PDMP - Categorical

Can someone please help......I need to know if I need to add anything else and also what type of analysis. This is for a research paper.

 

[Karabiner]

Looks like a some mediation model
Restrictions -> Lower Prescription -> Higher Illicit Use -> More Deaths
But you do not have data on more illicit drug use, do you? If not, then the hypothesis you stated cannot be investigated.

Apart from that, a mediation model with multiple predictors (i.e. the 3 restrictions) would best be analysed by using
a structural equation model. If you could collapse the 3 restrictions into 1 variable, things might be easier.

With kind regards

Karabiner

 

[fed2]

You should draw a graph.