Purpose: This article introduces the regression discontinuity design (RDD) as a valuable quasi-experimental approach for evaluating social work interventions. Methods: The RDD is outlined, providing guidance on identifying and framing research questions within its structure. Detailed explanations of analytical procedures for estimating intervention effects under both sharp (treatment assignment strictly determined by a cutoff) and fuzzy (treatment assignment is influenced but not strictly determined by a cutoff) RDD conditions are included, along with common supplemental analyses to address potential validity threats. Results: Concrete examples of social work scenarios where RDD can be effectively employed are presented, showcasing innovative approaches that can enhance the design's utility. This paper also includes code for implementing these techniques. Conclusions: By examining the applications and methodologies of RDD, this article equips social work practitioners and researchers with a versatile tool to rigorously assess the impact of interventions and advance evidence-based practice within the field.

中文翻译：

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释放社会工作研究断点回归设计的潜力


目的：本文介绍了断点回归设计（RDD）作为评估社会工作干预措施的一种有价值的准实验方法。方法：概述了 RDD，为在其结构内识别和框架研究问题提供了指导。包括在锐利（治疗分配严格由截止值确定）和模糊（治疗分配受到影响但不严格由截止值确定）RDD条件下估计干预效果的分析程序的详细解释，以及用于解决潜在有效性的常见补充分析威胁。结果：提出了可以有效利用 RDD 的社会工作场景的具体示例，展示了可以增强设计实用性的创新方法。本文还包括实现这些技术的代码。结论：通过研究 RDD 的应用和方法，本文为社会工作从业者和研究人员提供了一种多功能工具，以严格评估干预措施的影响并推进该领域的循证实践。