interrelationship; confounding (statistics)
Technical term used mainly in statistics and research methodology to describe a situation where the effect of one variable is mixed with another, making it difficult to determine causal relationships. Also used more generally for complex interrelationships.
In this study, it is necessary to adjust for the confounding of age and smoking.
If confounding factors are not considered, it may lead to incorrect conclusions.
Compound of 交 (interchange, mix) and 絡 (entangle, intertwine). The term was likely coined in Japanese as a translation of the English statistical term 'confounding'.