Optimizing Graph Causal Classification Models: Estimating Causal Effects and Addressing Confounders

Abstract

Graph data is becoming increasingly prevalent due to the growing demand for relational insights in AI across various domains. Organizations regularly use graph data to solve complex problems involving relationships and connections. Causal learning is especially important in this context, since it helps to understand cause-effect relationships rather than mere associations. Since many real-world systems are inherently causal, graphs can efficiently model these systems. However, traditional graph machine learning methods including graph neural networks (GNNs), rely on correlations and are sensitive to spurious patterns and distribution changes. On the other hand, causal models enable robust predictions by isolating true causal factors, thus making them more stable under such shifts. Causal learning also helps in identifying and adjusting for confounders, ensuring that predictions reflect true causal relationships and remain accurate even under interventions. To address these challenges and build models that are robust and causally informed, we propose CCAGNN, a Confounder-Aware causal GNN framework that incorporates causal reasoning into graph learning, supporting counterfactual reasoning and providing reliable predictions in real-world settings. Comprehensive experiments on six publicly available datasets from diverse domains show that CCAGNN consistently outperforms leading state-of-the-art models.