Non-extensive diffusion entropy analysis: non-stationarity in teen birth phenomena

Abstract

A complex process is often a balance between non-stationary and stationary components. We show how the non-extensive Tsallis q-entropy indicator may be interpreted as a measure of non-stationarity in time series. This is done by applying the non-extensive entropy formalism to the Diffusion Entropy Analysis (DEA). We apply the analysis to the study of the teen birth phenomenon. We find that the unmarried teen births are strongly influenced by social processes with memory. This memory is related to the strength of the non-stationary component of the signal and is more intense than that in the married teen time series. By using the wavelet multiresolution analysis we attempt to give a social interpretation of this effect.