--- title: "Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)" author: "Pascal Küng" bibliography: references.bib output: rmarkdown::html_vignette vignette: > %\VignetteIndexEntry{Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)} %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8} --- ```{r, include = FALSE} knitr::opts_chunk$set( collapse = TRUE, comment = "#>" ) diagram_helper <- if (file.exists("diagram-helpers.Rinc")) { "diagram-helpers.Rinc" } else { file.path("vignettes", "diagram-helpers.Rinc") } sys.source(diagram_helper, envir = knitr::knit_global()) diagram_device <- .vignette_diagram_device() knitr::opts_chunk$set(dev = diagram_device, fig.ext = diagram_device) ``` ```{r setup} library(dyadMLM) has_glmmTMB <- requireNamespace("glmmTMB", quietly = TRUE) apim_distinguishable_fitted_alt <- "Fitted distinguishable APIM diagram unavailable." apim_exchangeable_fitted_alt <- "Fitted exchangeable APIM diagram unavailable." ``` This vignette focuses on Gaussian cross-sectional and intensive longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence models for distinguishable and exchangeable dyads. The intensive longitudinal examples cover concurrent associations and a simple dynamic model of stability and partner influence. For the broader package workflow and an overview of the available model-specific vignettes, including the [Dyad-Individual Model](dim.html) and [Dyadic Score Model](dsm.html), see the [online package overview](https://pascal-kueng.github.io/dyadMLM/). A vignette for non-Gaussian generalized models is planned. # Cross-sectional APIMs ## The distinguishable APIM A conceptual example for distinguishable female-male dyads: ```{r distinguishable-apim-diagram, echo=FALSE, fig.width=9, fig.height=4.8, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Conceptual cross-sectional APIM for distinguishable female-male dyads. Intercepts $b_\\mathrm{0}$, actor effects $a$, and partner effects $p$ can differ by the role of the outcome member (F and M), and the two outcome residuals covary within dyads.", fig.alt="Path diagram for a distinguishable cross-sectional APIM. Female and male outcomes have separate intercepts. Female and male predictors each have an actor path to their own outcome and a partner path to the other member's outcome. The female and male outcome residuals covary."} draw_apim_diagram("distinguishable") ``` For univariate MLM software like `glmmTMB`, this model is fitted in long format with one outcome row per member, which can be visualized as: ```{r distinguishable-apim-member-diagram, echo=FALSE, fig.width=9, fig.height=5.2, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Individual-level representation of the distinguishable cross-sectional APIM used for the long-format multilevel model. For the female outcome, the female predictor is the actor predictor and the male predictor is the partner predictor. These roles reverse for the male outcome. Intercepts, actor coefficients, and partner coefficients may differ by outcome role, and the two member residuals may have different variances and covary.", fig.alt="Two-panel path diagram for a distinguishable female-male APIM. The female and male outcomes have separate intercepts. In the female outcome panel, female X is the actor predictor and male X is the partner predictor of female Y, with coefficients a F and p F. In the male outcome panel, male X is the actor predictor and female X is the partner predictor of male Y, with coefficients a M and p M. The female and male outcome residuals covary."} draw_apim_member_diagram("distinguishable") ``` ### Residual random-effects structure {#distinguishable-residual-structure} For a distinguishable female-male dyad, the two members can have different residual variances. The within-dyad residual covariance block (shared across dyads) is: $$ \operatorname{Cov} \begin{pmatrix} \epsilon_{Fi} \\ \epsilon_{Mi} \end{pmatrix} = \boldsymbol{\Sigma}_{\epsilon} = \begin{bmatrix} \sigma_{\epsilon_F}^{2} & \rho_{\epsilon_F\epsilon_M}\sigma_{\epsilon_F}\sigma_{\epsilon_M} \\ \rho_{\epsilon_F\epsilon_M}\sigma_{\epsilon_F}\sigma_{\epsilon_M} & \sigma_{\epsilon_M}^{2} \end{bmatrix} $$ And the full residual covariance matrix for all dyads (first three shown) is then block-diagonal: $$ \boldsymbol{\Sigma}_{\mathrm{model}} = \begin{bmatrix} \boldsymbol{\Sigma}_{\epsilon} & \boldsymbol{0} & \boldsymbol{0} & \cdots \\ \boldsymbol{0} & \boldsymbol{\Sigma}_{\epsilon} & \boldsymbol{0} & \cdots \\ \boldsymbol{0} & \boldsymbol{0} & \boldsymbol{\Sigma}_{\epsilon} & \cdots \\ \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots \end{bmatrix} $$ This structure is estimated with an unstructured random-effects block such as `us(0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male | coupleID)` and `dispformula = ~ 0`. ### Fitting the distinguishable APIM with glmmTMB We first prepare the example data with `dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data()`: ```{r prepare-cross-distinguishable-apim} apim_distinguishable_data <- dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data( data = dyads_cross, dyad = coupleID, member = personID, role = gender, predictors = provided_support, model_types = "apim", # All three observed compositions in `dyads_cross` are detected and retained by # default. This example focuses on `female-male` dyads, so we restrict the # analysis here. keep_compositions = "female-male" ) print(apim_distinguishable_data, n=4) ``` The generated `.dy_*` columns can be used directly in the model formula. Here is a simple example: ```{r fit-cross-distinguishable-gaussian, eval = has_glmmTMB} apim_distinguishable_model <- glmmTMB::glmmTMB( closeness ~ # Gender-specific intercepts 0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male + # Gender-specific actor effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_actor + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_actor + # Gender-specific partner effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_partner + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_partner + # Dyad-level unstructured random effects represent the two partner # residual variances and their covariance when dispformula = ~ 0. # This is glmmTMB-specific syntax! `brms` uses different syntax. us(0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male | coupleID) , dispformula = ~ 0 , family = gaussian() , data = apim_distinguishable_data ) summary(apim_distinguishable_model) ``` ```{r prepare-fitted-distinguishable-apim-diagram, include=FALSE, eval=has_glmmTMB} apim_distinguishable_diagram_values <- .extract_apim_diagram_values( apim_distinguishable_model, type = "distinguishable" ) apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates <- apim_distinguishable_diagram_values$estimates apim_distinguishable_diagram_residuals <- apim_distinguishable_diagram_values$residuals apim_distinguishable_fitted_alt <- sprintf( paste( "Fitted distinguishable APIM. Female and male intercepts %.2f and %.2f;", "actor effects %.2f and %.2f; partner effects %.2f and %.2f;", "residual SDs %.2f and %.2f, with correlation %.2f." ), apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["intercept_female"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["intercept_male"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["actor_female"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["actor_male"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["partner_female"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_estimates[["partner_male"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_residuals[["sd_female"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_residuals[["sd_male"]], apim_distinguishable_diagram_residuals[["correlation"]] ) ``` The estimated coefficients map as follows: ```{r fitted-distinguishable-apim-diagram, echo=FALSE, eval=has_glmmTMB, fig.width=9, fig.height=4.8, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Fitted cross-sectional distinguishable APIM for the example data. Fixed effects, residual standard deviations, and the residual correlation are extracted from the fitted model.", fig.alt=apim_distinguishable_fitted_alt} draw_apim_diagram( "distinguishable", model = apim_distinguishable_model, labels = c(predictor = "Provided support", outcome = "Closeness") ) ``` ## The exchangeable APIM Conceptually, the exchangeable APIM constrains several of the effects to be equal: ```{r exchangeable-apim-diagram, echo=FALSE, fig.width=9, fig.height=4.8, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Conceptual cross-sectional APIM for exchangeable dyads. The two members share one intercept, one actor effect, and one partner effect. Their outcome residuals have equal variances, yet still covary within dyads.", fig.alt="Path diagram for an exchangeable cross-sectional APIM. Both outcomes have the same intercept. Each member's predictor has the same actor effect on their own outcome and the same partner effect on the other member's outcome. The two outcome residuals have equal variances and covary."} draw_apim_diagram("exchangeable") ``` Because the member labels are arbitrary, swapping members 1 and 2 does **not** change the model. To estimate this model in a univariate MLM framework, we can draw a conceptual diagram as such: ```{r exchangeable-apim-member-diagram, echo=FALSE, fig.width=9, fig.height=5.2, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Individual-level representation of the exchangeable cross-sectional APIM used for the long-format multilevel model. Both members share the same intercept. Each member's own predictor has the shared actor effect, and the other member's predictor has the shared partner effect. The two residual variances are equal and the residuals may covary.", fig.alt="Two-panel path diagram for an exchangeable APIM. Both outcomes have the same intercept. For arbitrary member 1, X 1 is the actor predictor and X 2 is the partner predictor of Y 1. For arbitrary member 2, X 2 is the actor predictor and X 1 is the partner predictor of Y 2. Both panels use the same actor coefficient a and partner coefficient p, and their outcome residuals covary."} draw_apim_member_diagram("exchangeable") ``` ### Modeling the residual random-effects structure {#exchangeable-residual-structure} For a simple random-intercept structure, equal member variances and their covariance can be specified directly. The specification becomes more difficult when the same exchangeability constraints must cover several random slopes. A single homogeneous structure would impose one variance across intercepts and slopes, whereas separate structures would omit their correlations. The shared/difference representation works for residuals and other random-effect terms, including random slopes. Following @delrosarioPracticalGuideSpecifying2025, `dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data()` generates an arbitrary member-difference column, named `.dy_member_contrast_*`. This contrast is `+1` for one member and `-1` for the other. The exchangeable residual structure is represented by two separate random-effects terms: a shared dyad random intercept and a random coefficient for this difference column. Additional random slopes can be included in both blocks without changing this logic. We will now fit a simple exchangeable APIM and then use the `dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance()` function that back-transforms the structure to the often more interpretable member-level residual covariance matrix. ### Fitting the exchangeable APIM with glmmTMB We use the same dataset as before, but do not distinguish males and females. We can test distinguishability later by comparing this model with the prior model. We use `set_exchangeable_compositions` for the exchangeability constraints. Another option would be to omit roles. ```{r prepare-cross-distinguishability} apim_exchangeable_data <- dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data( dyads_cross, dyad = coupleID, member = personID, role = gender, predictors = provided_support, keep_compositions = "female-male", set_exchangeable_compositions = "female-male", seed = 123 ) print(apim_exchangeable_data, n = 4) ``` We then use the columns to fit the model as follows: ```{r fit-cross-distinguishability, eval = has_glmmTMB} apim_exchangeable_model <- glmmTMB::glmmTMB( closeness ~ # Pooled single intercept 1 + # Pooled single actor and partner effects .dy_provided_support_actor + .dy_provided_support_partner + # Residual variance covariance matrix via the shared/difference # specification in two uncorrelated blocks us(1 | coupleID) + us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_male_arbitrary | coupleID), dispformula = ~ 0, family = gaussian(), data = apim_exchangeable_data ) summary(apim_exchangeable_model) ``` We use the `dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance()` to recover the interpretable variance-covariance matrix: ```{r backtransform-cross-exchangeable, eval = has_glmmTMB} backtransformed <- dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance(apim_exchangeable_model) # residual variance-covariance and SD-correlation representations print(backtransformed) ``` The back-transformation follows directly from the shared and member-difference random effects. If $u_j$ is the shared effect for dyad $j$ and $\widetilde{u}_j$ its member-difference effect, the two member effects are $$ u_{1j} = u_j + \widetilde{u}_j, \qquad u_{2j} = u_j - \widetilde{u}_j. $$ Because the two fitted blocks are independent, $$ \operatorname{Var}(u_{1j}) = \operatorname{Var}(u_{2j}) = \operatorname{Var}(u_j) + \operatorname{Var}(\widetilde{u}_j), \qquad \operatorname{Cov}(u_{1j}, u_{2j}) = \operatorname{Var}(u_j) - \operatorname{Var}(\widetilde{u}_j). $$ ```{r prepare-fitted-exchangeable-apim-diagram, include=FALSE, eval=has_glmmTMB} apim_exchangeable_diagram_values <- .extract_apim_diagram_values( apim_exchangeable_model, type = "exchangeable" ) apim_exchangeable_diagram_estimates <- apim_exchangeable_diagram_values$estimates apim_exchangeable_diagram_residuals <- apim_exchangeable_diagram_values$residuals apim_exchangeable_fitted_alt <- sprintf( paste( "Fitted exchangeable APIM. Intercept %.2f, actor effect %.2f, partner", "effect %.2f, common residual SD %.2f, and residual correlation %.2f." ), apim_exchangeable_diagram_estimates[["intercept"]], apim_exchangeable_diagram_estimates[["actor"]], apim_exchangeable_diagram_estimates[["partner"]], apim_exchangeable_diagram_residuals[["sd"]], apim_exchangeable_diagram_residuals[["correlation"]] ) ``` The output can now be mapped as follows: ```{r fitted-exchangeable-apim-diagram, echo=FALSE, eval=has_glmmTMB, fig.width=9, fig.height=4.8, out.width="100%", fig.cap="Fitted cross-sectional exchangeable APIM for the example data. The common member residual standard deviation and residual correlation are back-transformed from the fitted mean and difference components.", fig.alt=apim_exchangeable_fitted_alt} draw_apim_diagram( "exchangeable", model = apim_exchangeable_model, labels = c(predictor = "Provided support", outcome = "Closeness") ) ``` ## Testing distinguishability {#testing-distinguishability} Distinguishability can be evaluated by comparing a full model in which the two roles may differ with a restricted exchangeable model. This comparison tests the imposed equality constraints jointly. Here, they concern the fixed intercepts, actor effects, partner effects, and residual variances. The two parameterizations require different generated columns, but both models above use the same original observations. [`dyadMLM::compare_nested_glmmTMB_models()`](https://pascal-kueng.github.io/dyadMLM/reference/compare_nested_glmmTMB_models.html) verifies that both models use equivalent original observations before performing the likelihood-ratio test: ```{r compare-cross-distinguishability, eval = has_glmmTMB} dyadMLM::compare_nested_glmmTMB_models( apim_exchangeable_model, apim_distinguishable_model ) ``` The test provides evidence against all restrictions jointly, but it does not show which parameter differs. The helper also cannot determine whether the models are mathematically nested; that remains a modeling requirement. The usual chi-squared reference distribution may be unreliable when a tested variance parameter lies on its boundary. ## Intensive longitudinal APIMs For longitudinal APIMs, time-varying predictors are decomposed into within-person and between-person components before actor and partner variables are constructed [@bolgerIntensiveLongitudinalMethods2013; @gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveDyadic2020]. The default `"auto"` selects `"2l"` when both `time` and `predictors` are supplied. The within-person (`cwp`) component captures occasion-specific deviations from each member's observed mean, whereas the between-person (`cbp`) component captures each member's observed mean relative to the sample grand mean. Note that observed person means used to construct the between-person (`cbp`) predictors can be unreliable when each member contributes **few occasions**, which can bias between-person estimates [@gottfredsonStraightforwardApproachCoping2019]. ### Concurrent ILD Gaussian APIM for distinguishable dyads The decomposition above can be combined with role-specific effects. We first retain the female-male distinction when preparing the data: ```{r prepare-ild-distinguishable-apim} ild_distinguishable_data <- dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data( dyads_ild, dyad = coupleID, member = personID, role = gender, time = diaryday, predictors = provided_support, model_types = "apim", keep_compositions = "female-male" ) |> dplyr::mutate( # we grand-mean center in this example to help convergence and # interpretation diaryday_gmc = diaryday - mean(diaryday) ) ``` The following model allows the intercepts, time trends, and within- and between-person actor and partner effects to differ between female and male members. Centering `diaryday` makes the role-specific intercepts refer to the average study day: ```{r fit-ild-distinguishable-apim, eval = has_glmmTMB} ild_distinguishable_model <- glmmTMB::glmmTMB( closeness ~ 0 + # Role-specific intercepts .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male + # Role-specific time trends .dy_is_female_x_male_female:diaryday_gmc + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:diaryday_gmc + # Role-specific within-person actor effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_cwp_actor + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_cwp_actor + # Role-specific within-person partner effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_cwp_partner + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_cwp_partner + # Role-specific between-person actor effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_cbp_actor + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_cbp_actor + # Role-specific between-person partner effects .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_cbp_partner + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_cbp_partner + # Stable dyad-level covariance us(0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male | coupleID) + # Same-occasion covariance us(0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male | coupleID:diaryday), dispformula = ~ 0, family = gaussian(), data = ild_distinguishable_data ) ``` #### Random slopes For example, role-specific within-person actor random slopes can be added by replacing the stable dyad-level block above with: ```{r ild-distinguishable-random-slopes, eval = FALSE} us( 0 + .dy_is_female_x_male_female + .dy_is_female_x_male_male + .dy_is_female_x_male_female:.dy_provided_support_cwp_actor + .dy_is_female_x_male_male:.dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID ) ``` This block estimates the covariance among the two role-specific random intercepts and actor slopes. ### Concurrent ILD Gaussian APIM for exchangeable dyads In longitudinal Gaussian exchangeable APIMs, the sum-and-difference parametrization from @delrosarioPracticalGuideSpecifying2025 can be extended to the dyad-occasion level to represent same-occasion residual dependence. We first prepare within-person (`cwp`) and between-person (`cbp`) actor and partner predictors. We retain the female-female dyads as one substantively exchangeable composition: ```{r prepare-ild-exchangeable-apim} ild_apim_data <- dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data( dyads_ild, dyad = coupleID, member = personID, role = gender, time = diaryday, predictors = provided_support, model_types = "apim", keep_compositions = "female-female", seed = 123 ) print(ild_apim_data, n = 4) ``` The example below estimates same-day associations between support and closeness and includes `diaryday` to adjust for a linear time trend. We also include an actor random slope in both stable dyad-level blocks so that we can demonstrate the random-slope back-transformation below. ```{r fit-ild-exchangeable-apim, eval = has_glmmTMB} # Profile the fixed effects and use BFGS for stable cross-platform optimization. ild_apim_control <- glmmTMB::glmmTMBControl( profile = TRUE, optimizer = stats::optim, optArgs = list(method = "BFGS") ) ild_apim_model <- glmmTMB::glmmTMB( closeness ~ 1 + diaryday + # Within-person actor and partner effects .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor + .dy_provided_support_cwp_partner + # Between-person actor and partner effects .dy_provided_support_cbp_actor + .dy_provided_support_cbp_partner + # Stable exchangeable dyad-level covariance with actor random slopes us(1 + .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID) + # shared intercept and slope us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary + # difference intercept .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary: .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor # difference slope | coupleID) + # Same-occasion exchangeable covariance us(1 | coupleID:diaryday) + us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary | coupleID:diaryday) , dispformula = ~ 0 , family = gaussian() , data = ild_apim_data , control = ild_apim_control ) summary(ild_apim_model) ``` We can now recover the member-level covariance matrices for both the stable dyad effects and the same-occasion residual dependence. The two matched block pairs are returned separately: ```{r backtransform-ild-exchangeable-apim, eval = has_glmmTMB} recovered_covariance <- dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance(ild_apim_model) print(recovered_covariance) ``` The `cwp` terms estimate actor and partner associations for occasion-specific deviations from each member's usual support. The `cbp` terms estimate actor and partner associations involving members' usual support levels. These are concurrent associations; they do not by themselves represent temporal carryover. #### Extension to exchangeable random slopes {#exchangeable-random-slope-back-transformation} The same shared/difference back-transformation described above applies separately to every random slope. It also applies to covariances among the random intercept, actor slope, and partner slope. #### Testing random-effect constraints {#fitted-constraints-and-omitted-blocks} The full model above estimates both a shared and a member-contrast actor random slope. We can first test a smaller model that omits only the actor random slope from the member-contrast block. The member-contrast random intercept and both same-occasion blocks remain in the model: ```{r fit-ild-no-contrast-slope, eval = has_glmmTMB} ild_apim_no_contrast_slope <- update( ild_apim_model, formula = . ~ . - us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary: .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID) + us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary | coupleID) ) dyadMLM::compare_nested_glmmTMB_models( ild_apim_no_contrast_slope, ild_apim_model ) ``` Without the member-contrast slope, the two members have identical actor random slopes at the stable dyad level. We tell the back-transformation which fitted blocks represent this constraint. Since we omitted terms, automatic matching is no longer possible and we need to tell `dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance()` what blocks belong together. ```{r backtransform-ild-no-contrast-slope, eval = has_glmmTMB} no_contrast_slope_covariance <- dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance( ild_apim_no_contrast_slope, block_pairings = list( dyad = list( shared_block = "us(1 + .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID)", difference_block = "us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary | coupleID)", difference_indicator = ".dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary" ) ) ) print(no_contrast_slope_covariance, representation = "sdcor") ``` We can impose the stronger constraint by omitting the full member-contrast block at the stable dyad level. The same-occasion member-contrast block again remains in the model: ```{r fit-ild-no-contrast-block, eval = has_glmmTMB} ild_apim_no_contrast_block <- update( ild_apim_model, formula = . ~ . - us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary: .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID) ) dyadMLM::compare_nested_glmmTMB_models( ild_apim_no_contrast_block, ild_apim_model ) ``` Here, both members have identical random intercepts and actor random slopes at the stable dyad level. Because the full member-contrast block is absent, we specify it as `NULL`: ```{r backtransform-ild-no-contrast-block, eval = has_glmmTMB} no_contrast_block_covariance <- dyadMLM::recover_exchangeable_covariance( ild_apim_no_contrast_block, block_pairings = list( dyad = list( shared_block = "us(1 + .dy_provided_support_cwp_actor | coupleID)", difference_block = NULL, difference_indicator = ".dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary" ) ) ) print(no_contrast_block_covariance, representation = "sdcor") ``` These are constraints on the stable dyad-level random effects, not on the same-occasion residual structure. Because variance constraints lie on the boundary of the parameter space, the usual chi-squared reference distribution for the likelihood-ratio tests should be interpreted cautiously. ### Current limitations of dyadic ILD designs in R Concurrent dyadic ILD models can adjust for a time trend and account for stable dyadic dependence and same-occasion partner dependence. They do not model residual serial dependence, however, and therefore estimate concurrent associations under the assumption that residuals from different days are independent. If the goal is to retain these concurrent APIM associations while accounting for serial dependence, the closest extension is a dyadic residual dynamic structural equation model (RDSEM). It keeps the concurrent regression separate from a VAR model for its residuals [@asparouhovComparisonModelsAnalysis2020; @mcneishPrimerTwoLevel2020]. This residual-VAR structure is not directly available through the `glmmTMB` interface used here, and open-source support for dyadic dynamic models remains very limited [@delrosarioPracticalGuideSpecifying2025]. Within open-source R, such a model generally requires custom TMB or Stan code. ### Dynamic ILD APIM example {#dynamic-models} A **practical alternative** is a model with lagged outcomes, especially when carryover or temporal dynamics are part of the research question [@gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveDyadic2020]. In such a model, the member's own lagged outcome represents stability and the partner's lagged outcome represents influence. All other APIM predictor effects then describe associations conditional on the members' prior outcomes. By adding the outcome to `predictors` and selecting it with `lag1_predictors`, `dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data()` returns lag-1 raw and within-person scores alongside the contemporaneous scores. Between-person scores are not lagged because they describe stable differences between members. For this example, we obtain the lagged actor and partner outcome columns through the `lag1_predictors` argument: ```{r prepare-ild-apim-dynamic-model} ild_apim_data_dynamic <- dyadMLM::prepare_dyad_data( dyads_ild, dyad = coupleID, member = personID, role = gender, time = diaryday, predictors = closeness, lag1_predictors = closeness, model_types = "apim", keep_compositions = "female-female", seed = 123 ) ``` This returns all necessary variables for either choice, including lag-1 raw and within-person closeness scores. Lags are matched at exactly `diaryday - 1`, so omitted diary days are not bridged. A simple fixed-slope dyadic stability and influence model [@delrosarioPracticalGuideSpecifying2025]: ```{r fit-ild-stability-influence, eval = has_glmmTMB} stability_influence <- glmmTMB::glmmTMB( closeness ~ 1 + # Stability (actor effect across time) .dy_closeness_actor_lag1 + # Influence (partner effect across time) .dy_closeness_partner_lag1 + # Linear time trend diaryday + # Stable exchangeable dyad-level covariance us(1 | coupleID) + us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary | coupleID) + # Same-day exchangeable dyad-level covariance us(1 | coupleID:diaryday) + us(0 + .dy_member_contrast_female_x_female_arbitrary | coupleID:diaryday) , dispformula = ~ 0 , family = gaussian() , data = ild_apim_data_dynamic ) summary(stability_influence) ``` This model can be extended with contemporaneous actor and partner predictor associations and other lagged predictors. Time-varying predictors should usually be separated into within-person and between-person components. Their contemporaneous coefficients are then conditional on both partners' prior outcomes. The model above uses raw lagged outcomes. The corresponding within-person-centered lagged terms are `.dy_closeness_cwp_actor_lag1` and `.dy_closeness_cwp_partner_lag1`. Whether to use a raw or within-person-centered lagged outcome depends on the research question and the data. Person-mean centering the outcome lag can bias the average carryover estimate downward [@hamakerCenterNotCenter2015]. This downward bias is known as Nickell bias [@nickellBiasesDynamicModels1981]. A raw lag avoids this centering bias, but a standard random-intercept model can still be biased because it assumes that the lag is unrelated to stable member levels [@gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveSmall2021]. Both problems matter most when there are few occasions. In one simple simulation, most approaches other than person-mean centering performed acceptably from about ten occasions, but this is not a universal cutoff [@gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveSmall2021]. For shorter panels, consider an LD-APIM, which lets the first outcomes relate to the members' stable levels in a wide-format SEM [@gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveDyadic2020]. These manifest-lag models are not equivalent to Mplus DSEM, which uses latent person-mean centering by default and can estimate multivariate or residual dynamics jointly [@mcneishPrimerTwoLevel2020]. For very short panels, however, default DSEM may still be biased or unstable, so the LD-APIM recommendation above may be preferable [@gistelinckMultilevelAutoregressiveSmall2021]. These lagged-outcome issues are separate from the earlier concern about unreliable person means used to construct `cbp` predictors with few occasions. --- From here, choose the model-specific vignette that matches the research question: - [Dyad-Individual Model vignette](dim.html) for the exchangeable DIM parameterization; or - [Dyadic Score Model vignette](dsm.html) for the distinguishable DSM parameterization. Or return to the [online package overview](https://pascal-kueng.github.io/dyadMLM/). A vignette with non-Gaussian generalized APIM examples is planned. ## References ::: {#refs} :::