Factored Structural Equation Modeling in Blimp

• In Event: Beyond Traditional SEM: Model Fit, Heterogeneity, and New Paradigms

Abstract

This tutorial introduces Factored Structural Equation Modeling (FSEM), an alternative to classic multivariate SEM. Implementation is in the Blimp software and the rblimp R package. FSEM decomposes the joint distribution of observed and latent variables as a set of univariate and multivariate submodels, and it treats latent variables as missing data to be imputed. This approach seamlessly accommodates combinations of continuous (normal and nonnormal), binary, ordinal, nominal, count, and two-part variables; interactions; nonlinear effects; heteroscedasticity; and multilevel data structures without violating distributional assumptions. The paper presents a series of illustrative models—ranging from basic confirmatory factor analysis to complex dynamic, multilevel, and hybrid generalized-linear-SEM applications—providing Blimp syntax excerpts and a real-data example.

Author

• Craig K. Enders, University of California - Los Angeles