Comparisons of Multilevel Modeling and Structural Equation Modeling Approaches to Actor–Partner Interdependence Model

There are basically two modeling approaches applicable to analyzing an actor–partner interdependence model: the multilevel modeling (hierarchical linear model) and the structural equation modeling. This article explains how to use these two models in analyzing an actor–partner interdependence model and how these two approaches work differently. As an empirical example, marital conflict data were used to analyze an actor–partner interdependence model. The multilevel modeling and the structural equation modeling produced virtually identical estimates for a basic model. However, the structural equation modeling approach allowed more realistic assumptions on measurement errors and factor loadings, rendering better model fit indices.