Growth Curve Analyses for Couples with Distinguishable Partners

Growth curve analyses for couples pose special analytic problems when the data are available from both partners and the partners can be distinguished from each other (such as husband and wife or male partner and female partner). In this case, the unit of analysis is the couple rather than the individual (see Raudenbush, Brennan, & Barnett, 1995). (By extension, the family could also be the unit of analysis with husband, wife, son, and daughter being distinguished from each other.) Couple-level growth curve analyses can be conducted either within a hierarchical linear modeling (HLM or multilevel) framework or within a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework (see Newsom, 2002). Because growth curve analyses require longitudinal data, most researchers will need to address issues of missing data or attrition. Fortunately, almost all HLM and SEM software programs are flexible in handling missing data using full information maximum likelihood procedures (Enders & Bandalos, 2001).