Application of Dyadic Data Analysis in Psychological Research: Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) Approach

Psychopathology is often an interpersonal issue and interpersonal problems are one of the most common areas of concern expressed by clients. Regardless of the origin of the psychological disorders, most psychological traumas have important interpersonal consequences, and therefore the success of treatment largely depends on a careful analysis of interpersonal relationships in couples' psychotherapy. In this paper, the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) approach was described and demonstrated by pooled regression for dyadic data analysis for a small sample of couples. This method can be done using conventional statistical software and manual calculations. Therefore, this method of analysis is more suitable for researchers and psychotherapists who want to learn more about their clients, but do not have the sample size available for them to use structural equation modeling or multilevel modeling. This method has several advantages over other approaches used to analyze this type of data. The main advantage is that psychotherapists and researchers can explain the effect of interdependence between members of a couple (for example, spouse, sibling or patient and client) and can examine the effect of the actor and the effect of the partner. As a result, more accurate statistical inferences can be made using this method to help researchers and therapists understand relationships in a couple relationship. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) approach helps to incorporate the dependence of a couple's members into the analysis and to consider the dyad as a unit of analysis instead of focusing on the individual, which is a strategic issue in clinical settings. It paves the way for client analysis, and this allows researchers and psychotherapists to improve research related to their field of work in the field of psychology and counseling.