“I particularly enjoy the lavaan and Mplus code that accompanies the book, which is more detailed than in other books I have come across. The book is well written and provides excellent syntax examples. I would use it to teach categorical SEM in my graduate SEM course.”

—Jam Khojasteh, PhD, Research, Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics Program, Oklahoma State University


“This book fills an important gap in texts on SEM. Grimm provides rigorous, in-depth coverage of regression, path models, SEM, growth models, and mixture models, combined with practical instruction on programming in Mplus and lavaan. This book is a valuable resource for researchers modeling categorical, count, and time-to-event data, frequently encountered in social science research. As a course text, this book will provide the next level of knowledge to students who have learned the basics of SEM, and it will equip them with the expertise and skills necessary to implement these sophisticated models.”

—Paul Sacco, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore


“This book offers comprehensive coverage of key topics in SEM with categorical data. Chapters include practical data analysis examples using two widely adopted SEM software packages—Mplus and R (with the lavaan package)—accompanied by clear interpretations of the results. I highly recommend this book to researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of categorical data analysis in applied contexts. It also serves as an excellent text for graduate-level courses on categorical data analysis and advanced SEM.”

—Myeongsun Yoon, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University


“Grimm once again shows his knack for taking complex statistical models and ideas and expressing them in understandable terms. Categorical data come in many forms: binary, ordinal, and count variables, among others. Grimm explains modeling options for each type of analytic model, from regression models to more advanced models. Example scripts for Mplus and lavaan provide readers with clear roadmaps for conducting analyses and understanding results. This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in learning about categorical data analysis in the social sciences using state-of-the-art methods.”

—Keith F. Widaman, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education and Distinguished Professor of the Graduate Division, University of California, Riverside