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Vector Vine Copula Models for Multivariate Longitudinal Data

Michael Stanley Smith, Lin Deng

arXiv 17 Sep 2026 · Statistics — Methodology

arXiv:2609.19547 · PDF · Extracted main text

Abstract

Multivariate longitudinal data may exhibit non-Gaussian margins, nonlinear dynamics, and response vectors with composition that varies across waves. To account for these features, we introduce a vector drawable vine (VD-vine) copula that extends conventional drawable vine copulas from scalar to vector-valued nodes. Here, the response vector at each wave forms a multivariate marginal, and serial dependence is captured through a sequence of linking vector copulas. We establish that the VD-vine is itself a vector copula and reduces to a conventional drawable vine for scalar nodes. Recursive forward and backward conditional transports are derived that enable efficient likelihood evaluation and predictive simulation, with parsimonious reductions under finite-order Markov and stationary restrictions. Unconstrained parameterizations for Gaussian and FGM linking vector copulas, flexible multivariate marginals, and Bayesian variational inference provide a practical implementation. Simulations show improved predictive accuracy when the marginals are asymmetric and serial dependence is multivariate, with little loss under a correctly specified Gaussian panel vector autoregression. In an eight-wave Australian panel of 1,093 individuals with varying response vectors, the full VD-vine delivers the best cross-validated distributional forecasts among the models considered, establishing the benefit of capturing asymmetry and nonlinear dependence.

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Fan, Yanqin and Henry, Marc (2023) Vector copulas1.00093100%
2Aas, Kjersti and Czado, Claudia and Frigessi, Arnoldo and Bakken, He… (2009) Pair-copula constructions of multiple dependence1.00063100%
3Smith, Michael and Min, Aleksey and Almeida, Carlos and Czado, Claudia (2010) Modeling longitudinal data using a pair-copula decomposition of serial dependence self1.00053100%
4Grace B. Yu and Mohsen Joshanloo and M. Joseph Sirgy (2025) A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Reciprocal Associations Between Work-Life Conflict and Subjective Wellbeing0.87452100%
5Harry Joe (1996) Families of m-Variate Distributions with Given Margins and m(m-1)/2 Bivariate Dependence Parameters0.84333100%
6Zhang, Qi and Li, Bing and Xue, Lingzhou (2026) A Copula Graphical Model for Multi-Attribute Data Using Optimal Transport0.84333100%
7Claudia Czado (2019) Analyzing Dependent Data with Vine Copulas: A Practical Guide with R0.73732100%
8Norman L. Johnson and Samuel Kotz (1975) On Some Generalized Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern Distributions0.64422100%
9Nagler, Thomas and Krüger, Daniel and Min, Aleksey (2022) Stationary Vine Copula Models for Multivariate Time Series0.64422100%
10Genest, Christian and Quesada Molina, JJ and Rodr\'iguez Lallena, JA (1995) De l'impossibilité de construire des lois à marges multidimensionnelles données à partir de copules0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 51 scored citations.