10
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

The Limitations of Multivariate Statistical Methods in the Mensuration of Human Misery

Pages 503-511 | Published online: 06 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Multivariate statistical methods have been widely used in the analysis of the multiple symptom data which are routinely collected in psychiatric research on the classification of depressive illnesses. The most commonly used methods, those of factor analysis and discriminant function analysis, were introduced into research on the classification of depressive illness with unreasonably high expectations about what they could achieve. The failure to realize these expectations has produced scepticism in some quarters about the usefulness of multivariate methods in psychiatric research. When evaluated more circumspectly, multivariate statistical methods have made a contribution to our understanding of depressive illnesses, and they will continue to do so, if they are used with more reasonable expectations.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.