Efficient Bayesian Estimation of Dynamic Structural Equation Models via State Space Marginalization

This paper shows that the within-level part of any dynamic structural equation model can be reformulated as a linear Gaussian state space model. Consequently, the latent states can be analytically marginalized using a Kalman filter, allowing for highly efficient estimation via Hamiltonian Monte Carlo. This makes DSEM estimation computationally tractable for much larger datasets than what has been previously possible. arXiv preprint.

March 2026 · Øystein Sørensen