Small area estimation under a multivariate linear model for incomplete repeated measures data

In this paper, the issue of analysis of multivariate repeated measures data that followa  monotonic  sample  pattern  for  small  area  estimation  is  addressed.   Random  effectsgrowth curve models with covariates for both complete and incomplete data are formu-lated.  A conditional likelihood based approach is proposed for estimation of the meanparameters and covariances.  Further, the prediction of random effects and predictedsmall area means are also discussed.  The proposed techniques may be useful for smallarea estimation under longitudinal surveys with grouped response units and drop outs.