UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING POLYTOMOUS LOGISTIC-REGRESSION - APPLICATIONS TO RESEARCH ON SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE

This article demonstrates the use of polytomous logistic regression (P LR) and its application to a care example. An outcome study is used to illustrate the use of PLR in applied social work research. The care e xample is taken from an outcome evaluation of a family support program , involving 250 cases. This instructive article provides readers with (a) a conceptual overview of PLR, (b) an example of how to interpret k ey features of statistical output (BMDP), (c) a simple formula for cal culating probabilities and odds for a particular outcome, and (d) a su bstantive interpretation of how results can be used in the context of program evaluation. Finally, recommendations for the application of th is statistic in practice settings are given.