The fire devoured my laptop, but the PC is still working... :) Sorry for the lazyness, you are totally right.
Here goes a reproducible example, which resembles the main features of our dataset: # three experimental factors, 30 subjects expgrid <- expand.grid(F1=0:1,F2=0:1,F3=0:1,id=1:30) # set up the dataset (make it unbalanced) inpdata <- expgrid[sample(nrow(expgrid),nrow(expgrid)*3,replace=T),] inpdata <- inpdata[order(inpdata$id),] # define coefficients # fixed effects coefs <- c(5,rnorm(7)) # random effects subj.coefs <- rnorm(30) # compute fixed effects modmat <- model.matrix(logtimes~F1*F2*F3, data=data.frame(logtimes=0,inpdata)) fix.eff <- rep(modmat%*%coefs) # compute logtimes (fixed effects + random effects + noise) logtimes <- fix.eff+rep(subj.coefs,table(inpdata$id))+ rnorm(nrow(inpdata),0,0.5) # random censoring cens <- runif(nrow(inpdata))<0.2 logtimes[cens] <- logtimes[cens]-rnorm(sum(cens)) # finalize dataset inpdata$status <- !cens inpdata$times <- exp(logtimes) inpdata$id <- factor(inpdata$id) # run survreg with fixed df in frailty # (method="aic" leads to error, don't know why) library(survival) survreg3 <- survreg(Surv(times,status) ~ F1*F2*F3 + frailty.gamma(id,df=29), data=inpdata, dist="lognormal") # Error in survpenal.fit(X, Y, weights, offset, init = init, controlvals = control, : # Invalid pcols or pattr arg # note, that without the frailty term or without the tree-way interaction term, it runs smoothly # the same with gamlss library(gamlss.cens) gamlss3 <- gamlss(Surv(times,status) ~ F1*F2*F3 + random(id,df=29), data=inpdata, family=cens(LOGNO)) > > I was wondering why survreg (in survival package) can not handle >> three-way interactions. I have an AFT ..... > > You have given us no data to diagnose your problem. What do you mean > by "cannot handle" -- does the package print a message "no 3 way > interactions", gives wrong answers, your laptop catches on fire when you > run it, ....? > Also, make sure you read help(frailty). The following is a key line > "Use of gamma/ml or gaussian/reml with survreg does not lead to valid > results." > > Terry Therneau > > > ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.