Validation of zero-inflated negative binomial models For my overdispersed and zero-inflated data I have used a zero inflated negative binomial and a hurdle model, for comparison purposes.
I need to validate the model, i.e. see whether certain assumptions are fulfilled to check if the model is adequate for inference. However, I'm not able to find any information on the steps of validation of these models.
Side question: Is there a more elaborate way to compare hurdle and zero-inflated models, other than the AIC?
Does anyone have any suggestions?

For validating the ZINB or hurdle model, your first step could be to create a null model and compare the ZINB/ hurdle model and the null model using a likleihood ratio test. This will tell you whether your ZINB or hurdle model fits the data better than the null model, providing some validation of its utility. If so, you could proceed with methods such as cross validation and determining pseudo R2, though I don't have personal experience applying these methods to hurdle models.
