The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
An Item Response Theory Analysis of a Measure of Complicated Grief
Authors:
Boelen, Paul A.
Hoijtink, Herbert
Source:
Death Studies: 2009, 33, pp.101-129.
Summary
This article describes the use of a statistical method to investigate the relative ability of individual questions on the Inventory of Complicated Grief – Revised (ICG-R) to distinguish between levels of severity of Complicated Grief. The authors found that items that best identified high levels of Complicated Grief were those that described being overwhelmed or preoccupied by the death, feeling numb, feeling that life is empty and that the future has no meaning, and being unable to imagine life as fulfilling. Items that did not discriminate clearly between high and low levels of Complicated Grief were those that referred to having the same symptoms as the deceased, and hearing or seeing the deceased. The authors interpret the findings as supporting the conceptualization of Complicated Grief as a disruption of cognitions and of meaning-making processes rather than a disorder of disrupted attachment. The researchers also found that gender and the nature of the death experienced (violent vs. non-violent) did not significantly influence responses to the items on the ICG-R.
Key Words: research, complicated, meaning, attachment, ICG-R
Service Provider Implications
The results of this research may help service providers distinguish between mourners who are experiencing severe Complicated Grief and those who are experiencing less severe Complicated Grief. In particular, bereaved who indicate strongly that the death experienced has disrupted their assumptions about life and the future, and that life has become meaningless, are more likely to be experiencing a high level of Complicated Grief. This distinguishing information may help service providers plan appropriate interventions.
