INVENTORY OF COMPLICATED GRIEF - A SCALE TO MEASURE MALADAPTIVE SYMPTOMS OF LOSS

Certain symptoms of grief have been shown (a) to be distinct from bere avement-related depression and anxiety, and (b) to predict long-term f unctional impairments. We termed these symptoms of ''complicated grief '' and developed the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) to assess th em. Data were derived from 97 conjugally bereaved elders who completed the ICC, along with other self-report scales measuring grief, depress ion, and background characteristics. Exploratory factor analyses indic ated that the ICG measured a single underlying construct of complicate d grief, High internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were evidence of the ICG's reliability. The ICG total score's association w ith severity of depressive symptoms and a general measure of grief sug gested a valid, yet distinct, assessment of emotional distress. Respon dents with ICG scores > 25 were significantly more impaired in social, general, mental, and physical health functioning and in bodily pain t han those with ICG scores less than or equal to 25, Thus, the ICG, a s cale with demonstrated internal consistency, and convergent and criter ion validity, provides an easily administered assessment for symptoms of complicated grief.