Development and validation of the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist

The purpose of this article is to provide data on a recently developed inst rument to measure the multidimensional nature of the bereavement process. I n contrast to widely used grief instruments that have been developed using rational methods of instrument construction, the Hogan Grief Reaction Check list (HGRC) was developed empirically from data collected from bereaved adu lts who had experienced the death of a loved one. Factor analysis of the HG RC revealed 6 factors in the normal trajectory of the grieving process: Des pair, Panic Behavior, Blame and Anger, Detachment, Disorganization, and Per sonal Growth. Additional data are provided that support reliability and val idity of the HGRC as well as its ability to discriminate variability in the grieving process as a function of cause of death and time lapsed since dea th. Empirical support is also provided for Personal Growth as an integral c omponent of the bereavement process. The article concludes by considering t he substantive as well as psychometric findings of this research for such i ssues as traumatic grief, anticipatory grief, change in the bereaved person 's self-schema, and spiritual and existential growth.