Construct: Complicated grief symptoms
Description of Measure: The Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) was devised by Prigerson, et al. (1995) to assess indicators of pathological grief, such as anger, disbelief, and hallucinations. (It contrasts with the TRIG which assesses more normal grief symptoms.) The instrument consists of 19 first-person statements concerning the immediate bereavement-related thoughts and behaviors of the client. There are 5 response options, ranging from “Never” to “Always.”
The ICG’s internal consistency, as reported by Prigerson, et al. (1995), was very good; the alpha coefficient was .94. The test-retest reliability was found in the same study to be .80. In addition, this scale has a well-validated clinical cut point. Clients who score over 25 are considered at high risk for requiring clinical care.
References
Mason, T., & Tofthagen, C. S. (2019). Complicated grief of immediate family caregivers: A concept analysis. Advances in Nursing Science, 42(3), 255-265. doi: 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000243
Prigerson, H. G., Bierhals, A. J., Kasl, S. V, Reynolds, C. F. III, Shear, M. K., Newsom, J. T., & Jacobs, S. (1996). Complicated grief as a disorder distinct from bereavement-related depression and anxiety: a replication study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 1484- 1486.