Preliminary Evaluation of a Prolonged Grief Questionnaire for Adolescents

Currently, there is no established measure to assess prolonged grief in adolescents. A new measure was designed based on the Extended Grief Inventory, the Inventory of Complicated Grief—Revised for Children, and the Inventory of Prolonged Grief for Children/Adolescents. We investigated the psychometric properties of the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire for Adolescents in a sample of 69 14- to 18-year-old parentally bereaved adolescents living in rural Rwanda. Additionally, we obtained sociodemographic information and assessed loss experiences and depressive symptoms. A principal component analysis revealed item loadings on two factors, which we named separation distress and secondary emotions. Internal consistency in this first evaluation was high (α = .94), and the criterion validity was satisfying. A sensitivity of 85.3% and a specificity of 85.9% were found. The small sample size is a major limitation. However, the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire for Adolescents may be a promising tool for assessing prolonged grief symptoms in adolescents

Complicated grief · Distress · Grief · Internal consistency · Psychiatry · Psychometrics · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology

• A Systematic Review of Dimensional and Categorical Models of Grief Related Disorders

  Open Access•J M Cunningham, Mark Shevlin et al.•Journal of Loss and Trauma•2026

  Incluir item

• Assessment Tools for Children who Experience Traumatic Loss

  Open Access•Naomi Ennis, Freddie A Pastrana et al.•Trauma Violence & Abuse•2023

  Incluir item

• Determining the Number of Components from the Matrix of Partial Correlations

  Open Access•Wayne F Velicer•Psychometrika•1976

  Incluir item

• Trauma exposure and psychological reactions to genocide among Rwandan children

  Open Access•Atle Dyregrov, Leila Gupta et al.•Journal of Traumatic Stress•2000

  Incluir item

• Prolonged Grief Disorder

  Open Access•Holly G Prigerson, Mardi J Horowitz et al.•PLoS Medicine•2009

  Incluir item

• Traumatic grief as a distinct disorder

  Holly Prigerson, Holly O Prigerson et al.•Handbook of Bereavement Research•2001

  Incluir item

• Complicated grief and related bereavement issues for DSM-5

  Open Access•M Katherine Shear, Naomi Simon et al.•Depression and Anxiety•2011

  Incluir item

• Reliability and Validity of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (Mini-KID)

  David V Sheehan, Kathy H Sheehan et al.•The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry•2010

  Incluir item

• Traumatic Loss in Children and Adolescents

  Anthony P Mannarino, Judith A Cohen•Journal of Child & Adolescent…•2011

  Incluir item

• Complicated Grief in Children—The Perspectives of Experienced Professionals

  Open Access•Atle Dyregrov, Kari Dyregrov•OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying•2013

  Incluir item

• A Meta-Analysis of Interventions for Bereaved Children and Adolescents

  Rita Rosner, Joachim Kruse et al.•Death Studies•2010

  Incluir item