Review of perinatal grief
Introduction This is an examination of the variables of Perinatal Grief (PG) in parents bereaved by the death of their baby during pregnancy, birth or up to one month after birth. The Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) was developed and modified in the late 1980s to measure the grief experience of these parents. Since then it has been translated and used throughout the world to measure perinatal grief. However, much has changed in the field of grief theory since then, so it is timely to investigate whether it is still a useful instrument for understanding the grief experience of these parents.
Aim: To review the current use of the Perinatal Grief Scale-33(PGS-33) to identify the elements of perinatal grief, such as intensity and trajectory, which it measures while comparing it with the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised (ICG-R) which was designed to measure abnormal grief, which is currently termed Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD).
Method: Undertake a literature search for studies since 1988 using the PGS-33 and since 2000 using the ICG-R that are researching PG. Conclusion It is anticipated that the PGS-33 will be confirmed as a suitable instrument to measure the grief of contemporary parents whose babies die during pregnancy, birth or up to one month afterwards.
Results: The perinatal grief experienced by parents may be better measured by the PGS-33 rather than the ICG-R as it may be more sensitive to identifying the unique elements of the experience of these parents.
