[Measures of grief--a critical review]

Scientific investigations show that the course of a grieving process may have a substantial impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of those concerned. An international survey of measuring instruments designed to register grief shows little conformity with respect to the key symptoms of grieving. Only few instruments are derived from scientific theory, the majority have been developed on the basis of clinical observations and only some of the instruments are psychometrically designed. Some instruments display correlations with other constructs such as depression and anxiety, with the question of whether the symptoms are grief-specific or autonomous remaining unanswered. Only few instruments serve to differentiate between normal and pathologic grief. The fact that only two German-language instruments for registering grief are available to date also indicates that this subject matter has attracted only scant attention despite its clinical significance. In conclusion, the demands to be made on an instrument to be developed in the future are outlined.