Assessing grief among the bereaved elderly: a review of existing measures

The assessment of grief in the elderly, bereaved population has received much attention in the research and clinical literature. Existing instruments vary widely in their complexity, the extent of their theoretical base and in the evidence of their reliability and validity for their intended uses. In this article, the authors describe important principles for the assessment of grief, and present a rating instrument for use in comparing potential measures for this assessment. Nine of the most widely cited measures are reviewed using this process. Their variations along critical dimensions of assessment quality are clearly demonstrated. The general status of available measures, and recommendations for using this rating process in specific clinical settings are discussed.