Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder

Prolonged grief is a disorder (PGD) characterized by severe and disabling grief reactions for an extended period of time after the loss of a significant person. ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR differ substantially in individual criteria.

Estimation of the respective prevalence of PGD_ICD-11 and PGD_DSM-5-TR and the frequency with which single symptoms of prolonged grief occur in the general population.

Out of a representative sample of the German general population (N=2498), n = 914 reported a significant loss and prolonged grief symptoms based on the extended version of the self-reported Prolonged Grief Disorder-13+9 (PG13+9). Sociodemographic and loss-related characteristics were collected.

The probable prevalence of PGD_ICD-11 was 1.5% and that of PGD_DSM-5-TR was 1.2% in the general sample. Among bereaved persons (n=914), the prevalence of developing PGD_ICD-11 was 4.2% and that of PGD_DSM-5-TR was 3.3%. Diagnostic agreement between the two criteria-sets was very high and did not increase after heightening the accessory symptom threshold for PGD_ICD-11. Difficulties accepting the loss was the most frequent single symptom (14-25%) and grief-related impairment was common (10-16%). Over 60% of participants with a probable PGD diagnosis utilized health care services.

Results are based on self-reported data. The PG13+9 was not designed to assess grief symptoms according to ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.

Prolonged grief according to ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR is a notable disorder in the general population. Among bereaved persons, single symptoms of prolonged grief are relatively frequent and cause substantial degrees of impairment.