ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder: Factors, correlates, and functional impairment

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS) is used to assess Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) based on ICD-11 criteria.
• The underlying factor structure of PGD, as measured by the IPGDS, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the factor structure of PGD using the IPGDS in a Spanish community sample.
• To investigate the correlates of identified PGD factors.
• To assess the association between PGD factors and functional impairment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis.
• Analyzed data from a large, representative sample of 947 bereaved adults in Spain.
• Assessed the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS) factor structure.

Main Results:

• Identified three distinct factors of PGD: Loss, Emotional Reactivity, and Emotional Disengagement.
• Found associations between demographic factors (sex, bereaved age, deceased age, time since bereavement) and PGD symptom dimensions.
• Established that Emotional Disengagement was the sole significant predictor of functional impairment.

Conclusions:

• The findings support a multidimensional structure of PGD symptoms as assessed by the IPGDS.
• Results are consistent with previous international studies and different analytical approaches.
• Emotional disengagement represents a critical factor linking PGD symptoms to functional impairment.