Development and Preliminary Validation of the Complicated and Adaptive Grief Inventory for Native Americans

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Indigenous Studies
• Public Health

Background:

• Grief research in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations is limited.
• Existing research often focuses on historical trauma and mortality rates.
• A significant barrier to AI/AN grief research is the lack of culturally appropriate validated measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a culturally congruent grief measure for AI/AN communities.
• To address the gap in validated grief assessment tools for AI/AN populations.
• To create a reliable instrument for studying grief experiences in AI/AN individuals.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Conducted interviews with 12 AI community members to understand grief perspectives.
• Study 2: Gathered feedback on measure items from 10 AI/AN community members and 7 professionals.
• Study 3: Utilized factor analyses on data from 600 AI/ANs surveyed online to determine the factor structure of the CAGI-NA.

Main Results:

• Developed the 30-item Complicated and Adaptive Grief Inventory for Native Americans (CAGI-NA).
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the measure's structure.
• The CAGI-NA demonstrated validity and reliability for use with AI/AN populations.

Conclusions:

• The CAGI-NA is a culturally congruent and psychometrically sound instrument.
• This validated measure can facilitate future grief research with AI/AN people.
• The CAGI-NA provides a much-needed tool for understanding AI/AN grief experiences.