Perinatal Grief Scale – PGS
Measures the severity of grief and psychological distress in individuals following a perinatal loss.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Perinatal Grief Scale – PGS was developed by Louise Potvin, Judith N. Lasker, Lori J. Toedter (1989). It is designed to measure Perinatal Grief. The scale is intended for use with Bereaved parents experiencing pregnancy loss or neonatal death.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 33 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Active Grief, Difficulty Coping, Despair.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Active Grief | 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31 | 11 |
| Difficulty Coping | 2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32 | 11 |
| Despair | 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33 | 11 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 33 to 165. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low to Moderate Grief: 33 – 90
- High/Clinical Grief (suggests potential need for clinical intervention): 91 – 165
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha typically ranges from .92 to .95 for the total scale.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.