A Review of the Psychometrics of Perinatal Grief Instruments
Abstract
The intense emotional and psychological consequences of pregnancy loss have been studied for decades. With the growing body of literature regarding women's experiences of pregnancy loss, there is an increased need for high quality evidence that underpins perinatal grief and bereavement support interventions. In this paper, we describe and analyze the psychometric properties of existing tools (the Perinatal Grief Scale, the Perinatal Bereavement Scale, the Perinatal Grief Intensity Scale) developed specifically to measure grief following perinatal loss. The psychometric properties of these instruments are presented along with an assessment of their trustworthiness. Of the three perinatal grief instruments, the PGS is the most well-established measure of perinatal grief. The PBS, although promising, has not been as extensively tested as the PGS. The PGIS has compared favorably with the PGS and is also a good choice for use in perinatal bereavement studies despite its shorter history of use and less extensive psychometric testing.
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The SVPGS has been translated into 17 languages and validated globally.
“The SVPGS has been widely used, translated into 17 languages, and validated globally for various types of loss related to pregnancy (Wright and Carpenter 2023).”
From Validation and Refinement of the Short Version of Perinatal Grief Scale in Chinese Women Who Experience Perianal Loss: A Psychometric Study. (2025) · cites this paper as Wright and Carpenter 2023
Cites
Quenby, S., Gallos, I. D., Dhillon-Smith, R. K., Podesek, M., Stephenson, M. D., Fisher, J., Brosens, J. J., Brewin, J., Ramhorst, R., Lucas, E. S., et al. (2021) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00682-6 · Cited by 1,560 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Over 10% of women experience miscarriage within their lifetime, and there are 44 pregnancy losses occurring every minute (Quenby et al., 2021).”
BackgroundComplicated grief after perinatal loss
Kersting, A., & Wagner, B. (2012) · Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.31887/dcns.2012.14.2/akersting · Cited by 419 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…which can result in reduced completion rates and missing responses and 3.) disentangling grief responses from other issues affecting mental health such as depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic responses (Drews et al., 1990; Hvidtjørn et al., 2018; Kersting & Wagner, 2012; Rolstad et al., 2011).”
BackgroundThe Perinatal Grief Scale: Development and initial validation.
Toedter, L. J., Lasker, J. N., & Alhadeff, J. M. (1988) · American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1988.tb01604.x · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Measuring grief: A short version of the perinatal grief scale
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Integrative Review of Emotional Care Following Perinatal Loss
Furtado-Eraso, S., Escalada-Hernández, P., & Marín-Fernández, B. (2021) · Western Journal of Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/0193945920954448 · Cited by 51 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Besides the emotional aspects of loss, consequences of perinatal loss include strained social relationships with spouse and the spousal family, changed view of subsequent pregnancies, social isolation, and social pressure (Furtado-Eraso et al., 2020; Gausia et al., 2011; Roberts et al., 2021).”
BackgroundPsychosocial impact of perinatal loss among Muslim women
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Al‐Maharma, D. Y., Abujaradeh, H., Mahmoud, K. F., & Jarrad, R. A. (2016) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/imhj.21570 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
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Li, S. N., Yang, L., Wang, Q. Y., Xie, J., Cao, H., Zhao, W., & Tang, S. Q. (2025) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.70067 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wright, P. M., & Carpenter, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Scranton (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wright, Patricia Moyle
- Venue
- Illness, Crisis & Loss
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2023-03-14
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 655-670
- ISSN
- 1054-1373 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6968
- OpenAlex
- W4324372991
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 2.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Illness Crisis & Loss (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- perinatal grief, perinatal bereavement, miscarriage, psychometric properties, Perinatal Grief Scale
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