Affiliation:
1. Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2. Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Abstract
Many children and adolescents experience the death of a close person, such as a family member or a friend. However, there is a scarcity of literature on the assessment of grief in bereaved youth. The use of validated instruments is essential to advance our knowledge of grief in children and adolescents. We conducted a systematic review, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, to identify instruments that measure grief in this population and explore their characteristics. Searches in six databases (Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Emcare, Scopus, and Web of Science) identified 24 instruments, encompassing three categories: general-purpose grief scales, maladaptive grief scales, and specialized grief scales. We extracted data using a predetermined list of descriptive and psychometric properties. Findings indicate a need to direct research towards more stringent validation of existing instruments and the design of new instruments in line with developments in the understanding of grief in this population.
Funder
Australian Research Council Future Fellowship
National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship
Subject
Life-span and Life-course Studies,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine,Health (social science)