Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

April 30, 2021

The Utility of the Pandemic Grief Scale in Identifying Functional Impairment from COVID-19 Bereavement

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  • A cross-sectional survey of persons living in the US who lost a loved one to COVID-19 (N=1,065) validated the clinical utility of the 5-item Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) for identifying mourners at risk of functional impairment and substance use. The authors found the PGS uniquely explained work and social difficulties attributed to a COVID-19 loss beyond contributing factors such as relationship with the decreased, post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety, and general grief reactions. Notably, the depressive and anxious symptoms assessed by the PGS did not demonstrate a decline over time since the loss. 

Lee et al. (Apr 2021). The Utility of the Pandemic Grief Scale in Identifying Functional Impairment from COVID-19 Bereavement. Journal of Palliative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0103