Preliminary Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Ukrainian Traumatic Grief Inventory-Self Report Plus (TGI-SR+)

Abstract

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) was included in the DSM-5-TR and ICD-11. The Traumatic Grief Inventory Self-Report Plus (TGI-SR+) is a self-report measure to assess PGD symptoms in accordance with both classification systems. It has been translated into various languages and validated across different contexts. Objective: Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Ukrainian TGI-SR+. Method: Participants were Ukrainian adults who had lost a loved one at least 6 months ago. One hundred ninety-eight participants completed the TGI-SR+ and measures assessing posttraumatic stress and depression. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and known-groups validity of the TGI-SR+. Moreover, rates of probable PGD caseness were calculated, and provisional cut-off scores were determined based on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses. Results: The one-factor model showed an acceptable fit for DSM-5-TR, but not for ICD-11 PGD symptoms. While some of the factor loadings were low for both criteria sets, the items demonstrated good internal consistency. Convergent validity was supported by strong associations between symptom levels of DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 PGD and posttraumatic stress and depression severity scores. Known-groups validity was partially supported by DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 PGD severity being related to both cause of death and kinship to the deceased. The provisional cut-off score for detecting both probable DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 PGD caseness, when summing all TGISR+items, was ≥ 75. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the Ukrainian TGI-SR+ were mixed. However, pending further research in different and larger samples of Ukrainian bereaved people, this instrument can be used to assess PGD severity in Ukrainians.