Assessing DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder in children and adolescents: development of the Traumatic Grief Inventory – Kids – Clinician-Administered

BACKGROUND: Around 10% of bereaved youths experience symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Recently, PGD was included in the two main classification systems for mental disorders: the ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR. Assessing PGD symptoms in youth is currently hindered by the lack of instruments for ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR criteria. To fill this gap, we developed an instrument to assess PGD symptoms in children and adolescents, the Traumatic Grief Inventory – Kids – Clinician-Administered (TGI-K-CA), based on input of grief experts and bereaved children. METHODS: Five experts rated the items on alignment with DSM-TR and ICD-11 PGD symptoms and comprehensibility. The adjusted items were then presented to seventeen bereaved youths (Mdn(age) = 13.0 years, range = 8–17 years). Using the Three-Step Test Interview (TSTI), children were asked to verbalize their thoughts while answering the items. RESULTS: Issues raised by experts were mostly related to alignment with the DSM-5-TR/ICD-11 symptom, ambiguous formulation of the items, or low comprehensibility for children and adolescents. Items raising fundamental issues according to experts were adjusted. The TSTI showed that children encountered relatively few problems with the items. Frequently reported problems with some of the items (e.g. regarding comprehensibility) led to final adjustments. CONCLUSION: With input from grief experts and bereaved youths, an instrument to assess PGD symptoms as defined in DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 in bereaved youths was finalized. Further quantitative research is currently undertaken to evaluate the instrument’s psychometric qualities.