Measuring grief in caregivers of persons with acquired brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the psychometric and validity properties and applicability of a modified version of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MM-CGI) for use with caregivers of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI).


METHODS
Replicate Marwit and Meuser's original psychometric study assessing grief in caregivers of dementia patients.


METHODS
The MM-CGI was administered to 28 ABI caregivers along with standardized measures of caregiver strain, depression, well-being and family support.


RESULTS
Results for ABI caregivers were similar to those for dementia caregivers with the instrument demonstrating excellent internal consistency reliability for total and sub-scale grief scores and strong divergent validity. Results also parallel those of a recent study of cancer caregivers.


CONCLUSIONS
The MM-CGI is as useful for diagnosing and treating grief in ABI caregivers as it is for those caring for persons with other serious illnesses.
Marwit
Samuel J
SJ
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. marwits@umsl.edu
Kaye
Peggy N
PN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000451:nursing*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology