Adaptation and validation of the Perinatal Grief Scale among Peruvian women at a specialized institute in Lima, Peru
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Perinatal grief requires culturally adapted instruments for its assessment in the Peruvian context. Objectives: To adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) in hospitalized patients at the Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal (INMP). Methods: An instrumental, psychometric, cross-sectional study was conducted in 600 patients with a history of perinatal loss, hospitalized after vaginal delivery or cesarean section, aged 18 to 44 years (mean age: 29.63 ± 6.476). The sample was divided into 400 participants for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of three- and four-dimensional models, and 200 participants for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), following parallel analysis. The EFA proposed two models that preserved both the number of dimensions and the theoretical structure. Content validity, reliability, model fit, invariance using ΔCFI according to the presence of children, and convergent validity with the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were evaluated. Results: The final 18-item, four-dimensional model—Depression, Guilt, Hopelessness, and Acceptance—showed factor loadings ranging from 0.64 to 0.93, alpha values between 0.702 and 0.874, and omega values between 0.753 and 0.887. This model presented the best fit indices (CFI = 0.965; TLI = 0.958; SRMR = 0.074; RMSEA = 0.069), strong invariance (ΔCFI < 0.01), and significant correlations with anxiety and depression. Dimensions F1, F2, and F3 showed direct relationships, whereas F4 showed inverse relationships. Conclusion: The adapted PGS provides adequate psychometric evidence for assessing perinatal grief in hospitalized patients at the INMP. Keywords: Bereavement; perinatal death; psychometrics; validation study; psychological tests (Source: MeSH NLM).
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7172136537