DEVELOPMENT OF A SHORT FORM INVENTORY TO ASSESS GRIEF IN CAREGIVERS OF DEMENTIA PATIENTS

This article describes the derivation of a short-form of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MM-CGI), an inventory designed to measure grief in caregivers of persons with progressive dementia. It presents initial reliability and validity data and describes ways to use the inventory both clinically and scientifically. The resulting MM-CGI Short Form, presented here in its entirety, is comprised of 18 items and, like its full-form relative, is self-scoring and yields a Total Grief score and sub-scale scores measuring factors representing Personal Sacrifice Burden, Heartfelt Sadness and Longing, and Worry and Felt Isolation.