Brief Description
The Perinatal Bereavement Grief Scale (PBGS) is a 15-item instrument developed to measure grief intensity and yearning experienced after pregnancy loss. It was created by integrating extensive theoretical, clinical, counseling, and empirical literature related to perinatal grief. The PBGS is grounded in grief and attachment theories, particularly Bowlby's Attachment Theory (1980), which emphasizes the profound bond between caregiver and child (or anticipated child) and the intense mourning following a loss. The measure consists of 15 questions rated on a 4-point Likert scale. It includes questions such as "You imagined what the baby would have looked like” and "You dreamed you were still pregnant." Grief tends to evolve over time, so repeated measurement using the PGBS can help track whether grief is persisting, worsening, or improving over time.
Assessment Administration Type
Clinician Administered Self-Report
Number of questions
15
Age Range for Administration
Primarily designed for adults who have experienced perinatal loss. Research does not specify a strict age range, but it is generally used with individuals age 18 and older.
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended frequency; Blueprint recommends every 1-3 months or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
Respondents rate how often each experience has occurred during the past week using a 4-point Likert scale with 1 being “Rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)” and 4 being “Most or all of the time (5–7 days).” Item 8 (“"You found it easy to think about things other than the baby.") is reverse-scored. All items are summed to produce a total score. Total scores range from 15 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater grief intensity. There is no official cut-off score for the PGBS.
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 4-8 minutes
First administration is usually recommended within a few weeks to a few months after the loss (e.g., 2–12 weeks), which captures acute grief.
After triggering events (e.g., the due date of the baby, anniversaries, subsequent pregnancies, or another loss), you might reassess.
Administering it too often (e.g., weekly) is discouraged because grief fluctuates naturally, and frequent testing could heighten distress or not reflect meaningful change.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
We're here for you!
Do you have follow-up questions? We're here and happy to help!
Send us an email at help@blueprint-health.com or use the help messenger in the lower right corner to speak with our Support team. 💪🏼