Network Structure of Bereavement Functional Impairment Symptoms Measured by the Grief Impairment Scale in a Peruvian Sample

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize the network structure of grief-related functional impairment symptoms as measured by The Grief Impairment Scale (GIS) in 520 Peruvian individuals who have experienced the death of a family member or loved one. A psychological network model was applied to evaluate the estimation, stability, and accuracy of the network during the analysis sequence. The results indicated that the inability to perform activities at work, school, or home was the most central symptom in the entire network. However, the presence of high instability in the centrality indices indicates that the central node may differ in other cultural contexts. The networks were invariant according to sex. The most influential node in the women's group was their inability to perform activities at work, school, or home. In men, the most central node was the presence of health problems due to bereavement. The results would help to better understand functional impairment due to bereavement