Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief (ICSG)

Abstract

The Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief (ICSG) is a specialized, 18-item self-report measure developed to assess the specific dimensions of spiritual and religious distress experienced by individuals following a significant loss. It is designed to quantify the severity of a spiritual crisis that may accompany or contribute to complicated grief. The instrument helps clinicians and researchers identify two distinct, yet related, forms of spiritual struggle: feelings of insecurity or anger directed toward the divine, and withdrawal from or difficulty engaging in established religious practices.

Keywords

Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief, ICSG, Complicated Grief, Spiritual Grief, Bereavement, Spiritual Crisis, Religious Practice, Psychometric Scale, Loss, Faith Struggle.

Authors

Laurie A. Burke, Robert A. Neimeyer, J. M. Holland, S. Dennard, L. Oliver, M. K. Shear.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ICSG is to provide an empirically sound and reliable method for quantifying the extent to which bereavement leads to significant spiritual distress. The scale helps differentiate complex spiritual struggles—such as questioning God’s benevolence or feeling abandoned—from general symptoms of depression or non-spiritual grief. By identifying these specific spiritual challenges, the ICSG facilitates targeted intervention within grief therapy.

The instrument is intended for use in clinical settings, facilitating the assessment of spiritual needs among bereaved clients, and in research settings, enabling the rigorous study of the relationship between faith, loss, and mental health outcomes.

Construct

The ICSG measures the construct of Complicated Spiritual Grief (CSG), defined as a persistent and distressing disruption in the individual’s relationship with the sacred or their established religious community following a loss. This construct is recognized as a key component of overall complicated grief, reflecting struggles that extend beyond typical spiritual questioning to encompass profound feelings of betrayal, anger, or existential confusion related to the divine.

The construct is specifically broken down into two primary dimensions:

• Insecurity with God: This factor measures feelings of anger, confusion, betrayal, or unfairness directed at God or a higher power (e.g., questioning divine justice or protection).
• Disruption in Religious Practice: This factor measures behavioral and emotional withdrawal from faith-based activities, such as prayer, worship, fellowship, or Bible reading, often resulting in a diminished sense of comfort or guidance from one’s faith.

Validity

The initial development and validation studies (Burke et al., 2014) demonstrated strong evidence for the construct validity of the ICSG. The scale has been shown to correlate positively with measures of prolonged grief and spiritual distress, while showing appropriate discriminant validity from general measures of anxiety and depression, suggesting it measures a unique aspect of post-loss adjustment.

Furthermore, criterion validity has been supported by the scale’s ability to distinguish between individuals experiencing high levels of complicated grief and those experiencing non-complicated grief. The scale effectively captures the spiritual domain of loss that often requires specific clinical attention.

Reliability

The ICSG exhibits strong internal consistency, confirming its reliability as a psychometric properties tool. Initial studies reported high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the overall scale and its two subscales, indicating that the items within each factor consistently measure the same underlying construct. This high reliability ensures that the ICSG provides stable and reproducible scores when assessing spiritual crisis following bereavement.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the two-factor structure of the ICSG. This bi-dimensional model provides a robust structure for understanding complicated spiritual grief. The two factors identified are Insecurity with God and Disruption in Religious Practice, which together account for the majority of the variance in the scale.

• Insecurity with God: Items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 18 load onto this factor.
• Disruption in Religious Practice: Items 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 17 load onto this factor.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory / Psychometric Scale

Format: 18 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from (0) Not at all true to (4) Very definitely true.

Language Available: English (Primary validation language).

Population Group: Adults experiencing significant loss or bereavement.

Age Group: Adult.

Population Details: Individuals who identify as religious or spiritual and are struggling with the aftermath of a major loss, particularly those exhibiting signs of complicated grief.

Test Methodology: Quantitative assessment of spiritual distress and religious coping difficulties related to loss.

Keywords

Insecurity with God, Disruption in Religious Practice, Faith, Spirituality, Grief Assessment, Psychological Measurement, Death Studies, Clinical Psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed to the authors’ affiliated university departments (e.g., University of Memphis).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed and validated in 2014, with subsequent publications detailing its structure in 2015 and 2016. Permissions for clinical use may be required and should be sought directly from the primary authors or the publishers (Routledge for the handbook entry, or MDPI for the journal article).

The instrument is publicly available in several academic publications. The original PDF describing the instrument and its validation can be downloaded here: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/6/67/pdf.

Reference’s

• Burke, L.A., Neimeyer, R.A., Holland, J.M., Dennard, S., Oliver, L., Shear, M.K. (2014). Inventory of complicated spiritual grief: development and validation of a new measure. Death Studies, 38(4):239-50.
• Burke, L. A., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2015). Inventory of Complicated Spritual Grief (ICSG). In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Techniques of grief therapy: Assessment and intervention. New York: Routledge.
• Burke, Laurie A. and Robert Neimeyer, A. (2016). Brief Report The Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief: Assessing Spiritual Crisis Following Loss. Religions, 7, 67; doi:10.3390/rel7060067.

Items of the Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief (ICSG)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Response Options: (0) Not at all true, (1) A little true, (2) Somewhat true, (3) Mostly true, (4) Very definitely true

1. I don’t understand why God has made it so hard for me.
2. I have withdrawn from my fellowship with other believers.
3. I go out of my way to avoid spiritual/ religious activities (e.g., prayer, worship, Bible reading).
4. I no longer feel safe and protected by God.
5. I find that spiritual/religious activities are not very fulfilling (e.g., prayer, worship, Bible reading)
6. I find it impossible to pray.
7. I struggle with accepting how a good God allows bad things to happen.
8. I find it difficult to surrender my life to God.
9. I don’t feel as comforted by church fellowship as I used to.
10. I can’t help feeling angry with God.
11. I don’t feel very much like joining in fellowship to praise God or to glorify Him.
12. The strong guiding light of my faith has grown dim and I feel lost.
13. I’m confused as to why God would let this happen.
14. I have lost my desire to worship.
15. I find it impossible to worship.
16. I feel my loss is unfair.
17. I sense the absence of God more than I do the presence of God.
18. I am a faithful believer, so I don’t understand why God did not protect me.