Paper Title
RELIABILITY AND FACTORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE SPANISH VERSION OF THE CAREGIVER GRIEF SCALE (CGS)

Abstract
Anticipatory grief (AG) is the emotional response to the potential loss of a loved one or oneself. In family caregivers of people with dementia, AG manifests as emotional and physical distress due to the progressive loss experienced before the actual death. Assessing AG is essential for early detection and intervention to minimize its impact on caregivers' health and quality of life. However, there is a lack of validated assessment tools for the Spanish-speaking population. Method - This study aimed to analyze the reliability and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Caregiver Grief Scale (CGS), an 11-item instrument assessing AG through four dimensions: Emotional Pain, Relational Loss, Absolute Loss, and Acceptance of Loss. A sample of 120 family caregivers from dementia associations in Alicante participated (female 74.1%; age mean: 59.7). The CGS and sociodemographic questionnaire were used for assessment. The research process began with the project’s presentation to the Ethics Committee of the University of Alicante, followed by meetings with dementia care centers in Alicante province and an informational meeting with interested family members to obtain informed consent. Results - A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the original four-factor model. Initially, the model showed poor fit (χ² = 125; df = 38; p < .005, RMSEA = .125). However, after introducing the correlation of errors between items 4 and 6 (belonging to Factor 2) and items 7 and 8 (belonging to Factor 3), the model achieved an adequate fit (χ² = 61.8; df = 36; p = .005, RMSEA = .069). High correlations among factors (.606–.984) led to testing a second-order model, which also had an acceptable fit. Internal consistency, measured by omega coefficients, was adequate for most subscales (Emotional Pain = .70, Relational Loss = .89, Absolute Loss = .85) but lower for Acceptance of Loss (.64). Conclusions - The Spanish CGS demonstrates good psychometric properties for assessing AG in caregivers of dementia patients. Identifying AG early is crucial for developing interventions to reduce its negative effects on caregivers' health and well-being. Keywords - Anticipatort Grief; Family Caregiver; Person With Dementia; Caregiver Grief Scale; Factor Analysys; Reliability.