Citation: Gori, A.; Topino, E.; Imperatore, P.; Musetti, A.; Sim, J.; Machin, L. Measuring Vulnerability in Grief: The Psychometric Properties of the Italian Adult Attitude to Grief Scale. Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2023, 13, 975–985. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13060074 Academic Editors: María del Mar Molero Jurado, África Martos Martínez, Samuel Fernández-Salinero, Ana Belén Barragán Martín and María del Mar SimónMárquez Received: 21 April 2023 Revised: 19 May 2023 Accepted: 29 May 2023 Published: 4 June 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Article Measuring Vulnerability in Grief: The Psychometric Properties of the Italian Adult Attitude to Grief Scale Alessio Gori 1,2, * , Eleonora Topino 3 , Pierluigi Imperatore 2 , Alessandro Musetti 4 , Julius Sim 5 and Linda Machin 5 1 Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, Pad. 26, 50135 Florence, Italy 2 Integrated Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Institute (IPPI), Via Ricasoli 32, 50122 Florence, Italy; imperatore.pierluigi@gmail.com 3 Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University of Rome, Via della Traspontina 21, 00193 Rome, Italy; eleonora.topino@gmail.com 4 Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy; alessandro.musetti@unipr.it 5 School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK; j.sim@keele.ac.uk (J.S.); l.machin@keele.ac.uk (L.M.) * Correspondence: alessio.gori@unifi.it Abstract: Although experiences of loss and the consequent grief are natural in human life, some indi- viduals may have difficulty managing these events, to the point of developing significant impairment in their functioning in important life areas. Given this, the present research aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Adult Attitude to Grief scale (AAG) to facilitate research on adult vulnerability to grief among Italian-speaking populations. A sample of 367 par- ticipants (M age = 30.44, SD = 11.21; 78% females) participated in this research. A back-translation procedure was implemented to develop the Italian AAG. Then, participants completed the Italian AAG alongside a battery of other self-report psychometric scales in order to assess aspects of the construct validity of the AAG: the Forty-Item Defense Style Questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale—Revised, and the Beck Depression Inventory–II. A bifactor structure was found to have the best fit to the data, supporting the possibility of using both the general factor (i.e., vulnerability) and three dimensions (i.e., overwhelmed, controlled, and resilient). Unlike the original version, the control dimension emerged as a “protective” factor in the Italian population, together with the resilient factor. Furthermore, results provided satisfactory indications of internal consistency and construct validity. In conclusion, the Italian AAG was shown to be a valid, reliable, quick, and easy-to-use scale that can be used both for research and clinical practice in the Italian context. Keywords: adult attitude to grief scale; evaluation methods; grief; psychological testing 1. Introduction Grief can be defined as a “dynamic, pervasive, highly individualized process of responding to a loss”[1] (p. 2003), including, as a source of this state, not only the loss of a valued and beloved person, but also, for example, the loss of work, opportunity, or certain values [2]. Experiences of mourning and emotional pain related to loss are natural in human life as the result of processes of development, maturation, and changes that imply the loss of the status quo [3]. However, although there is a range of socially and culturally accepted pain responses considered normal following negative life events [4,5], some individuals may present pathological and maladaptive responses that may become chronic and per- sistent, leading to an intense condition of malaise that can significantly compromise their functioning in various areas of life [6–8]. In this regard, scientific literature has shown that problematic grief may be associated with both physical and mental illnesses. Indeed, populations with pathological responses to grief showed more cardiovascular problems [9], Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2023, 13, 975–985. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13060074 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ejihpe