Ambiguous Loss Inventory Plus (ALI+)
Name:
Date:
Gender:Date of birth:
Country of birth:
Years of education:

Instruction:
This questionnaire contains three parts.
In Part 1, asks you about the loss of loved ones due to death or disappearance
Part 2 asks you about separation distress reactions you may experience due to the most distressing
disappearance of a loved one.
In Part 3, asks you about general psychological reactions you may experience due to the mostdistressing disappearance of a loved one.

Part 1: Losses

In this part you are asked to:1)
Indicate whether or not you have experienced the death or disappearance of the personmentioned.
2)
Write down the date that each person died or disappeared.
3)
If the person died, please indicate if the person died due to violent causes (by which wemean death due to homicide, suicide, or some forcible cause).
(1) I have been confronted with the death ordisappearance of:
Deceased(2) Date of death or (3) Death was due todisappearance:
violent causes:

Disappeared

Yes

Partner 1
Partner 2
Child 1Child 2Child 3
FatherMother
Brother 1
Brother 2© Hannah Comtesse, Sophie M.C. Hengst, Simone M. de la Rie, Clare Killikelly, Lonneke I.M. Lenferink,
Paul A. Boelen, Geert E. Smid1

Brother 3
Sister 1
Sister 2
Sister 3
Friend/ acquaintance
1, namely…
Friend/ acquaintance
2, namely…
Friend/ acquaintance
3, namely…
Other relative 1,
namely …
Other relative 1,
namely …
Other relative 1,
namely …
From all the persons who disappeared, as listed in Part 1, please select one person whose
disappearance is currently most often on your mind or causing you the most distress. Write down
the name of this person below and answer the following questions.
The missing person that is currently most often on my mind is:__________________________________________________________________•

What gender is the person?
femalemaleother•

How old was the person when he/she disappeared?
___________________________ years old•

What were the circumstances of the person's disappearance ?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________•

When did the person disappear?
less than 6 months ago
6 to 12 months ago
1 to 5 years ago
5 to 10 years ago
10 to 20 years ago
more than 20 years ago© Hannah Comtesse, Sophie M.C. Hengst, Simone M. de la Rie, Clare Killikelly, Lonneke I.M. Lenferink,
Paul A. Boelen, Geert E. Smid2

Part 2: Separation distress related to the disappearance
Below, several separation distress reactions are listed. Please indicate how often you haveexperienced each of these reactions due to the disappearance of the person named above in thepast month.
In the past month, how often have you
experienced …
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

16

17

intrusive thoughts or images related tothe person who disappeared
intense emotional pain and sorrow
longing or yearning for the person whodisappeared
avoidance of places, objects, or thoughtsthat reminded you that the person
disappeared
bitterness or anger related to his/her
disappearance
difficulty reengaging with everyday life
activities (e.g., making new friends,
pursuing new interests)
feeling emotionally numblife is unfulfilling or meaningless without
him/her
impairment in social, work, or domestic
functioning because of his/her
disappearance
negative thoughts about yourself in
relation to the disappearance (e.g.,thoughts about self-blame)
feeling alone or detached from otherindividuals
feeling it is unreal that he/she
disappeared
blaming others because of his/her
disappearance
a part of you is gone along with theperson who disappeared
difficulties experiencing positive feelings
your reaction to the disappearance isworse (e.g., more intense, severe and/orof longer duration) than for others in asimilar situation from your community orculture
preoccupation with thoughts or images
related to the person or disappearance?

Not at all

RarelySometimes

OftenAlways

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

12345

12

345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345© Hannah Comtesse, Sophie M.C. Hengst, Simone M. de la Rie, Clare Killikelly, Lonneke I.M. Lenferink,Paul A. Boelen, Geert E. Smid3

Part 3: General psychological reactions to the disappearance
Please indicate how often in the past month you have experienced the reactions listed below due tothe disappearance of the person.
In the past month, how often have you
experienced …

Not at all

RarelySometimes

Often

Always

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

1

preoccupation with the circumstances
under which he/she disappeared

1

2

3

4

5

2

the urge to search for him/her

1

2

3

4

5

3

worry about where he/she currently
might be

1

2

3

4

5

4

hope that he/she is still alive

1

2

3

4

5

5

feeling that you can only move on withyour life if you know what happened tohim/her

1

2

3

4

5

6

disagreements with others on how to deal
with his/her disappearance

12

345

1

2

3

45

1

2

345

8

distress because you cannot do more forhim/her
distress because of the absence of proper
ceremonies or rituals (e.g., funeral)9

feeling no longer able to bear theuncertainty of what happened to him/her

1

2

3

4

5

avoiding talking about his/her
10 disappearance because it upsets you toomuch

1

2

3

4

5

feeling like betraying him/her when you
11 move on with your life

1

2

3

45

difficulty accepting that you might never
12 know what happened to him/her

12345

lack of emotional and/or practical support
in dealing with his/her disappearance

12345

confusion about your current role in life
14 because of his/her disappearance

123

45

negative attitudes from other people
15 because of his/her disappearance

123

4

5

713

© Hannah Comtesse, Sophie M.C. Hengst, Simone M. de la Rie, Clare Killikelly, Lonneke I.M. Lenferink,Paul A. Boelen, Geert E. Smid4