MENTAL STATES OF SERVICEMEN WITH LIMB AMPUTATIONS AT THE HOSPITAL STAGE OF RECOVERY: A THEORETICAL REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2217.2025.63.11-15Keywords:
limb amputation, military personnel, mental states, hospital stage, psychological rehabilitationAbstract
B a c k g r o u n d . The article is devoted to the analysis of the mental states of military personnel who have undergone limb amputation as a result of combat operations and are currently at the hospital stage of recovery. The relevance of the topic is determined by the necessity of a holistic approach to rehabilitation, in which mental states not only reflect the reaction to physical trauma but also influence further adaptation, motivation, and the quality of life of the wounded. In scientific discourse, insufficient attention has been paid to the early stage of experiencing amputation, which complicates the development of effective psychological support systems.
M e t h o d s . To achieve the goal, theoretical research methods were employed: analysis, synthesis, comparison, systematization, and generalization. A review of domestic and foreign scientific literature in Ukrainian and English was conducted, focusing on the mental states of individuals with limb amputations, particularly military personnel.
R e s u l t s . The hospital stage of recovery was identified as a critical period for the development of mental states that may potentially evolve into clinical disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD. The most common mental states of servicemen with amputations include acute stress reactions, distress and grief responses, emotional shock, anxiety states, early signs of depression and PTSD, self-stigmatization, existential crisis, and phantom pain. Theoretical positions according to ICD-10, ICD-11, and DSM-5 regarding prodromal mental states were systematically reviewed.
C o n c l u s i o n s . The hospital stage of recovery is essential for the early detection and prevention of mental health disorders arising from amputation trauma. Timely psychological support can reduce the risk of chronic psychological conditions and improve rehabilitation outcomes. The findings of the study are of practical value for the development of psycho-medical support systems for servicemen. However, the proposed mental states are theoretical and require further empirical validation.
Downloads
References
Bhuvaneswar, C. G., Epstein, L. A., & Stern, T. A. (2007). Reactions to amputation: recognition and treatment. Primary Care Companion Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 9(4), 303–308. doi: 10.4088/pcc.v09n0408.
Breslau, N. (2001). The epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder: what is the extent of the problem? The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 62, Suppl 17, 16–22. https://www.psychiatrist.com/pdf/the-epidemiology-ofposttraumatic-stress-disorder-what-is-the-extent-of-the-problem-pdf/
Carroll, K, & Edelstein, J. E. (2006). Prosthetics and patient management: a comprehensive clinical approach. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003526032
Cavanagh, S. R., Shin, L. M., Karamouz, N., & Rauch, S. L. (2006). Psychiatric and emotional sequelae of surgical amputation. Psychosomatics, 47, 459–464. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.47.6.459.
Cheung, E., Alvaro, R., & Colotla, V. A. (2003). Psychological distress in workers with traumatic upper or lower limb amputations following industrial injuries. Rehabilitation Psychology, 48(2), 109–112. https://doi.org/10.1037/0090-5550.48.2.109
Dougherty, P.J. (2003). Long-term follow-up of unilateral transfemoral amputees from the Vietnam war. The Journal of Trauma, 54, 718–723. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.TA.0000046260.16866.A9
Faraji, E., Allami, M., Feizollahi, N., Karimi, A., Yavari, A., & Soroush, M. (2018). Health concerns of veterans with high-level lower extremity amputations. Military Medical Research, 5, 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-018-0183-4
Fitzpatrick, M. C. (1999). The psychologic assessment and psychosocial recovery of the patient with an amputation. Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 361, 98–107. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-199904000-00014.
Horgan, O, & MacLachlan, M. (2004). Psychosocial adjustment to lowerlimb amputation: a review. Disability and rehabilitation, 26, 837–850. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280410001708869.
Jo, S. H., Kang, S. H., Seo, W. S., Koo, B. H., Kim, H. G., & Yun, S. H. (2021). Psychiatric understanding and treatment of patients with amputations. Yeungnam University journal of medicine, 38(3), 194–201. https://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2021.00990
MacBride, A., Rogers, J., Whylie B., & Freeman, S. J. (1980). Psychosocial factors in the rehabilitation of elderly amputees. Psychosomatics, 21, 258–261. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(80)73701-5.
Margoob, M., Khan, A. Y., Gani, N., Majid, A., Mansur, I., Bhat, M. F., Mushtaq, H., Jeelani, H., & Nehra, D. (2008). Prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after Amputation: A Preliminary Study from Kashmir. JK practitioner: a journal of current clinical medicine & surgery, 15(1–4), 5–7.
Marshall, M., Helmes, E., & Deathe, A. (1992). A comparison of psychosocial functioning and personality in amputee and chronic pain populations. The Clinical journal of pain, 8, 351–357. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002508-199212000-00010.
Mitchell, S. L., Hayda, R., Chen, A. T., Carlini, A. R., Ficke, J. R., & MacKenzie, E. J. (2019). The Military Extremity Trauma Amputation/Limb Salvage (METALS) Study: Outcomes of Amputation Compared with Limb Salvage Following Major Upper-Extremity Trauma. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume, 101(16), 1470-–478. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.18.00970
Perkins, Z., De'Ath, H., Sharp, G., & Tai, N. (2012). Factors affecting outcome after traumatic limb amputation. British Journal of Surgery, 99(1), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.7766.
Ramchand, R., Rudavsky, R., Grant, S., Tanielian, T., & Jaycox, L. (2015). Prevalence of, risk factors for, and consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems in military populations deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Current psychiatry reports, 17(5), 37.
Shukla, G. D., Sahu, S. C., Tripathi, R. P., & Gupta, D. K. (1982). A psychiatric study of amputees. The British journal of psychiatry: the journal of mental science, 141, 50–53. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.141.1.50.
Silander, N. C. (2018). Life-changing injuries: psychological intervention throughout the recovery process following traumatic amputations. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 44, 74–78.
Singh, R, Ripley, D, Pentland, B, Todd, I, Hunter, J, Hutton, L, & Philip, A. (2009). Depression and anxiety symptoms after lower limb amputation: the rise and fall. Clinical rehabilitation, 23, 281-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215508094710.
Singh, S., Saini, R., Gandhi, S., Mathur, R., & Sarkar, S. (2024). The prevalence of depression in people following limb amputation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.111677
Talbot, L. A., Brede, E., & Metter, E. J. (2017). Psychological and Physical Health in Military Amputees During Rehabilitation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Military Medicine, 182(5–6), e1619–e1624. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-16-00328.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kateryna Kravchenko, Liliia Zhalenko
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
