Lower-limb loss can result in a multitude of issues, including an altered body image, leading to changes in self-esteem, mental health, and quality of life. As a result, researchers conducted a scoping review to explore how body image has been evaluated among people with lower-limb loss.
Researchers searched five databases—Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, CINHAL, and Nursing and Allied Health Database—from inception until March 19, 2023; inclusion criteria included people with lower-limb loss; evaluated a body image outcome or theme; and a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods design.
Twenty-four quantitative (19 cross-sectional, three intervention cohort, and two prospective cohort), two qualitative, and one mixed methods design studies were included in the review. The researchers found that the definition of body image varied across studies, with 59 percent of studies not reporting a conceptual or theoretical definition. People with lower-limb amputations perceived a more negative body image compared to control groups. In prospective cohort studies, changes in body image over time were inconclusive.
Definitions and understanding of body image changed over time and varied among studies, which may impact introducing interventions to promote positive body image during rehabilitation and beyond.
To better support the psychological adjustment of people with lower-limb amputations in rehabilitation programs and beyond, clinicians and researchers should evaluate body image at multiple time points (e.g., admission and discharge to rehabilitation, follow-up) using an outcome measure that asks about body image with and without a prosthesis, the research team suggested.
