The relationships between body image, self-esteem and quality of life in adults with trauma-related limb loss sustained in the Syrian war

Background

Numerous military soldiers have lost limbs as a result of the Syrian War. While there are variations between trauma-related amputations in military and civilian populations, both scenarios result in life-changing injuries.

Objective

To explore the relationship between body image, self-esteem, and quality of life (QOL) domains following trauma-related major amputation.

It will be the first study in Syria on the correlation between self-esteem and body image. It will help improve our quality of care to meet patient needs and increase well-being, which in turn will help to address body image, self-esteem, and QOL.

Method

A cross-sectional study that recruited 235 soldiers with amputations in two centers and two military hospitals in Latakia and Tartous. Patients were given an 81-item questionnaire that included the Amputee Body-Image Scale (ABIS), the Rosenberg Self-esteem (RSE) scale, the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, and unidimensional pain measures. The ANOVA test, a student's t-test, multiple linear regression, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were utilized for statistical analysis.

Results

There was a strong relationship between body image, self-esteem, and QOL, with the presence of body image concerns significantly associated with lower self-esteem scores and lower QOL scores (p=0.001). Patients with phantom pain sensation had significantly reduced self-esteem (p =0.001), greater body image concerns (p =0.001), and lower scores in all domains of QOL. We found that body image and self-esteem impacted the psychological, social, and environmental domains. After controlling for pain level and number of co-morbid conditions, body image and self-esteem did not predict WHOQOL-BREF scores, with the exception of the environmental domain, where no pain and low self-esteem predicted better environmental domain scores.

Conclusion

Patients' body image and self-esteem were greatly impacted by lower-limb amputations. Additionally, phantom pain further impacted self-esteem, body image, and QOL. The image of the body had a profound effect on psychological, social, and environmental domains, and self-esteem was influenced by almost all aspects of QOL.