Common Mental Disorders in Patients Undergoing Lower Limb Amputation: A Population-based Sample

• Published in: World journal of surgery Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 1011 - 1015
• Main Authors: Nunes, Marco Antonio, de Barros, Newton, Miranda, Fausto, Baptista-Silva, José Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.05.2012; Springer‐Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Amputation, Surgical - psychology; Brazil; Cardiac Surgery; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; General Surgery; Health Surveys; Humans; Logistic Models; Lower Extremity; Lower Limb Amputation; Male; Marital Status; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - etiology; Middle Aged; Morbid Condition; Odds Ratio; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Prevalence; Primary Health Care; Psychological Morbidity; Psychosocial Adaptation; Quality of Life; Self Report; Sex Factors; Surgery; Thoracic Surgery; Vascular Surgery; Brazil; Lower Limb Amputation; Primary Health Care; Morbid Condition; Psychological Morbidity; Psychosocial Adaptation
• ISSN: 0364-2313; 1432-2323
• DOI: 10.1007/s00268-012-1493-4

Background Amputations result in a variety of limitations that have emotional consequences for patients. The aim of the present study was evaluate non-psychotic disorders and their associated factors in a sample of people with lower limb amputations. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted that assessed the association of sociodemographic and clinical variables in relation to psychiatric disorders evaluated through the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) for patients undergoing lower limb amputation. The association between the outcome of the SRQ-20 and the other variables was assessed with the chi-square and Student’s t test; to explore the magnitude of association adjusted for covariates, a logistic regression model was developed. Results One hundred-thirty eight (138) patients were interviewed, and a prevalence of 43% (60/138) was observed for patients with mental disorders assessed with the SRQ-20 questionnaire. We also observed that male patients ( p  = 0.017) and those who were married ( p  = 0.035) had a lower rate of psychological problems; those who were not considered independent ( p  = 0.036) and those with a greater number of morbid conditions ( p  = 0.036) showed a higher positivity in relation to psychological morbidity ( p  = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis showed that only the associated chronic diseases ( p  = 0.0328) and lack of independence ( p  = 0.0197) remained significant. Conclusions Given the high prevalence of mental disorders related to the number of associated morbid conditions and to the situation of dependency among lower limb amputees, the psychological and social assessment of these people is recommended, in addition to encouraging their self-care and the return to their activities.