Introduction
One should note that amputation is a highly traumatic and serious process, which has a long-lasting impact on a person both physically and mentally. The main three psychosocial aspects of the procedure are centered around emotional, social, and behavioral adjustments.
Main body
Firstly, behavioral adjustment is the most visible and impactful since amputation usually involves the removal of one of the limbs. It is stated that “amputation forces individuals to make a major adjustment not only to a change in body image but also to a change in functional capacity” (Falvo, 2017, p. 410). In other words, such a person’s functionality becomes altered severely by the lack of a limb. For example, a leg amputation makes a wheelchair mandatory equipment. Secondly, social adjustments can also be significant because “the physical demands of the job, such as walking, climbing, or pushing, should be evaluated and altered, if necessary” (Falvo, 2017, p. 411). Thirdly, emotional adjustments depend on the causes of amputation, where chronic reasons are less likely to result in emotional trauma, whereas accidental reasons are more likely to do so. It is stated people who underwent amputation due to sudden loss “may have more difficulty with adjustment because they have had inadequate time to prepare for the loss” (Falvo, 2017, p. 410). The main reason is that chronic causes already impose a substantial level of dysfunctionality on a limb, which means that such a person was struggling with movement prior to the procedure.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are three psychosocial factors at play when a person undergoes an amputation procedure, which include behavioral, social, and emotional. The former two are unavoidable due to a hindered ability to move or function, whereas the latter one is dependent on the causes of amputation and individual perception.
Reference
Falvo, D. (2017). Medical and psychosocial aspects of chronic illness and disability. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.