Using a Psychosocial Transitional Group to Improve Adaptation, Coping and Mental Health Outcomes Following Limb Loss

People with limb loss receiving inpatient rehabilitation are at greater risk for depression and anxiety, social isolation, and generally have poor quality of life. To proactively address the mental health needs of this population, this study plans to test an innovative psychological group therapy program designed for limb loss inpatients to enhance coping skills, address mental health challenges, and better prepare them to integrate back into the community via a randomized blinded feasibility trial. Since this is a novel intervention, adapted specifically for limb loss, this study will test the feasibility of delivering this inpatient group program to these at-risk individuals to see: if they will participate in the program, what they like/do not like about it, and if there are some early findings suggesting it is effective. Researchers will use these results to improve the psychosocial group program and to further test its effectiveness in a larger clinical study.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Amputation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT)

Detailed Description

Lower limb extremity amputation (LEA) is a debilitating event that negatively affects many aspects of an individual's life, such as their mobility, physical and mental health, and ultimately quality of life (QoL). Due to the high rates of diabetes in Canada, the most common type of limb loss is dysvascular due to complications of diabetes/vascular disease.

Compared to other limb loss populations (trauma or tumor), people with dysvascular LEA have been shown to have poorer QoL. Premorbid comorbidities (e.g. coronary heart disease, etc.), and post-morbid complications such as depression, anxiety and chronic pain further impact wellbeing. Sequelae of these issues include impaired body image, and high rates of suicidal ideation. Rates of depression have been found to be as high as 60%; comorbid depression is associated with lower prosthetic use, higher perceived vulnerability, and lower self-rated overall health. Providers, however, often focus efforts on the patients' physical recovery post-LEA and may not adequately address psychosocial functioning.

There is some preliminary evidence on the efficacy of group therapy approaches for limb loss patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation in India, and outpatient rehabilitation in Canada, but findings are limited and may not be fully generalizable to dysvascular LEA.

Hence, the planned innovative intervention will provide clarification on the feasibility of undertaking a larger scale trial to assess the efficacy of an inpatient group therapy approach to address the mental health concerns (i.e., depression and anxiety) and psychosocial needs (i.e. coping skills) of limb loss patients. Based on available knowledge, this would be the first of its kind in Canada.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 25
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M2M 2G1
      • Sunnybrook Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Patient Inclusion Criteria:

• English-speaking adult inpatients (18 years and older)
• Dysvascular-related lower extremity amputation
• Medically stable
• No clinical suspicion of cognitive impairment
• No history of active psychosis or unstable severe mental health diagnosis (no diagnosis of schizophrenia, dementia, etc.)
• Admitted inpatients to St. John's Rehab Hospital (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre).

Patient Exclusion Criteria:

• Actively suicidal
• Unable participate effectively in a group setting
• Non-dysvascular lower extremity amputation
• Non-English-speaking
• Children (under the age of 18)
• Medically unstable
• Clinical suspicion of cognitive impairment
• History of active psychosis or unstable severe mental health diagnosis (diagnosis of schizophrenia, dementia, etc.)

Staff Inclusion Criteria: (Note: Staff will not be part of intervention, but will be asked to share their perspectives on the intervention)

• Clinical staff who work on the inpatient A1 unit at St. John's Rehab (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre)

Staff Exclusion Criteria:

• Casual or contract staff who have worked on the inpatient A1 unit.
• Non-St. John's Rehab Hospital staff

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Supportive-expressive group therapy; The SEGT approach fosters mutual support, promotes openness and emotional expression. SEGT will be delivered and co-facilitated by a psychiatrist and an allied healthcare professional. It is a 6-module program held over a 3-week period (approximately 2 hour sessions X 2 week) that is framed within social cognitive theory, whereby resilience to adversity (limb loss in this instance) relies on personal enablement.	Behavioral: Supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT); The SEGT approach fosters mutual support, promotes openness and emotional expression. SEGT will be delivered and co-facilitated by a psychiatrist and an allied healthcare professional. It is a 6-module program held over a 3-week period (approximately 2 hour sessions X 2 week) that is framed within social cognitive theory, whereby resilience to adversity (limb loss in this instance) relies on personal enablement.
No Intervention: Treatment as usual; The treatment as usual group will receive standard care only (which may include an individual psychiatric consultation).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participant recruitment	Number of participants who are recruited into the study and are contacted for assessments at set time intervals.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year.
Participant retention	Number of participants who complete the 3 month post-discharge assessments	At three months post-discharge for SEGT and control group
Questionnaire completion rates	Number of completed assessments.	At 3 months post-discharge for SEGT and control group.
Treatment adherence	Number of participants who complete all 6 SEGT sessions.	Through study completion, an average of 1 year.
Number of participants contacted for follow up interview	Number of participants contacted for follow up interview	At 1 month-post discharge for SEGT group
Participant retention	Number of participants who complete 1 month post-discharge interview	At one month post-discharge for SEGT group

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Depression and Anxiety	Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: The HADS is a 14-item depression and anxiety screening tool that asks participants to rank the severity of their depression and anxiety symptoms using a 4-point scale (0 to 3). Scores are summed for anxiety items (HADS-A) and for the depression items (HADS-D) with higher scores indicating greater severity of symptoms. The scores are interpreted as normal (range: 0-7), borderline abnormal (range: 8-10), and abnormal (range: 11-21).	A. 24-48 hours before intervention (baseline) B. 48-72 hours after intervention ends (discharge) C.3 months post-discharge
Change in Self-efficacy	Coping Self-Efficacy Scale:The CSES is a measures perceived self-efficacy for coping with challenges and threats. It is a 26-item measure rated using an 11-point scale with the anchors 0 (cannot do at), 5 (moderately certain can do), and 10 (certain can do). Total scores are calculated by summing the item scores and a higher score indicates higher coping self-efficacy.	A. 24-48 hours before intervention (baseline) B. 48-72 hours after intervention ends (discharge) C.3 months post-discharge
Change in Body image	Amputee Body Image Scale-Revised: The ABIS-R is a measure of body image perception in people living with limb loss. The measure consists of 14-items scored using the scale 0 (none of the time), 1 (sometimes), and 2 (most/all of the time). Total scores are obtained by reverse scoring three items and summing the item scores.	A. 24-48 hours before intervention (baseline) B. 48-72 hours after intervention ends (discharge) C.3 months post-discharge
Change in Health-related quality of life	Short Form-36 Survey: The SF-36 is the most widely used generic health-related QoL tool. The tool measures 8 domains including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, bodily pain, general health perceptions, social functioning, general mental health, role limitations due to emotional problems, and vitality. Higher scores on the measure are indicative of less disability.	A. 24-48 hours before intervention (baseline) B. 48-72 hours after intervention ends (discharge) C.3 months post-discharge
Change in Community participation	Reintegration to Normal Living Index: The RNLI assesses involvement in recreational and social activities, perceived ability to move within the community, and the degree of comfort people have with their relationships. The measure consists of 11 statements and participants are asked to rate each statement on a scale from 1 (Does not describe my situation) to 10 (Fully describes my situation). An adjusted score is calculated producing a score range of 0-100.	A. 3 months post-discharge
Psychiatric consultations	# of individual psychiatric consultations	Through study completion, an average of 1 year.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rosalie Steinberg, MSc, MD, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ziegler-Graham K, MacKenzie EJ, Ephraim PL, Travison TG, Brookmeyer R. Estimating the prevalence of limb loss in the United States: 2005 to 2050. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008 Mar;89(3):422-9. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.11.005.
• Bilandzic A, Rosella L. The cost of diabetes in Canada over 10 years: applying attributable health care costs to a diabetes incidence prediction model. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2017 Feb;37(2):49-53. doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.37.2.03.
• Padovani MT, Martins MR, Venancio A, Forni JE. Anxiety, depression and quality of life in individuals with phantom limb pain. Acta Ortop Bras. 2015 Mar-Apr;23(2):107-10. doi: 10.1590/1413-78522015230200990.
• Amtmann D, Morgan SJ, Kim J, Hafner BJ. Health-related profiles of people with lower limb loss. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Aug;96(8):1474-83. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.03.024. Epub 2015 Apr 25.
• Moxey PW, Gogalniceanu P, Hinchliffe RJ, Loftus IM, Jones KJ, Thompson MM, Holt PJ. Lower extremity amputations--a review of global variability in incidence. Diabet Med. 2011 Oct;28(10):1144-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2011.03279.x.
• McDonald S, Sharpe L, Blaszczynski A. The psychosocial impact associated with diabetes-related amputation. Diabet Med. 2014 Nov;31(11):1424-30. doi: 10.1111/dme.12474. Epub 2014 May 24.
• Pezzin LE, Dillingham TR, MacKenzie EJ. Rehabilitation and the long-term outcomes of persons with trauma-related amputations. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2000 Mar;81(3):292-300. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9993(00)90074-1.
• Fortington LV, Dijkstra PU, Bosmans JC, Post WJ, Geertzen JH. Change in health-related quality of life in the first 18 months after lower limb amputation: a prospective, longitudinal study. J Rehabil Med. 2013 Jun;45(6):587-94. doi: 10.2340/16501977-1146.
• Turner AP, Meites TM, Williams RM, Henderson AW, Norvell DC, Hakimi KN, Czerniecki JM. Suicidal ideation among individuals with dysvascular lower extremity amputation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Aug;96(8):1404-10. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.04.001. Epub 2015 Apr 14.
• Fleury AM, Salih SA, Peel NM. Rehabilitation of the older vascular amputee: a review of the literature. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013 Apr;13(2):264-73. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12016. Epub 2012 Dec 26.
• Horgan O, MacLachlan M. Psychosocial adjustment to lower-limb amputation: a review. Disabil Rehabil. 2004 Jul 22-Aug 5;26(14-15):837-50. doi: 10.1080/09638280410001708869.
• Schaffalitzky E, Gallagher P, Maclachlan M, Ryall N. Understanding the benefits of prosthetic prescription: exploring the experiences of practitioners and lower limb prosthetic users. Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(15-16):1314-23. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2010.529234. Epub 2010 Nov 4.
• Srivastava K, Chaudhury S. Rehabilitation after amputation: psychotherapeutic intervention module in Indian scenario. ScientificWorldJournal. 2014 Jan 12;2014:469385. doi: 10.1155/2014/469385. eCollection 2014.
• Delehanty RD, Trachsel L. Effects of short-term group treatment on rehabilitation outcome of adults with amputations. International Journal of Rehabilitation and Health. 1995;1(2):61-73.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 19, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 21, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): December 21, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 14, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): October 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 7, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Feasibility; Limb Loss; Group Intervention
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1517

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No