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24-Jul-2020
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Arch Hellen Med, 37(4), July-August 2020, 504-514 ORIGINAL PAPER The adjustment and new identity of athletes with prosthetic limbs: A qualitative study A.L. Katsanou,1 F. Anagnostopoulos,1 E. Fragkiadaki2 |
OBJECTIVE Exploration of the experience of engaging in parasports by people with prosthetic limbs.
METHOD The sample consisted of 8 Paralympic athletes. The main inclusion criteria were lower-limb amputation, a prosthetic implant, and professional involvement in sports. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for data analysis.
RESULTS Three super-ordinate themes and seven subthemes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the interview data. The first theme concerned life before and after the amputation, the loss of able-bodiedness, and the establishment of physical disability, with as subthemes the resulting reactions, fears for the future, and the new dynamics and reshaping of interpersonal relationships. The second theme reflected the transition from disability to artificial able-bodiedness, with subthemes of training in the use of the prosthetic limb, ambivalent interaction with the process of prosthesis fitting and embodiment, the related sacrifices, and the beginning of involvement in parasports. The third theme concerned the new identity and new life, as these emerged through joining athletic teams with other people with prosthetic limbs, and the acquisition of the athletic identity. The emergent subtheme was cognitive restructuring, resulting in positive attitudes towards the amputation, the prosthetic limb and participation in parasports.
CONCLUSIONS Sports play a major role in the adjustment of amputees to prosthetic limb use, and their reevaluation of the amputation experience. The loss of a lower limb continued to be an issue for all participants, but maintenance of physical and mental wellbeing, along with athletic achievements, the recognition gained, the public acclaim received and the reputation and social acceptance that parasports provided, helped Paralympic athletes to become reconciled to the amputation and adjust to the use of the prosthetic limb.
Key words: Acquired amputation, Athletic identity, Cognitive adjustment, Interpretative phenomenological analysis, Paralympians.
