Social aspects of amputation among an aging population in urban and rural Victoria

近年来，社会科学家对个人和社会结构因素如何相互关联产生幸福感越来越感兴趣。一个相关的兴趣是社会网络和对慢性病患者的社会支持的作用，使他们能够管理持续的疾病或损伤，过上充实的生活并体验幸福。为了在澳大利亚的背景下探讨这些问题，该项目重点关注因创伤、晚期疾病（如癌症）或慢性疾病并发症（如糖尿病）而截肢的人。这项研究的目的是增加我们对患有特定疾病和健康状况的人如何生活的理解，这些状况对身体形象、自尊、社会关系和社会参与的影响，以及结构、背景和环境因素如何影响个人功能和残疾。通过纳入不同性别、种族、年龄和居住地区的人，该研究关注的是生活环境和社会化（包括性别观念）如何影响结果。这些发现将有助于我们对适应的认识，并为改善对来自不同背景的人的护理提供相关信息。这项研究意义重大，因为在当代工业化社会中，慢性病（相对于传染病）有所增加，特别是在人口老龄化的情况下。这项工作的政策背景是政府希望最大限度地提高老年人和/或慢性病患者的独立性和福祉，同时最大限度地降低经济成本。这项研究对致力于减少对残疾人的歧视和不平等的国际机构和消费者组织也很重要。这项研究将有助于世卫组织对残疾进行分类，并有助于促进和保护残疾人的权利和尊严。

In recent years, social scientists have shown increasing interest in how individual and social structural factors inter-relate to produce wellbeing. An associated interest has been the role of social networks and social support for individuals with chronic disease, enabling them to manage ongoing illness or impairment, live fulfilling lives and experience wellbeing. To explore these issues in an Australian context, this project focuses on people who have had amputations from trauma, advanced disease (e.g. cancer) or complications of chronic disease (e.g. diabetes). The study aims to increase our understanding of how people live with particular diseases and health conditions, the impact of these conditions on body image, self-esteem, social relationships and societal participation, and how structural, contextual and environmental factors affect individual functioning and disability. By including people of different gender, ethnicity, age and area of residence, the study is concerned with how life circumstances and socialization (including ideas of gender) influence outcome. The findings will contribute to our knowledge of adaptation and provide information relevant to improved care for people from different backgrounds. The study is significant because of the increase in chronic disease (relative to infectious disease) in contemporary industrialised societies, particularly with an aging population. The policy context of this work is government interest in maximising the independence and wellbeing of people who are aged and-or with chronic disease, while minimising the economic costs. The research is also significant to international agencies and consumer organisations concerned with reducing discrimination against and inequality of people with impairments. The study will contribute to the WHO classification of disability, and efforts to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.