Well-being following amputation: Salutary effects of positive meaning, optimism, and control

This study examined the salutary effects of finding positive meaning in a disabling experience, being an optimist, and perceiving control over disability on two criterion variables of psychological well-being: Depression and self-esteem. A mail-in survey on psychosocial adjustment to limb amputation was completed by 138 persons with amputations. Regression analyses revealed that finding meaning following amputation was linked to lower levels of depressive symptomatology but not to self-esteem. Both dispositional optimism and perceived control over disability were predictive of lower scores on the CES-D depression scale and higher scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, and it is recommended that future research consider salutary effects from a reality negotiation perspective.