| Peer-Reviewed

Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health

Received: 14 May 2017     Accepted: 24 May 2017     Published: 10 July 2017
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Female genital mutilation / cutting is a damaging traditional procedure, that affects the psychosomatic wellbeing of women and girls all over the world. It has short-term and long-term of psychological, sexual and physiological effects on women. The objective of current study was to measure the mental health of circumcised women and compare them with non-circumcised women in Kurdistan province of Iran. A total number of 208 married women (104 circumcised-women and 104 non-circumcised-women) those who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services in Kurdistan province of Iran, were selected as the population of study. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was administered among the participants for data gathering. Gathered Data was analyzed using the soft-ware package of SPSS version 23 by utilizing independent t-test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The findings indicated that there was a major difference in the term of mental well-being between two groups of circumcised and non-circumcised women. The study concluded that circumcised women lose the pleasure of their life as a consequence of female genital mutilation/ cutting. Awareness about mental and psychical status of circumcised women could help them to be prevented from FGM/C procedures.

Published in International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13
Page(s) 100-105
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Genital Mutilation, Genital Cutting, Mental Health, Psychological Consequence, Women

References
[1] Biglu M-H, Farnam A, Abotalebi P, Biglu S, Ghavami M. Effect of female genital mutilation/cutting on sexual functions. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare. 2016.
[2] Caroppo E, Almadori A, Giannuzzi V, Brogna P, Diodati A, Bria P. Health care for immigrant women in Italy: are we really ready? A survey on knowledge about female genital mutilation. Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanità. 2014; 50 (1): 49-53.
[3] Organization WH, UNICEF. Female genital mutilation: a joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA statement. World Health Organization; 1997.
[4] Organization WH. Female genital mutilation: report of a WHO technical working group, Geneva, 17-19 July 1995. 1996.
[5] Wadesango N, Rembe S, Chabaya O. Violation of women’s rights by harmful traditional practices. Anthropologist. 2011; 13 (2): 121-129.
[6] Mandara MU. Female genital mutilation in Nigeria. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2004; 84 (3): 291-298.
[7] Ceesay H. Female genital mutilation/cutting in The Gambia: long-term health consequences and complications during delivery and for the newborn. International journal of women's health. 2013; 5: 323-331.
[8] WHO. Female genital mutilation and obstetric outcome: WHO collaborative prospective study in six African countries. The Lancet. 2006; 367 (9525): 1835-1841.
[9] Lax RF. Socially sanctioned violence against women: Female genital mutilation is its most brutal form. Clinical Social Work Journal. 2000; 28 (4): 403-412.
[10] Rahimi A, Ardalan A, Felah A, Majlessi F, Pashaei T. Related factors of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ravansar (Iran). Journal of Womens Health Care. 2012; 2012.
[11] Berg RC, Denison E. A tradition in transition: factors perpetuating and hindering the continuance of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) summarized in a systematic review. Health care for women international. 2013; 34 (10): 837-859.
[12] Isman E, Mahmoud Warsame A, Johansson A, Fried S, Berggren V. Midwives' experiences in providing care and counselling to women with female genital mutilation (FGM) related problems. Obstetrics and gynecology international. 2013; 2013.
[13] Organization WH. An update on WHO's work on female genital mutilation (FGM): Progress report. 2011.
[14] Masterson JM, Swanson JH. Female genital cutting: breaking the silence enabling change. 2000.
[15] Hayes RO. Female genital mutilation, fertility control, women's roles, and the patrilineage in modern Sudan: a functional analysis. American Ethnologist. 1975; 2 (4): 617-633.
[16] WHO. Female genital mutilation: Information kit. 1999.
[17] Behrendt A, Moritz S. Posttraumatic stress disorder and memory problems after female genital mutilation. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2005;162 (5): 1000-1002.
[18] Hernlund Y, Shell-Duncan B. Transcultural positions: negotiating rights and culture. Transcultural bodies: Female genital cutting in global context. 2007: 1-45.
[19] Berg RC, Denison EM-L, Fretheim A. Psychological, social and sexual consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C): a systematic review of quantitative studies. 2010.
[20] Chibber R, El-Saleh E, El Harmi J. Female circumcision: obstetrical and psychological sequelae continues unabated in the 21st century. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. 2011; 24 (6): 833-836.
[21] Applebaum J, Cohen H, Matar M, Abu Rabia Y, Kaplan Z. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after ritual female genital surgery among Bedouin in Israel: Myth or reality. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2008; 10 (6): 453-456.
[22] Kurdistan, Cardle of Iranian Civilization 2015; http://en.farsnews.com/print.aspx? nn=13931227000305.
[23] Goldberg DP. The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire: A technique for the identification and assessment of non-psychotic psychiatric illness. 1972.
[24] Jackson C. The general health questionnaire. Occupational medicine. 2007; 57 (1): 79-79.
[25] Noorbala, A. A., & Mohammad, K. (2009). The validation of general health questionnaire-28 as a psychiatric screening tool. Hakim Research Journal, 11 (4), 47-53. Available at: http://www.sid.ir/fa/VEWSSID/J_pdf/57113870408.pdf
[26] Kandala N-B, Nwakeze N, Kandala SNI. Spatial distribution of female genital mutilation in Nigeria. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2009; 81 (5): 784-792.
[27] Organization WH. Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An interagency statement–OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA. UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO, WHO, Geneva; 2008.
[28] Tag-Eldin MA, Gadallah MA, Al-Tayeb MN, Abdel-Aty M, Mansour E, Sallem M. Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2008; 86 (4): 269-274.
[29] Robinson B. Debates about FGM in Africa, the Middle East & Far East. Religious Tolerance, http://www. religioustolerance. org/fem_cirm. htm. 1998.
[30] Jones SD, Ehiri J, Anyanwu E. Female genital mutilation in developing countries: an agenda for public health response. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2004; 116 (2): 144-151.
[31] Tag-Eldin MA, Gadallah MA, Al-Tayeb MN, Abdel-Aty M, Mansour E, Sallem M. Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2008; 86 (4): 269-274.
[32] El Saadawi N. The hidden face of Eve: Women in the Arab world. Zed Books; 2007.
[33] UNICEF. Female genital mutilation/cutting: a statistical exploration 2005. UNICEF; 2005.
[34] Dorkenoo E. Cutting the rose: female genital mutilation: the practice and its prevention. 1994.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Mohammad-Hossein Biglu, Alireza Farnam, Parvaneh Abotalebi. (2017). Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health. International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 2(4), 100-105. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Mohammad-Hossein Biglu; Alireza Farnam; Parvaneh Abotalebi. Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health. Int. J. Psychol. Brain Sci. 2017, 2(4), 100-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Mohammad-Hossein Biglu, Alireza Farnam, Parvaneh Abotalebi. Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health. Int J Psychol Brain Sci. 2017;2(4):100-105. doi: 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13,
      author = {Mohammad-Hossein Biglu and Alireza Farnam and Parvaneh Abotalebi},
      title = {Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health},
      journal = {International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences},
      volume = {2},
      number = {4},
      pages = {100-105},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijpbs.20170204.13},
      abstract = {Female genital mutilation / cutting is a damaging traditional procedure, that affects the psychosomatic wellbeing of women and girls all over the world. It has short-term and long-term of psychological, sexual and physiological effects on women. The objective of current study was to measure the mental health of circumcised women and compare them with non-circumcised women in Kurdistan province of Iran. A total number of 208 married women (104 circumcised-women and 104 non-circumcised-women) those who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services in Kurdistan province of Iran, were selected as the population of study. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was administered among the participants for data gathering. Gathered Data was analyzed using the soft-ware package of SPSS version 23 by utilizing independent t-test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The findings indicated that there was a major difference in the term of mental well-being between two groups of circumcised and non-circumcised women. The study concluded that circumcised women lose the pleasure of their life as a consequence of female genital mutilation/ cutting. Awareness about mental and psychical status of circumcised women could help them to be prevented from FGM/C procedures.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Impact of Women Circumcision on Mental Health
    AU  - Mohammad-Hossein Biglu
    AU  - Alireza Farnam
    AU  - Parvaneh Abotalebi
    Y1  - 2017/07/10
    PY  - 2017
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13
    T2  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
    JF  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
    JO  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
    SP  - 100
    EP  - 105
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1573
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20170204.13
    AB  - Female genital mutilation / cutting is a damaging traditional procedure, that affects the psychosomatic wellbeing of women and girls all over the world. It has short-term and long-term of psychological, sexual and physiological effects on women. The objective of current study was to measure the mental health of circumcised women and compare them with non-circumcised women in Kurdistan province of Iran. A total number of 208 married women (104 circumcised-women and 104 non-circumcised-women) those who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery, or family planning services in Kurdistan province of Iran, were selected as the population of study. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was administered among the participants for data gathering. Gathered Data was analyzed using the soft-ware package of SPSS version 23 by utilizing independent t-test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The findings indicated that there was a major difference in the term of mental well-being between two groups of circumcised and non-circumcised women. The study concluded that circumcised women lose the pleasure of their life as a consequence of female genital mutilation/ cutting. Awareness about mental and psychical status of circumcised women could help them to be prevented from FGM/C procedures.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Clinical Psychology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

  • Department of Clinical Psychology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

  • Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

  • Sections