Hussein Hamad A, Mirkhan Ahmed H, Fattah Hajimam A, Ali AN, Saber AF. Psychosocial and Sexual Aspects of Female Genital Circumcision in a Sample of Kurdish Women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Cureus 2024;
16:e64881. [PMID:
39156260 PMCID:
PMC11330569 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.64881]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Female genital circumcision (FGC), a prevalent practice in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has significant psychosocial and sexual implications for affected women. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate these impacts among circumcised and non-circumcised Kurdish women.
METHOD
This comparative study was conducted from January 2 to June 27, 2023, at the Al Mesalla for Human Rights Improvement organization in Erbil, Iraq. Purposive sampling was used to collect data using a comprehensive questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale-Short Form (NSSS-S). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), with frequency and percentage used for categorical variables and mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables. Independent sample t-tests and Chi-square tests were conducted to compare groups. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
A total of 772 participants were enrolled in the study, including 382 circumcised and 390 non-circumcised women. The study found significant differences between the two groups in terms of depression, self-esteem, and sexual satisfaction. Circumcised women had higher mean scores for depression (12.19 ± 5.6 vs. 10.68 ± 5.3), lower mean scores for self-esteem (24.4 ± 12.1 vs. 30.3 ± 10.1), and lower mean scores for sexual satisfaction (52.4 ± 24.6 vs. 67.6 ± 20.4) compared to non-circumcised women (all p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated that FGC is associated with higher levels of depression, lower self-esteem, and lower sexual satisfaction among Kurdish women. It is recommended for policymakers and healthcare providers to develop targeted interventions to address the psychosocial and sexual health needs of circumcised women in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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