Peer-reviewed article
[Psychological Strain due to Female Genital Mutilation: An Explorative Analysis in the Context of Medical Counselling].
Wulfes N, Kröhl N, Strunz C, von Fritschen U, Scherer R et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined the psychological effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in 97 women seeking medical counselling. Over half of the women showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most women sought reconstructive surgery primarily to relieve pain. The study found that women's understanding of their own anatomy and the extent of their mutilation did not match what doctors observed during medical examination.
Key points
- 56.7% of the 97 women examined were suspected to suffer from PTSD
- Pain relief was the most common reason for seeking reconstructive surgery (45.4%)
- Low agreement between women's knowledge of anatomic structures and actual degree of mutilation (κ=0.09)
- Reconstructive surgery can reduce symptoms of FGM
- Women with FGM should receive both surgical and psychotherapeutic support
Limitations
The study does not specify which countries the women were from, limiting understanding of regional context. The document describes an exploratory analysis without a control group and does not evaluate the outcomes of reconstructive surgery or psychotherapy interventions.
Abstract
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure that injures or removes parts of the external female genitals for nonmedical reasons and without the consent of the affected girls. Often this procedure leads to severe consequences for the women's physical and mental health. Reconstructive surgery can reduce these symptoms. In an exploratory study of 97 women seeking medical counselling, characteristics of the sample were analysed descriptively, reasons for reconstructive surgery were examined and agreement between the women's knowledge with the results of the medical examination was assessed. 56.7% (n=55) of the women examined were suspected to suffer from PTSD. Relief of pain was the reason most frequently mentioned for reconstructive surgery (45.4%; n=44). Accordance between women's knowledge of anatomic structures and the degree of mutilation with the results of the medical examination was low (κ=0.09). In addition to surgical measures, women suffering from FGM should be offered psychotherapeutic assistance. To improve the understanding on the effect of psychotherapy after FGM, sound longitudinal studies are indispensable.