Peer-reviewed article
Attitudes of mothers to male circumcision in North-East Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional study.
Vanessa Dochynets, Angela E Schellenberg, Philip Wood ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 63 mothers in North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo about their attitudes towards male circumcision for their sons. Mothers reported that circumcision is a social norm in their community, with most planning the procedure around age 2-3 years rather than in the newborn period. Only about 13% of mothers mentioned HIV or sexually transmitted infection prevention as a reason for circumcision, while the majority cited cultural tradition and beliefs about pain tolerance. The researchers recommend educating parents about optimal timing to reduce surgical risks and improve health outcomes.
Key points
- All 63 mothers interviewed had circumcised or planned to circumcise their sons, with circumcision occurring at a mean age of 2.5 years
- The primary motivation for circumcision was adherence to social norms, cited by most mothers
- Only 12.7% of mothers mentioned HIV or sexually transmitted infection prevention as a reason for circumcision
- Mothers commonly cited belief that older children have greater strength and pain tolerance to undergo surgery (34.9% and 27.0% respectively)
- Few mothers planned circumcision during the newborn period when health benefits are maximized and surgical risks are lower
Limitations
This is a small cross-sectional study of only 63 mothers in one city, so findings may not represent broader attitudes across the DRC or other regions. The study captures stated attitudes and practices at one point in time and does not explain the underlying cultural or historical reasons for circumcision practices or measure actual health outcomes.
Abstract
Male circumcision is an accepted HIV prevention measure in high-incidence countries and is now part of global HIV prevention programs. We interviewed 63 mothers at four major hospitals in Bunia, North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between February and March 2014, about their circumcision practices for their sons, including reasons and timing. All participants indicated that their son's father was circumcised and that they have or will circumcise their son. The most common reason given was adherence to social norms. Only 12.7% mentioned prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The mean age of circumcision was 2.5 ± 1.8 years, with reasons including greater strength to tolerate surgery (34.9%) and better pain tolerance (27.0%). All responses were recorded, entered into Microsoft Excel, and analyzed to calculate the mean, average, and standard deviation statistics. Few mothers planned circumcision in the newborn period. These findings suggest that circumcision in the DRC is culturally driven rather than motivated by HIV prevention and typically occurs after the newborn period. Parental education on optimal timing is needed to reduce surgical risks and maximize health benefits.