SynthesisBMJ global health2019
Is female genital mutilation/cutting associated with adverse mental health consequences? A systematic review of the evidence.
Synthesis in BMJ global health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06027281 (Psychiatric, Social and Sexual Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation on Married Women), which is not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Psychiatric, Social and Sexual Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation on Married Women
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Unexplored avenues: a narrative review of cognition and mood in postmenopausal African women with female genital circumcision/mutilation/cutting.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Pooled it
- Views of female genital mutilation survivors, men and health-care professionals on timing of deinfibulation surgery and NHS service provision: qualitative FGM Sister Study.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Painful gynecologic and obstetric complications of female genital mutilation/cutting: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Article
- Mental health outcomes and post-traumatic stress disorder associated with female genital mutilation.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The 10-Step Cross-cultural Equivalence Process for Developing Measures for Culturally Informed Research.Journal of participatory research methods · 2025Article
- Cultural Norm Transmission/Disruption amongst Somali Refugee Women: The Beauty and Privilege of Intergenerational Relationships.Social sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Attitudes towards and health consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting: A qualitative study among Somali and Kurdish immigrants and descendants in Denmark.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2024Article
- "A part of my life". A qualitative study about perceptions of female genital mutilation and experiences of healthcare among affected women residing in Sweden.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Daughter circumcision and maternal life satisfaction: a cultural moderation effect revealed across two multicountry studies.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Article
- Estimating excess mortality due to female genital mutilation.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Prevalence and drivers of female genital mutilation/cutting in three coastal governorates in Yemen.BMC public health · 2023Article
- My Body, My Culture: Understanding Body Image Concerns Among West African Immigrant Women.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2023Article
- Mental Health Disorders in Circumcised Reproductive-age Women, Legal Dimensions and Prevention Strategies: A Narrative Review.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2023Review
- Post-traumatic stress disorder among Iranian women with genital mutilation: a cross-sectional study.Reproductive health · 2023Article
- Attitudes and Experiences Surrounding Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the United States: A Scoping Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2023Article
- Influence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting on Health Morbidity, Health Service Utilization and Satisfaction with Care among Somali Women and Teenage Girls in the United States.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2023Article
- Use of machine learning methods to understand discussions of female genital mutilation/cutting on social media.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Serious life events and associated PTSD in Gambian girls exposed to female genital cutting.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe adverse physical consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) have been thoroughly investigated and documented. Yet, we know little about the adverse mental health consequences of the practice. To fill this research gap, we systematically reviewed studies that assessed any adverse mental health consequences related to FGM/C.
methodsWe searched four databases from inception to 21 December 2018. We then reviewed all titles and abstracts for relevant studies. We used the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool to appraise the quality of each study and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to rate the risk of bias within studies.
resultsWe included 16 studies in this review; only six studies examined the association between FGM/C and adverse mental health outcomes as the sole research question. Among the included studies, 10 were conducted at the participants' country of origin. The sample size of the populations studied ranged from 3 to 4800 participants. Only one study received a rating of 'good' methodological quality.Fourteen of the 16 studies reported an association between FGM/C and at least adverse mental health outcome. These included eight studies that reported a higher burden of adverse mental health outcomes among women who underwent FGM compared with women who did not undergo FGM/C. Four studies reported a correlation between the severity of FGM/C and the severity of adverse mental health outcomes.
conclusionThis systematic review documents an association between FGM/C and adverse mental health outcomes. Importantly, our review demonstrates the need for more rigorous research on the topic.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.