ArticleHeliyon2020
Neonatal male circumcision is associated with altered adult socio-affective processing.
Article in Heliyon, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Critical evaluation of contrasting evidence on whether male circumcision has adverse psychological effects: A systematic review.Journal of evidence-based medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Does the evidence support circumcision of infant males in the United Kingdom?-a systematic review.Translational andrology and urology · 2026Review
- Immunogenicity and Integration of a Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-Based Scaffold for the Reconstruction of Human Foreskin: A Preclinical Animal Study.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Parents' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding childhood circumcision: a cross-sectional study in the central region of Sichuan, China.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Parental participation in neonatal heel lance pain management.Translational pediatrics · 2024Article
- Neonatal Male Circumcision: Clearly Beneficial for Public Health or an Ethical Dilemma? A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- Newspaper Coverage of Violence Related to Initiation and Traditional Male Circumcision in South Africa.Archives of sexual behavior · 2023Article
- Psychological, psychosocial, and psychosexual aspects of penile circumcision.International journal of impotence research · 2023Review
- Is it time for a time-out? Progress versus politics in studying the psychosexual implications of penile circumcision.International journal of impotence research · 2023Article
- Potentially under-recognized late-stage physical and psychosexual complications of non-therapeutic neonatal penile circumcision: a qualitative and quantitative analysis of self-reports from an online community forum.International journal of impotence research · 2023Review
- Foreskin restorers: insights into motivations, successes, challenges, and experiences with medical and mental health professionals - An abridged summary of key findings.International journal of impotence research · 2023Article
- Non-therapeutic male circumcision in infancy or childhood and risk of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections: national cohort study in Denmark.European journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeonatal male circumcision is a painful skin-breaking procedure that may affect infant physiological and behavioral stress responses as well as mother-infant interaction. Due to the plasticity of the developing nociceptive system, neonatal pain might carry long-term consequences on adult behavior. In this study, we examined whether infant male circumcision is associated with long-term psychological effects on adult socio-affective processing.
methodsWe recruited 408 men circumcised within the first month of life and 211 non-circumcised men and measured socio-affective behaviors and stress via a battery of validated psychometric scales.
resultsEarly-circumcised men reported lower attachment security and lower emotional stability while no differences in empathy or trust were found. Early circumcision was also associated with stronger sexual drive and less restricted socio-sexuality along with higher perceived stress and sensation seeking. LIMITATIONS: This is a cross-sectional study relying on self-reported measures from a US population.
conclusionsOur findings resonate with the existing literature suggesting links between altered emotional processing in circumcised men and neonatal stress. Consistent with longitudinal studies on infant attachment, early circumcision might have an impact on adult socio-affective traits or behavior.
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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.