Bakhtiar Piroozi1, Cyrus Alinia2, Hossein Safari3, Ali Kazemi-Karyani4, Ghobad Moradi1, Fariba Farhadifar1, Fayegh Yousefi1, Amjad Mohamadi Bolbanabad1, Arian Azadnia5. 1. Social Determinants of Health Research Centre, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. 2. Reproductive Health Research Centre, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. 3. Social Determinants of Health Research Centre, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 4. School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. 5. Student Research Committee, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract
Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the mental health status of women with female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and compare it with that of a similar group of women without FGM/C. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in 2018 among 122 women with FGM/C and 125 women without FGM/C who had been referred to one of the general health service centres in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to collect data on participants' mental health. A multivariate logistic model with odds ratios (ORs) was used to determine the relationship of independent variables with the outcome variable, mental health status. Results: The mean age of the FGM/C and control groups was 35.7 (standard deviation [SD] 8.6) and 31.3 (SD 7.2) years, respectively. According to the GHQ-28 questionnaire, 65.6% (n = 80) of the FGM/C group and 52% (n = 65) of the control group had symptoms of a mental health disorder; the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = .03). The prevalence of severe depression in the FGM/C group was significantly higher than in the control group (p = .021). Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a history of FGM/C (adjusted OR 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05, 3.05) and being in employment (adjusted OR 3.46; 95% CI 1.23, 9.74) had a significant effect on presentation with symptoms of a mental health disorder (p < .05). Conclusion: Women who suffer from FGM/C are more vulnerable to mental health disorders such as depression.
Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the mental health status of women with female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and compare it with that of a similar group of women without FGM/C. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in 2018 among 122 women with FGM/C and 125 women without FGM/C who had been referred to one of the general health service centres in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to collect data on participants' mental health. A multivariate logistic model with odds ratios (ORs) was used to determine the relationship of independent variables with the outcome variable, mental health status. Results: The mean age of the FGM/C and control groups was 35.7 (standard deviation [SD] 8.6) and 31.3 (SD 7.2) years, respectively. According to the GHQ-28 questionnaire, 65.6% (n = 80) of the FGM/C group and 52% (n = 65) of the control group had symptoms of a mental health disorder; the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = .03). The prevalence of severe depression in the FGM/C group was significantly higher than in the control group (p = .021). Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a history of FGM/C (adjusted OR 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05, 3.05) and being in employment (adjusted OR 3.46; 95% CI 1.23, 9.74) had a significant effect on presentation with symptoms of a mental health disorder (p < .05). Conclusion:Women who suffer from FGM/C are more vulnerable to mental health disorders such as depression.
Entities:
Keywords:
Female genital mutilation; Iran; mental health; women's health