Lived experiences and opinions of women of sub‐Saharan origin on female genital mutilation: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Aims and objectives This study aimed to describe and understand the lived experiences and opinions of sub‐Saharan women living in Spain in relation to female genital mutilation. Background Female genital mutilation is a bloody procedure with serious consequences for the health of women and girls. Understanding mutilated women's lived experiences plays a crucial role in the management of health consequences and could help healthcare professionals to provide assistance to these women. Design A descriptive phenomenological study was carried out. The COREQ checklist was followed as guidance to write the manuscript. Methods A total of 12 in‐depth interviews were conducted. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using ATLAS.ti 9.0. Results Two themes with four subthemes were identified from the data analysis: 1) ‘The traumatic experience of female circumcision’ with the subthemes ‘Female mutilation is a physical and psychological torture procedure’ and ‘recognising and coping with negative emotions’; 2) ‘The fight for the eradication of female genital mutilation’ which contains the subthemes ‘the need for a real sociocultural change at the origin’ and ‘“I want to be the last”: Personal development leads to sociocultural change’. Conclusions Female genital mutilation was experienced by women as a very aggressive and traumatic event. It causes considerable negative emotions that last over time. Although there is a tendency to reject the practice, in women's countries of origin, there is social pressure for girls to be mutilated. Relevance to clinical practice Caring for women who have suffered from female genital mutilation requires awareness of the traumatic experience they underwent when they were girls. Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in eradicating female genital mutilation. Apart from education, preventive measures may include specific recommendations when girls are travelling to the country of origin and participatory action research.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Irregular Migrant Women: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Data

“…Safe spaces are needed for IMW care in the resettlement phase [38,39]. Many IMW have undergone genital mutilation and need gynaecological check-ups [40] but are discouraged by their perception of healthcare providers' lack of understanding, as well as their unempathetic and threatening attitudes [41]. Service provision models should include prenatal and gynaecological screening, language support, well-defined care pathways, community participation and involvement of healthcare providers [42].…”

Investigating Factors Associated with Migration and Cultural Adaptation in Relation to Change in Attitudes and Behavior towards Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) among Populations from FGM/C-Practicing Countries Living in Western Countries: A Scoping Review

“…The total score (out of 20 possible) categorizes papers as low (0-10), moderate (11)(12)(13), or high quality (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). For quantitative observational cross-sectional studies, the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) checklist was employed, with 20 questions scored similarly, resulting in categorization as low (0-19), moderate (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30), or high quality (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40), based on the overall score [16]. Sixteen studies were classified as being of high methodological quality, and the remaining one was deemed to be of moderate quality; none were rated as poor.…”

“…Study publication dates ranged from 2012 [17] to 2022, with eight studies (47%) published after 2020. These studies varied in sample sizes, ranging from 12 [25] to 2344 [26], although most of the studies had relatively small sample sizes (70.6%) of fewer than 100 participants.…”

“…Studies were conducted in various Western countries, such as Norway [17,20,21,27], The Netherlands [28], Spain [18,25], Italy [29], Sweden [22,23], Belgium [30], Australia [31,32], the United States [19,24], and Canada [33]. One study took place in both Switzerland and Sudan [26].…”

“…The majority of the study populations were both male and female; five studies were only with female participants [18,20,25,30,33] and two studies included only male participants [29,31]. One study focused on young adults of 16 to 22 years old [27], while all remaining studies included participants who were 18 years old and above.…”