Post-traumatic stress disorder among Iranian women with genital mutilation: a cross-sectional study

Female Genital Mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is prevalent in the south and west regions of Iran. Raising awareness on the consequences of FGM/C is essential for its prevention. In some societies, FGM/C triggers post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a disorder resulting from an abnormal response to a traumatic event. It is the first research in Iran on PTSD following FGM/C. Our study was conducted among 155 women with genital mutilation referred to the health centers in Mahabad, located in west of Iran from October 2020 to April 2021. The participants were selected using convenience sampling method. The participants were examined for type of genital mutilation and asked to fill post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL5). All 155 women (100%) had type 1 genital mutilation and six women (3.9%) had PTSD. The mean (SD) score of the PTSD symptoms was 27.73 (6.79), ranging from 0 to 80. The PTSD symptoms enhanced by increasing age at FGM/C and decreasing socio-economic levels.