The Psychological Perspective of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) Among Women in Kenya

Despite two decades of legal prohibition, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) remains entrenched in several Kenyan highland counties and is increasingly recognised as a public mental health issue, not merely a surgical event. Lived experience interviews with 39 adult women in Tharaka-Nithi County (2020) documented the practice’s psychological sequelae. Inductive coding isolated four intersecting impact areas: (1) traumatic recall, reported by 33 participants as flashbacks, nightmares, or sensory intrusions tied to the cutting event; (2) depressive withdrawal, described by 31 as chronic sadness, reduced self-worth, and social disengagement; (3) persistent anxiety, with 29 expressing anticipatory fear around childbirth, medical examinations, or community scrutiny; and (4) stigma-driven social limitation, where 28 cited diminished mobility, economic loss, or reluctance to seek care following disclosure. Only five women regarded the ritual as culturally affirming; most narrated ongoing tension between public belonging and private distress. Three service priorities emerged: (a) embed a brief trauma screen and referral protocol into all reproductive health visits; (b) equip sub-county facilities with trained female psychological counsellors able to coordinate counselling across departments; and (c) centre prevention messaging in survivor-led chama [a Swahili word, meaning society or organisation] forums and elder declarations, rather than relying on abstract clinical warnings. Women’s testimonies advance psychological understanding of FGM/C and offer practical, rights-based entry points for service design in Kenya and comparable high-prevalence settings.