Dean, College of Health Professions, Pace University, 163 William St., 5th Floor, New York, NY, 10038, USA.
Professor of Sociology and Women's & Gender Studies, Quinnipiac University, 275 Mt. Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT, 06518, USA.
Int J Impot Res. 2023 May;35(3):242-248. doi: 10.1038/s41443-022-00553-9. Epub 2022 Mar 28.
Policy statements on penile circumcision have focused primarily on disease, dysfunction, or sensation, with relatively little consideration of psychological and psychosocial implications of the procedure. There has also been minimal consideration of potential qualitative changes in the subjective experience of sexual activity following changes in penile anatomy (foreskin removal) or associated sexual biomechanics. We present a critical overview of literature on the psychological, psychosocial, and psychosexual implications of penile circumcision. We give consideration to differences among circumcisions performed in infancy, childhood, or adulthood. We also discuss potential psychosocial effects on parents electing, or failing to elect, circumcision for their children. We propose a framework for policy considerations and future research, recognizing that cultural context is particularly salient for the narratives individuals construct around penile circumcision, including both affected individuals and medical professionals who perform the surgeries. We argue that additional attention should be paid to the potential for long-term effects of the procedure that may not be properly considered when the patient is an infant or child.
关于阴茎环切术的政策声明主要集中在疾病、功能障碍或感觉上，相对较少考虑该手术的心理和社会心理影响。对于阴茎解剖结构（包皮切除）或相关性生物力学变化后，性活动的主观体验可能发生的潜在定性变化，也几乎没有考虑。我们对阴茎环切术的心理、社会心理和性心理影响的文献进行了批判性综述。我们考虑了在婴儿期、儿童期或成年期进行的环切术之间的差异。我们还讨论了父母为孩子选择或不选择环切术的潜在社会心理影响。我们提出了一个政策考虑和未来研究的框架，认识到文化背景对于个人围绕阴茎环切术构建的叙述特别重要，包括受影响的个人和进行手术的医疗专业人员。我们认为，当患者是婴儿或儿童时，应该更加关注该手术的潜在长期影响，而这些影响可能没有得到适当考虑。
