5. Measurement of the sexual health and wellbeing of women who have undergone female genital mutilation: A scoping review

Purpose The purpose of this study was to perform a scoping review to identify validated instruments used to measure sexual health and wellbeing among women who have undergone FGM/C and assess their strengths and limitations. Method A systematic search of several databases and search engines retrieved studies that described measures of sexual health and wellbeing among women who have undergone FGM/C and their validation studies retrieved. Measurement properties were evaluated and entered into evidence tables. Results The search retrieved 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria with a total of 13 measurement instruments identified for evaluation. Important thematic deficiencies were identified such as a lack of: input from the target population during instrument development, consideration of literacy levels required for the target population to adequately respond to the items, description on handling of missing responses, and limited use of multiple subscales that assess different aspects of sexual health and wellbeing. Conclusions Results underscore the need to develop and (re)validate instruments that can be used to evaluate the sexual health and wellbeing of women who have undergone FGM/C evaluating broader aspects of sexuality such as intrapersonal, interpersonal and socio-cultural factors.