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My Body, My Culture: Understanding Body Image Concerns Among West African Immigrant Women

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Abstract

Few studies have focused on the impact of body image disturbance on mental health among African immigrant women, particularly as it pertains to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). This study surveyed 231 West African immigrant women in New York city with and without FGM/C experience and investigated each group’s level of body image disturbance and its relation to mental health (i.e., well-being, psychological distress, and PTSD). Body image concerns of FGM/C-experienced women were centered on genital disturbance, whereas the concerns of non-FGM/C women were mostly weight-related. Regression analysis revealed that greater genital image disturbance in FGM/C-experienced group and body image disturbance in non-FGM/C group significantly related to lower well-being and higher psychological distress and PTSD, with stronger relationships appearing in FGM/C-experienced group. This study brings to the fore West African immigrant women’s body-related concerns and its potential impact to mental health in the context of acculturation, and suggests the importance of culturally informed interventions for African immigrant women who face body image concerns.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded to Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith (Grant No. 1SC2HD09263-01), the Impact and Consequences of FGC on Female West African Immigrants project. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the article(s), and the decision to submit it for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Moonkyung Min

  2. Department of Psychology, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Adriana Espinosa & Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith

  3. The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith

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  1. Moonkyung Min
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  2. Adriana Espinosa
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  3. Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith
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Correspondence to Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith.

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Min, M., Espinosa, A. & Akinsulure-Smith, A.M. My Body, My Culture: Understanding Body Image Concerns Among West African Immigrant Women. J Immigrant Minority Health 25, 634–642 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-022-01421-w

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