A comparison of sense of self and self-esteem in uncircumcised men over the age of 20 to those who were circumcised during childhood

Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine body esteem and self-esteem of circumcised and uncircumcised young men.

Materials and methods: Between February 2005 and February 2006, 101 uncircumcised men with mean age of 21.32±1.43 (range 20-24) and 101 men of the same age circumcised during childhood were included in the study. The Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Scale (CSES) were completed by subjects under the physcian’s supervision.

Results: Of the uncircumcised adults, 80.2% reported feeling worried, inadequate, and regretful. There was a statistically significant difference between uncircumcised and circumcised men in terms of BCS and CSES scores. The mean BCS and CSES scores for uncircumcised men was significantly lower than that of circumcised adults (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Being not circumcised at puberty has a negative affect on body esteem and self-esteem.