Factors associated with penile amputation in Thailand

This report describes factors associated with the act of penile amputation by three female partners in southern Thailand. While gender-specific roles and paternalistic behaviors are normative in Thai society, specific precipitating factors for the three amputations included: (1) an immediate financial crisis that adversely affected one of the children in the family; (2) ingestion of drugs or alcohol by the husband immediately before the event; (3) public humiliation of the wife in the presence of a mia noi (secondary wife) or concubine within the week that preceded the incident. Understanding women's cultural preservation in Thailand may promote culturally sensitive and meaningful nursing care.