Socio-Psychological Analysis and Rate of Syphilis Infection in Prostitutes, Surrounding the U. S. Air Force in Kunsan / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Following the Korean War, the presence of foreign troops in Korea and lowered. sexual morality caused an increase in the rate of prostitution and related venereal diseases. Though the health authorities made efforts to handle these problems, they didnt obtain any noticeable results, because they neglected the scientific prevention and treatment based on expert knowledge, and the sociopsychological problem, which was the basic cause of the increment in the rate of prostitution. They only took administrative action against the prostitutes. Therefore, in July, 1976, we went to a town(named Silver Town) located on the outskirts of a U.S. Air Force base, and, examined and guestioned a number of prostitutes. Each of the 288 subjects residing in the town was given a questionaire that dealt with individual living attitudes, family and social background, and sociopsychological aspects of tbeir lifestyle. Questionaires were completed anonymously. Serological tests for syphilis, the UDRL and TPHA, were also administered. The results of our atudy are as follows. 1) Most of the prostitutes had grown up in large families, in which females were predominant. Because of economic difficulties they dropped out of school a.t an early age and became prostitutes. The average age of a prostitute at the time of her first sexual experience was 19. 9 years, the expriences usually taking place with her first boyfriend. Forty six psrcent of tbe subjects had intercourse for the first time between the ages of 15 and 19. Fortynine & two tenths percent of them because prostitutes within one year of their initial sexual act, and all of them at an average interval of 2.5 years following the first sexual experience, the average age being 22. 4 years. 2) The longer the women had worked as prostitutes, the more they felt dissatisfied with their work, and the more they desired to change to an occupation which was healthier and entailed more self-respect. 3) Out of 283 subjects, 39% had a history of venereal disease, predominantly of gonorrhea. Tbe results of the STS administered to all subjects were,; VDRL 7.7% positive and TPHA 6% positive. It was also concluded that the subjects had no educational or working knowledge of venereal diseases.