PURPOSE: This study compared the mental symptoms, especially symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), of women who escaped prostitution, helping activists at shelters, and matched control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed 113 female ex-prostitutes who had been living at a shelter, 81 helping activists, and 65 control subjects using self-reporting questionnaires on demographic data, symptoms related to trauma and PTSD, stress-related reactions, and other mental health factors. RESULTS: Female ex-prostitutes had significantly higher stress response, somatization, depression, fatigue, frustration, sleep, smoking and alcohol problems, and more frequent and serious PTSD symptoms than the other 2 groups. Helping activists also had significantly higher tension, sleep and smoking problems, and more frequent and serious PTSD symptoms than control subjects. CONCLUSION: These findings show that engagement in prostitution may increase the risks of exposure to violence, which may psychologically traumatize not only the prostitutes themselves but also the people who help them, and that the effects of the trauma last for a long time. Future research is needed to develop a method to assess specific factors that may contribute to vicarious trauma of prostitution, and protect field workers of prostitute victims from vicarious trauma.
Adult ; Alcoholism/etiology/psychology ; Depression/etiology/psychology ; Fatigue/etiology/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/etiology/psychology ; *Mental Health ; Prostitution/*psychology ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Smoking/psychology ; *Social Work ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/complications/*psychology ; Stress, Psychological/complications

PURPOSE: With the continuous spread of the AIDS virus and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) throughout Asia, it has become imperative for HIV/AIDS prevention outreach programs to stress the need for using prophylactics as one form of protection. This is particularly true for commercial sex workers. This pilot study was conducted to investigate the rate of condom use among the commercial sex workers in Korea and reasons why they frequently do not wear condoms during sexual intercourse. METHODS: Fifty female commercial sex workers who worked in the Yong San area were recruited while outreach was performed and forty eight responses were analyzed due to two incomplete questionnaires. The data were collected on June 28, 2004 as part of an outreach program for condom use promotion. RESULTS: The subjects ranged in age from 21 to 45 years. Nearly half of the subjects (47.9%) did not consistently use condoms. The major reason for not using protection was clients'reluctances for using condoms. When condoms were used, the subjects preferred lubricant-rich and less painful condom during intercourse. CONCLUSION: Due to the inconsistent use of condoms, it is clear that many commercial sex workers and clients are susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, it is important to not only educate commercial sex workers, but also to educate their pimps and clientele about the importance of condom use. In general, it is recommended that practical strategies and a policy for condom use promotion be developed.
Adult ; Community-Institutional Relations ; Condoms/*utilization ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Decision Making ; Female ; HIV Infections/epidemiology/prevention & control ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Policy ; Health Promotion ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects ; Prostitution/*psychology/statistics & numerical data ; Questionnaires ; Risk-Taking ; Safe Sex/ethnology/*psychology/statistics & numerical data ; Sex Education ; Sexual Partners/psychology ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/epidemiology/prevention & control ; Time Factors