Research Symposium

BIO

Angelina Alarcón is a sophomore at Florida State University majoring in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience on the pre-med track. She is originally from Orlando, Florida, and is especially interested in organic chemistry and neuroscience. Angelina is currently involved in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), where she works on a research project through the Florida State University College of Medicine under the mentorship of Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews, MD, and Ericka Horne, DrPH. After completing her degree, she plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician.

The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Herpes Simplex Virus, & Sexual Behaviors in Adults​

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—including, but not limited to, witnessing or receiving violence; exposure to emotional, sexual, and physical abuse; emotional and/or physical neglect; household substance abuse; household mental illness; parental incarceration—and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) status display increased rates of risky sexual behaviors, a higher number of sexual partners, and higher occurrence of sexual coercion (Wu et al, 2025; Nowotny et al, 2019; Haahr-Pedersen, 2020). This investigation focused on the relationship between ACEs and sexual behaviors compared to the relationship between HSV and sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial impact of ACEs and herpes on sexual practices. A secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2022-2023 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), comparing variables such as sex, ACEs factors, and HSV status. The analysis showed a significant impact of traumatic childhood experiences and HSV—independent of each other—on sexual practices. Males who reported ACEs and males who reported HSV status demonstrated no significant association with condom usage and number of opposite-sex partners. Females who reported ACEs and females who reported HSV status also reported a higher number of opposite-sex partners. Females with ACEs were significantly associated with condom usage. Processes from this study incentivize further research that may answer questions relating to the lifestyle practices of persons with HSV and those who have experienced ACEs.

Keywords: ACEs, HSV, Health, Herpes, Behavior