Behavioral, Psychological, Gender, and Health Service Correlates to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection among Young Adult Mexican-American Women Living in a Disadvantaged Community

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is among the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Despite this, there has been limited research on the correlates to HSV-2 among disadvantaged and marginalized women, particularly among Latinas. Data for the present analysis include 125 young adult Mexican-American women enrolled in a longitudinal study in a disadvantaged urban community in San Antonio, Texas. The current rate of tested HSV-2 infection is 56.8%. Our findings suggest strong comorbidity of genital herpes with injecting heroin use, Hepatitis C, sexual violence, incarceration, and mental illness. Contributing to this population's nexus of risk are the low rates of health service utilization among those infected with HSV-2. Integration between behavioral health and primary care, including access to preventative services, are essential for improving the health of Latinas living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Syndemic Profiles for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Sextually Transmitted Infections Among Mexican American Women Formerly Affiliated with Youth Street Gangs

“…The San Antonio Latina Trajectory Outcomes (SALTO) study is a longitudinal community-based study examining the long-term health outcomes of drug use and intimate partner violence among a cohort of Mexican American women that were originally recruited and interviewed as adolescents between 1999 and 2001 [18,22,[61][62][63][64][65][66]. Eligibility criteria for Proyecto SALTO and the original study included being a Mexican American female, being aged 14-18 at the time of the original study, and being associated with one of 27 male street gangs from the catchment area [67,68].…”