Practicing What is Preached: The Relationship between Congregational Support and HIV Prevention Behaviors among Black...

Through the current analysis, we aimed to better understand the relationship between congregational support and HIV prevention behaviors among a sample of high risk, HIV negative Black women. Participants were 434 Black women who were at high risk for contracting HIV through heterosexual sex. They were recruited from a city in the Mid Atlantic Region. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and Audio-Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews (ACASI). Results revealed three congregational characteristics were important for Black women's comfort level discussing HIV and their likelihood of returning for their HIV test results: feeling loved by their congregation, having ministries that helped people with their problems and feeling listened to by their congregation. Thus, religious congregational support was a significant correlate of Black women's comfort discussing HIV prevention and treatment as well as their motivation to return to get their HIV test results.