The purpose of M.A.T.C.H. is to provide Black women with social support and resources to help you stay healthy or become healthier. We want to cultivate a safe and comfortable environment to discuss topics including relationships, emotion regulation, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill or long-acting injectable that can prevent HIV infection.

We expect all risks associated with study participation to be minimal. However, there are some potential risks which we actively try to address:

• Because of the topic of M.A.T.C.H., some things may feel uncomfortable or emotionally distressing to talk about at times.
  • However, your Peer Navigator and the research team will be available to provide you with resources and support as needed.
• There is also the possibility that you will recognize or know someone within your group.
  • However, we emphasize the need to keep personal information shared during group completely private and confidential. While confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, we remind everyone how important not sharing information is before and after each session.
• The risk of breach of confidentiality is possible.
  • However, the PI has been involved with many local, national, and international studies and has considerable experience implementing measures to protect confidentiality.
• You may get tired or bored while we ask you questions or while you complete questionnaires. Some questions may make you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
  • However, you can always let us know if you feel distressed. You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer.

You may or may not benefit from being in this study. While there is no direct benefit to being in this study, you still may:

• Learn about local resources, including help in accessing medical and mental health care, drug treatment, and support services.
• Learn about your health and how to protect yourself from HIV.
• Have improved overall health.

If you take part in this study, you may help others in the future. We will use the findings from this study to try to improve HIV prevention services for Black women.

The study is approximately 6 months long.

If you are in the control group, you will have one 1-hour group session. If you are in the intervention group, you will have four 1-hour weekly group sessions and five 30-minute one-on-one sessions with your Peer Navigator. All participants will fill out a 1-hour survey at the 2-, 4-, and 6-month marks

• All study visits are completely confidential.
• The research team deidentifies the information you provide by assigning you a number instead of using your name or other identifiable data.
• During support group sessions, everyone will be asked to respect the privacy of other women and keep all things shared confidential. We will stress the importance of keeping the discussion inside of the group before and after each session.

Yes. Feel free to take the screening survey again if your answers change at a later time.

Yes. If they would like to see if they are eligible to participate, they can complete the online survey on our See If You Qualify page.

Nothing! Visit the See If You Qualify page to check your eligibility.

Yes. You will receive $25 for each of the four group sessions you attend. At 2-, 4-, and 6-months after joining the study, you will take a survey and receive $50, $55, then $60, respectively. If you complete all three surveys, you will receive a bonus of $30. You can earn up to $295 for completing all study activities in the form of gift cards.

Being in the intervention group is random, like flipping a coin. You have a 50% chance of being randomly chosen to be in either the intervention or the control group.

The intervention will attend more sessions relating to the study, but both groups will receive resources and support.

Dr. Tiara C. Willie, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is the Principal Investigator of this study. Visit the Meet The Team page to learn more about the research team!