Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-6-2017

School

Psychology

Abstract

Objective: A growing body of research finds that darker skin tone is often associated with poorer physical and mental health in Blacks. However, the psychosocial mechanisms underlying the skin tone-health link remain elusive. The present study seeks to address this knowledge gap by investigating the direct and indirect (through perceived discrimination, socioeconomic status, and self-esteem) effects of skin tone on self-reported physical and mental health.

Design: An urban sample of 130 Blacks aged 35 and above completed a self-administered computerized survey as a part of larger cross-sectional study.

Results: Self-esteem played a particularly important role in mediating the associations between skin tone and self-reported physical and mental health. This suggests that self-esteem could be a point of intervention to help Blacks with darker skin tone achieve better health.

Conclusion: The present study highlights the important role feature-based discrimination plays in determining mental and physical health outcomes among Blacks.

Comments

Published by Ethnicity and Health at 10.1080/13557858.2017.1398314.

Publication Title

Ethnicity & Health

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