The role of feature-based discrimination in driving health disparities among Black Americans

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.

The Effects of Skin Tone on the Perception of Discrimination in Young African American Women

“…Researchers believe self-esteem operates as a protective factor to defend against stressful events (Crocker & Major, 1989;Dent et al, 2020;Dumont & Provost, 1999;Feng & Xu, 2014). According to Dumont and Provost (1999), individuals with higher self-esteem will react to the discrimination more positively by viewing it as a conflict that can be solved.…”

“…In other words, participants will either internalize or externalize their discriminatory experiences which will lead to lower self-esteem or higher self-esteem, respectfully (Crocker & Major, 1989). In addition, newer work has shown (e.g., Dent et al, 2020) that self-esteem can mediate the relationship between skin tone and self-reported mental and physical health. Therefore, this study also addresses the role of self-esteem in the relationship between skin tone and reported discrimination.…”

“…We are only aware of one peer-reviewed study that used this measure for perceived self-evaluation in Chinese Americans, see Chen et al (2019). Most prior studies assessed the perception of skin tone by utilizing general ratings such as "very dark or very light skinned" (e.g., Thompson & Keith, 2001), with one notable exception, when researchers measured the amount of light that reflects off the skin by utilizing spectrometers or reflectometers (e.g., Dent et al, 2020). In addition to the central focus of how skin tone affects everyday discriminatory experiences in young African American women in the American South (known for its racist history of slavery and segregation), this study is one of the first to test the effects of skin tone on perceived discrimination in healthcare settings.…”

“…Note that we did not specify specific mechanisms of the self-esteem influence on the relationship between skin tone and perceived discrimination. While there is evidence that selfesteem might explain why there is a relationship between skin tone and discrimination (see Dent et al, 2020), there is also a possibility that self-esteem might explain the strength of relationship between skin tone and perceived discrimination.…”

“…This research was conducted by utilizing a skin tone guide that has one hundred and ten shades and is designed to cover a wide range of skin tones. Using a skin tone guide to match the participant's skin is more likely to lessen bias amongst participants (Dent et al, 2020). The identification of the skin tone is the foundation of this research, because the participant's and Stamps, D. researcher's choice of skin tone was compared and related to perceived discrimination levels reported by the participant.…”