Colorist Realities: The Role of Gender and Skin Color Satisfaction in the Associations Between Colorism and Mental Health Among Latinx Emerging Adults

Abstract

Colorism within the Latinx community is a pervasive issue, as it has been shown to influence areas such as employment, education, and health outcomes (Adames & Chavez-Dueñas, 2016; Fuentes et al., 2021; Hunter, 2008). Despite these implications, limited psychological research has explored the effects of colorism on the mental health outcomes of Latinx emerging adults. To address this gap, the current study examined the association between internalized colorism and depressive symptoms among Latinx emerging adults (N = 306; M = 21.28 years). More specifically, it explored the role of gender and skin color satisfaction in shaping this relationship. Exploratory Factor Analyses were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the modified In-Group Colorism Scale (Harvey et al., 2017) and the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale (Falconer & Neville, 2000). Hayes PROCESS moderation analyses tested whether gender and skin color satisfaction moderated the association between internalized colorism and depressive symptoms, and ANOVAs assessed group differences in the study variables. Findings showed no association between internalized colorism and depressive symptoms, and no moderation effects for gender and skin color satisfaction. These findings may indicate that colorism manifests differently among Latinx individuals than it does in other racial or ethnic groups (Mena et al., 2020; Monk, 2021; Ramos et al., 2003; Telzer and Garcia, 2009), underscoring the importance of developing measurement tools that more accurately reflect the unique colorist experiences of Latinx individuals. Recommendations for research and clinical practice are provided.