About this poster

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Panel information
Panel 8. Social Intergroup Processes

Abstract

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Background:
Colorism is a skin tone stratification system that privileges lighter-skinned people over their darker-skinned counterparts (Russell-Cole et al., 2013). Colorism has been recognized as a major determinant of social, economic, and health outcomes—including socio-economic status, racial discrimination, criminal legal sentencing, and a variety of psychiatric disorders, such as substance use, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation (King & Johnson, 2016; Hargrove, 2019; Landor & Smith, 2019; Parreira et al., 2019; Moore et al., 2021; Monk, 2014; Oh et al., 2021a, 2021b; Uzogara, 2016). Colorism is a gendered phenomenon which disproportionately impacts Black adolescent girls (e.g., Crutchfield & Hall, 2018). Yet, it remains woefully understudied in this population (e.g., Breland-Noble, 2017). Considering the rising mental health issues among Black girls, including a 182% increase in suicide rates (Meza et al., 2022), a nuanced understanding of the unique factors influencing Black girls’ mental health is crucial. This study aimed to explore the ways in which colorism manifests and impacts wellbeing among Black girls.

Methods:
This project utilized a critical participatory action research framework to describe (1) the manifestation of colorism in the lives of darker-skinned Black girls, (2) the impact of colorism on Black girls’ mental health, and (3) the ways in which Black girls cope with and resist colorist experiences. Ten Black adolescent girls were recruited as co-researchers to assist in all aspects of the research process (i.e., theory development, research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination). The research team conducted a mixed-method study involving a PhotoVoice Project, a survey (n = 57), and semi-structured interviews (n = 9) with adolescent Black girls.

Results:
Survey results indicated that colorism is pervasive: 51% of participants reported experiencing colorism. Black girls experienced colorism across a variety of settings and relationships, including in schools, through family, in friendships, and in dating contexts. Thematic analysis showed that colorism was experienced through exclusion, segregation, mocking, devaluation, and assumptions of aggressiveness. In the survey sample, 88% of Black girls believed that compared to lighter-skinned Black girls, darker-skinned girls are more likely to be treated unfairly in school, 70% believed that darker-skinned girls are less likely to be believed about pain, and 83% endorsed that dark-skinned Black girls are less likely to be believed when reporting abuse. Dark skin-tone was associated with lower levels of self-esteem, and participants reported colorism as leading to feelings of shame, helplessness, loneliness, and self-hatred in Black girls. Lastly, participants identified a variety of coping and resistance strategies, including self-affirmation, social support, and education around colorism.

Conclusion:
The results underscore the role of colorism as a social determinant of health among Black girls. It highlights that colorism is pervasive and impactful and is experienced by Black girls across contexts and shades. These findings have implications for how Black girls’ differentially experience victimization, criminalization, and protection—especially in the context of interpersonal relationships, systems of care, and education and legal institutions.

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