Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This study investigates the association between skin color and externalizing and internalizing problems in young Latino children. Using a longitudinal study of Mexican- and Dominican-origin children (N=750), regression models were conducted to examine the direct effect of skin color on internalizing and externalizing problems in first grade. Interaction effects between skin color and behavior problems at baseline on behavior problems at first grade were also tested. Half of the children were rated as “moderately dark,” followed by “honorary white” (35%), and “collective black” (11%). Collective black children had greater mother-rated aggression at first grade compared to honorary white peers (β=.28). Moreover, the association between externalizing behaviors at baseline and first grade was stronger for collective black children compared to honorary white children, controlling for other predictors. Our findings suggest that color-based discrimination, in which negative traits are associated with darker skin (Hunter, 2016), may put darker-skinned Latino children at increased risk for more severe and/or more persistent mental health problems. Future research is needed to examine experiences of discrimination directed at young Latino children in order to develop intervention strategies to counteract the effects of colorism.