The Relationship of Skin Tone to Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in South Asian Americans

The Relationship of Skin Tone to Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in South Asian Americans PDF Author: Ranjit Bhagwat
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Human skin color
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description
Since 1990, the South Asian population in America has exhibited massive growth, as large numbers of immigrants from India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries have arrived in the United States. Yet limited empirical psychological research has been conducted assessing race-related stressors in this population. Skin tone (skin color) has been linked frequently with physical and mental health outcomes in other American ethnic minority populations, such that dark skin tone typically correlates with poor outcomes. The present study demonstrated, in a relatively large sample of South Asian Americans, that darkness of skin tone negatively predicted self-esteem and self-rated physical health. Contrary to expectations, dark skin tone positively predicted general mental health. The study also investigates the mediation role of perceived discrimination and body image disturbance in these relationships, as well as the moderating roles of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnic identification. The relationship of dark skin tone to low self-esteem, but not low self-rated physical health or high general mental health, was mediated via increased body image disturbance. Ethnic identification moderated the positive association between dark skin tone and general mental health, such that this association was strong at low levels of ethnic identification and reversed for individuals of high ethnic identification. Neither gender nor ethnic identification moderated the negative associations between dark skin tone and low self-rated physical health or low self-esteem. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

The Relationship of Skin Tone to Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in South Asian Americans

The Relationship of Skin Tone to Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in South Asian Americans PDF Author: Ranjit Bhagwat
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Human skin color
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description
Since 1990, the South Asian population in America has exhibited massive growth, as large numbers of immigrants from India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries have arrived in the United States. Yet limited empirical psychological research has been conducted assessing race-related stressors in this population. Skin tone (skin color) has been linked frequently with physical and mental health outcomes in other American ethnic minority populations, such that dark skin tone typically correlates with poor outcomes. The present study demonstrated, in a relatively large sample of South Asian Americans, that darkness of skin tone negatively predicted self-esteem and self-rated physical health. Contrary to expectations, dark skin tone positively predicted general mental health. The study also investigates the mediation role of perceived discrimination and body image disturbance in these relationships, as well as the moderating roles of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnic identification. The relationship of dark skin tone to low self-esteem, but not low self-rated physical health or high general mental health, was mediated via increased body image disturbance. Ethnic identification moderated the positive association between dark skin tone and general mental health, such that this association was strong at low levels of ethnic identification and reversed for individuals of high ethnic identification. Neither gender nor ethnic identification moderated the negative associations between dark skin tone and low self-rated physical health or low self-esteem. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

The Melanin Millennium

The Melanin Millennium PDF Author: Ronald E. Hall
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400746083
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
In the aftermath of the 60s “Black is Beautiful” movement and publication of The Color Complex almost thirty years later the issue of skin color has mushroomed onto the world stage of social science. Such visibility has inspired publication of the Melanin Millennium for insuring that the discourse on skin color meet the highest standards of accuracy and objective investigation. This volume addresses the issue of skin color in a worldwide context. A virtual visit to countries that have witnessed a huge rise in the use of skin whitening products and facial feature surgeries aiming for a more Caucasian-like appearance will be taken into account. The book also addresses the question of whether using the laws has helped to redress injustices of skin color discrimination, or only further promoted recognition of its divisiveness among people of color and Whites. The Melanin Millennium has to do with now and the future. In the 20th century science including eugenics was given to and dominated by discussions of race category. Heretofore there remain social scientists and other relative to the issue of skin color loyal to race discourse. However in their interpretation and analysis of social phenomena the world has moved on. Thus while race dominated the 20th century the 21st century will emerge as a global community dominated by skin color and making it the melanin millennium.

South Asian Americans: Perceived Discrimination, Stress and Well-being

South Asian Americans: Perceived Discrimination, Stress and Well-being PDF Author: Anju Kaduvettoor
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781124192505
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
South Asians have historically experienced discrimination in the United States (Sheth, 1995) and continue to experience discrimination today (Inman, Yeh, Maden-Bahel, & Nath, 2007). In fact, recent political and economic climates as well as demographic changes have made racism-related stress more salient for South Asian communities in the United States (Inman, 2006; Inman et al., 2007). For example, increases in discrimination for this group after September 11th, 2001, leave this group vulnerable to the negative consequences of racism and discrimination (Inman et al., 2007). Perceived discrimination and resulting discrimination related stress can be harmful for individuals in terms of their physical and psychological health (e.g., Utsey, Ponterotto, Reynolds, & Cancelli, 2000). More specifically, perceived discrimination potentially results in depression and anxiety (Cassidy, O'Connor, Howe & Warden, 2005) and negative effects on one's self-esteem and life satisfaction (Utsey, Payne, Jackson & Jones, 2002). Relatedly, researchers hypothesize that the relationship between discrimination and well-being variables (e.g., self-esteem) may be mediated or explained by variables such as perceived stress (e.g., Carter, 2007). Furthermore, others (e.g., Harrell, 2000) have theorized that moderating variables such as generational status may also influence outcomes of experiencing discrimination. While research illustrates the mental health effects of discrimination among other communities, it has not comprehensively examined the effects of these experiences on South Asians' well-being. Thus, this study examined the potential mediating role of racism related stress and the potential moderating role of generational status in the experience of discrimination for 210 South Asians living in the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the General Ethnic Discrimination Scale (Landrine, Klonoff, Corral, Fernandez & Roesch, 2006), the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Results showed that the hypothesized structural equation model fit well for first and second generation South Asians; yet, mediation and moderation were not supported. However, perceived discrimination significantly related to perceived stress for both groups of South Asians. Implications for theory, research and practice are included.

Whiter

Whiter PDF Author: Nikki Khanna
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479800295
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Heartfelt personal accounts from Asian American women on their experiences with skin color bias, from being labeled “too dark” to becoming empowered to challenge beauty standards “I have a vivid memory of standing in my grandmother’s kitchen, where, by the table, she closely watched me as I played. When I finally looked up to ask why she was staring, her expression changed from that of intent observer to one of guilt and shame. . . . ‘My anak (dear child),’ she began, ‘you are so beautiful. It is a shame that you are so dark. No Filipino man will ever want to marry you.’”—“Shade of Brown,” Noelle Marie Falcis How does skin color impact the lives of Asian American women? In Whiter, thirty Asian American women provide first-hand accounts of their experiences with colorism in this collection of powerful, accessible, and brutally honest essays, edited by Nikki Khanna. Featuring contributors of many ages, nationalities, and professions, this compelling collection covers a wide range of topics, including light-skin privilege, aspirational whiteness, and anti-blackness. From skin-whitening creams to cosmetic surgery, Whiter amplifies the diverse voices of Asian American women who continue to bravely challenge the power of skin color in their own lives.

The Blacker the Berry

The Blacker the Berry PDF Author: Wallace Thurman
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486461343
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
A source of controversy upon its 1929 publication, this novel was the first to openly address color prejudice among black Americans. The author, an active member of the Harlem Renaissance, offers insightful reflections of the era's mood and spirit in an enduringly relevant examination of racial, sexual, and cultural identity.

Mental Health

Mental Health PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : African Americans
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description


Communities in Action

Communities in Action PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309452961
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The Color Factor

The Color Factor PDF Author: Howard Bodenhorn
Publisher:
ISBN: 019938309X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Despite the many advances that the United States has made in racial equality over the past half century, numerous events within the past several years have proven prejudice to be alive and well in modern-day America. In one such example, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina dismissed one of her principal advisors in 2013 when his membership in the ultra-conservative Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) came to light. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, in 2001 the CCC website included a message that read "God is the one who divided mankind into different races.... Mixing the races is rebelliousness against God." This episode reveals America's continuing struggle with race, racial integration, and race mixing-a problem that has plagued the United States since its earliest days as a nation. The Color Factor: The Economics of African-American Well-Being in the Nineteenth-Century South demonstrates that the emergent twenty-first-century recognition of race mixing and the relative advantages of light-skinned, mixed-race people represent a re-emergence of one salient feature of race in America that dates to its founding. Economist Howard Bodenhorn presents the first full-length study of the ways in which skin color intersected with policy, society, and economy in the nineteenth-century South. With empirical and statistical rigor, the investigation confirms that individuals of mixed race experienced advantages over African Americans in multiple dimensions - in occupations, family formation and family size, wealth, health, and access to freedom, among other criteria. The Color Factor concludes that we will not really understand race until we understand how American attitudes toward race were shaped by race mixing. The text is an ideal resource for students, social scientists, and historians, and anyone hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the historical roots of modern race dynamics in America.

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309092116
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 753

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Book Description
In their later years, Americans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds are not in equally good-or equally poor-health. There is wide variation, but on average older Whites are healthier than older Blacks and tend to outlive them. But Whites tend to be in poorer health than Hispanics and Asian Americans. This volume documents the differentials and considers possible explanations. Selection processes play a role: selective migration, for instance, or selective survival to advanced ages. Health differentials originate early in life, possibly even before birth, and are affected by events and experiences throughout the life course. Differences in socioeconomic status, risk behavior, social relations, and health care all play a role. Separate chapters consider the contribution of such factors and the biopsychosocial mechanisms that link them to health. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the research agenda provided in the separate report of the Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life.

Is Lighter Better?

Is Lighter Better? PDF Author: Joanne L. Rondilla
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1461638100
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
Colorism is defined as "discriminatory treatment of individuals falling within the same 'racial' group on the basis of skin color." In other words, some people, particularly women, are treated better or worse on account of the color of their skin relative to other people who share their same racial category. Colorism affects Asian Americans from many different backgrounds and who live in different parts of the United States. Is Lighter Better? discusses this often-overlooked topic. Joanne L. Rondilla and Paul Spickard ask important questions such as: What are the colorism issues that operate in Asian American communities? Are they the same issues for all Asian Americans—for women and for men, for immigrants and the American born, for Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, Vietnamese, and other Asian Americans? Do they reflect a desire to look like White people, or is some other motive at work? Including numerous stories about and by people who have faced discrimination in their own lives, this book is an invaluable resource for people interested in colorism among Asian Americans.