UC Merced

This thesis explores the effects that skin color, discrimination, and religious coping have on Black Americans’ mental health. Using colorism as a theoretical framework I ask two research questions, How does everyday discrimination and skin color influence the mental health of young Black Americans? How do gender and religion mediate the impact of discrimination and skin color on mental health? This thesis utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), 1994-2008. The dependent variables used in this thesis are the mental health measures depression diagnosis and feeling disliked. The primary independent variable in this thesis is interviewer reported skin color. My findings indicate that there is skin color variation among mental health outcomes. I find that the two mental health outcomes depression diagnosis and feeling disliked showed different outcomes. Lighter skin respondents reported more experiences of depression diagnosis and darker skin respondents reported more experiences of feeling disliked. The findings in this thesis show how colorism can influence skin color differences in mental health. I also show how skin color variation can be influenced by the way that mental health is being measured for Black Americans.