Is skin color a marker for racial discrimination? Explaining the skin color-hypertension relationship

It is widely assumed that dark-skinned Blacks have higher rates of hypertension than their lighter-skinned cohorts because the former experience greater racial discrimination. However, there is no empirical evidence linking skin color to discrimination. This study tested the extent to which skin col...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of behavioral medicine 2000-08, Vol.23 (4), p.329-338
Main Authors: KLONOFF, E. A, LANDRINE, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
African Americans - psychology
Aged
Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension
Behavior. Attitude
Biological and medical sciences
Blood and lymphatic vessels
Cardiology. Vascular system
Clinical manifestations. Epidemiology. Investigative techniques. Etiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Hypertension
Hypertension - psychology
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Prejudice
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Racial discrimination
Racism
Risk Factors
Skin
Skin Pigmentation
Social psychology
Stress, Psychological - complications
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Summary:It is widely assumed that dark-skinned Blacks have higher rates of hypertension than their lighter-skinned cohorts because the former experience greater racial discrimination. However, there is no empirical evidence linking skin color to discrimination. This study tested the extent to which skin color is associated with differential exposure to discrimination for a sample of 300 Black adults. Results revealed that dark-skinned Blacks were 11 times more likely to experience frequent racial discrimination than their light-skinned counterparts; 67% of subjects reporting high discrimination were dark-skinned and only 8.5% were light-skinned. These preliminary findings suggest that skin color indeed may be a marker for racial discrimination and highlight the need to assess discrimination in studies of the skin color-hypertension relationship.
ISSN:0160-7715
1573-3521
DOI:10.1023/A:1005580300128