Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

7-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Alfonso Mercado

Second Advisor

Cecilia Montiel-Nava

Third Advisor

Nan Li

Abstract

Colorism, defined as discrimination based on skin color, represents a pervasive yet understudied form of intragroup discrimination within Latinx communities. The present study examining how skin color, type of discrimination, and source of discrimination influence perceptions of harm among Latinx college students. Guided by a modified Biopsychosocial Model of Perceived Colorism, an adaptation of Clark et al.'s (1999) Biopsychosocial Model of Perceived Racism, this study distinguished between individual factors, such as skin color, and contextual factors, such as the relational source of discriminatory behavior.

Using an online experimental vignette design, 146 Latinx college students enrolled at a predominantly Latinx university in a South Texas border community were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions varying by skin color of the youth depicted (light vs. dark), type of discrimination (overt vs. none), and source of discrimination (family vs. stranger). Participants completed quantitative measures of perceived harm and responded to open-ended questions regarding their interpretations of the vignette. Results indicated that participants perceived significantly greater harm in vignettes depicting overt discrimination compared to those depicting no discrimination. A significant two way interaction between discrimination type and skin color emerged, such that youth with dark skin color were perceived as experiencing greater harm than youth with light skin color in the no-discrimination condition, suggesting that awareness of social vulnerability associated with darker skin color may shape observers’ interpretations of even neutral interpersonal interactions. Hypothesized effects involving the source of discrimination were not supported. Qualitative findings indicated that most participants perceived the youth as experiencing negative emotional consequences, with a subset of participants identifying the behavior as culturally normalized with Latinx families.

These findings underscore the salience of skin color in shaping perceptions of interpersonal interactions within Latinx communities and contribute a novel experimental approach to the study of familial colorism. Future directions and implications for clinical practice with Latinx populations are discussed.

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Copyright 2026 Rebeca I. Zapata. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3409003153

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