Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
Published on: July 31, 2016
Far from fairness: Prejudice, skin color, and psychological functioning in Asian Americans
Alisia G T T Tran1, Hsiu-Lan Cheng2, Jason D Netland3
1Department of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University.
Objectives:
We explored the moderating role of observed skin color in the association between prejudice and concurrent and lagged psychological functioning (i.e., depression, ingroup/outgroup psychological connectedness). We further aimed to understand gender differences in these processes.
Method:
Data from 821 Asian American undergraduate students (57.5% female and 42.5% male) were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression-based moderation models were conducted with PROCESS 2.13 for SPSS.
Results:
Lighter skin color nullified the association between prejudice and recent depression for Asian American females. This moderating effect did not hold over time with regards to depression symptoms 1 year later. Additionally, prejudice predicted psychological distance to other Asian students 1 year later among females rated as lighter in skin color, whereas prejudice was tied to psychological closeness for females with darker skin ratings.
Conclusions:
Results highlight skin color as a pertinent factor relevant to the short-term and long-term mental health and social experiences of Asian American women in particular. (PsycINFO Database Record
Related Concept Videos
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Surveys
Changes in Skin Color: Clinical Perspectives
Albinism
Albinism is a genetic disorder that affects (completely or partially) the coloring of skin, hair, and eyes. The defect is primarily...
Self-Serving Bias
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Motivational Bias

