Discrimination, Skin Color Satisfaction, and Adjustment among Latinx American Youth

Xenophobia and discrimination: Consequences for latinx immigrants and pathways to restoration & healing

The United States is often conceptualized as a country of immigrants, with an origin story of multicultural, multilingual, diverse foreign-born populations coming together to create the fabric of the nation. This narrative emerges through many domains of American society, frequently depicting an image of opportunity for all. Yet historically and contemporarily, immigration has been racialized and wrought with oppressive practices and policies. Research has shown that white Americans tend to define "American" as synonymous with "white" and subsequently perceive those who appear phenotypically not white (e.g., darker skin tones) as "less American." This phenomenon is reflected in immigration policy and lived experiences of minoritized immigrants. Vast theoretical and empirical literature documents the deleterious consequences of discrimination across domains of physical (e.g., hypertension, compromised immune functioning) and psychological health (e.g., ethno-racial trauma, depression). While it is critical to highlight the harmful effects of racism and xenophobia on immigrant well-being, the intent of this article is to also explore how indigenous, restorative healing practices may help communities and individuals heal from xenophobia and discrimination. Thus, the aim of this piece is twofold; (1) briefly discuss and contextualize the systems of oppression impacting immigrants, specifically Latinx communities in the United States, and (2) provide a framework for restoration and radical healing for Latinx immigrants.

The Phenotypic, Psychological, and Social Interplays of Skin Color and Developmental Outcomes among Mexican-origin Adolescents: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence

Mexican-origin children from immigrant families are impacted by various systemic oppressions in life. The study seeks to examine how adolescents' developmental outcomes are associated with specific phenotypic, psychological, and social features of skin color, as manifested by skin tone, skin color satisfaction, and foreigner stress. By taking a holistic approach, we examine both positive and negative adjustment outcomes, including delinquency, resilience, and effortful control. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents aged between 11.08 and 15.29 (Mage  = 12.91, SD = 0.92) with at least one immigrant parent. The findings highlight the harm of foreigner stress and the benefit of skin color satisfaction in Mexican-origin adolescents' development of delinquency, resilience, and effortful control, especially for those with a darker skin color.

“No, Where are You Really From?”

Abstract. Being perceived as a foreigner regardless of one’s generational status, citizenship, or self-identification is called foreigner objectification. This is a form of identity denial and is linked to psychological distress. To test how foreigner objectification could be measured in Europe, we assessed whether the Foreigner Objectification Scale demonstrated reliability and validity with German adolescents. The sample included 806 9th graders from 17 high schools. The results showed that the scale demonstrates good reliability, scalar measurement invariance across gender and citizenship status, and partial scalar measurement invariance across family heritage, generational status, and cultural self-identification. Adolescents who scored higher on the scale also reported greater school behavioral disengagement, lower life satisfaction, and stronger ethnic identity. Our findings suggest that the scale is psychometrically sound and is linked in theoretically consistent ways to adjustment and ethnic identity. We conclude that this scale offers another way to capture subtle discrimination experiences that add to a more comprehensive understanding of discrimination and the related implications in Europe.