An exploration of colorism, socioeconomic status, and Colombian adolescents' psychosocial adjustment: Does ethnic-racial identity moderate?

Colombia's history of colonization and subjugation of Black and Indigenous peoples has created a socially stratified society where colorism, the favoring of lighter skin tones over darker ones, persists. In such societies, individuals with darker skin are at greater risk for ethnoracial discrimination and poorer psychosocial adjustment. Adolescents must navigate this context while developing their own ethnic-racial identities (ERIs). This tension warrants exploration into their identity development processes and adjustment; however, these ideas have been understudied in the Global South. Importantly, ERI resolution (i.e., a sense of clarity regarding the meaning of one's ERI) is a universal developmental competency that may serve as a source of resilience against ethnoracial discrimination. Socioeconomic status (SES) background may provide an additional buffer. Accordingly, the present study explored the associations among skin tone, peer discrimination, global identity cohesion, and academic engagement among Colombian adolescents (N = 462; Mage = 15.90 years, SD = 1.15; 47% female, 53% male) from a wide range of SES backgrounds. ERI resolution and SES were tested as moderators of these associations. Findings revealed that having a darker skin tone was associated with more frequent experiences of peer discrimination and, in turn, poorer psychosocial adjustment, regardless of SES background. Nevertheless, the promotive and protective nature of ERI resolution was contingent on SES background in some cases. This work illuminates the role of colorism on adolescent ERI and adjustment among Colombian adolescents and adds to the literature on these developmental processes within an understudied context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).