biostudies-literatureUnknownDennis ACEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentNICHD NIH HHSNIA NIH HHSNational Institute on AgingThe mechanisms generating skin-tone-based health inequities among ethnic Black Americans remain poorly understood. To address this gap, our study advances a novel biopsychosocial model of embodied colorism-related distress. We test this model with survey and biomarker data from a community sample of working-age Black adults from Nashville, Tennessee (2011-2014; N = 627). Relying on self-rated, interviewer-rated, and discordant skin tone measures, our analyses reveal that Black adults who perceive themselves as dark-skinned tend to have a lower sense of mattering and shorter telomeres, a biomarker of accelerated cellular degradation and aging, relative to their peers who perceive their skin to be lighter. These patterns hold across various social contexts and regardless of interviewer-ratedJournal of health and social behavior221465251364373https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12573201biostudies-literatureColorism and Health Inequities among Black Americans: A Biopsychosocial Perspective.PMC12573201T32 AG000029P2C HD050924T32-AG000029R01 AG034067T32-HD091058T32 HD091058P2C-HD050924R01AG034067Dennis ACDeAngelis RPearson JAHargrove TWfalseColorism and Health Inequities among Black Americans: A Biopsychosocial Perspective.The mechanisms generating skin-tone-based health inequities among ethnic Black Americans remain poorly understood. To address this gap, our study advances a novel biopsychosocial model of embodied colorism-related distress. We test this model with survey and biomarker data from a community sample of working-age Black adults from Nashville, Tennessee (2011-2014; N = 627). Relying on self-rated, interviewer-rated, and discordant skin tone measures, our analyses reveal that Black adults who perceive themselves as dark-skinned tend to have a lower sense of mattering and shorter telomeres, a biomarker of accelerated cellular degradation and aging, relative to their peers who perceive their skin to be lighter. These patterns hold across various social contexts and regardless of interviewer-rated2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Sep2026-06-05T09:42:51.9Z2026-05-15T03:12:52.657ZS-EPMC125732014098100010.1177/00221465251364373