Colorism and perceived sexual risk taking among African American adolescent girls: Where does racial socialization fit in this relationship?

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influences of colorism on perceived harm of sexual risk taking behaviors among 243 African American adolescent females. Additionally, this study sought to examine the potential moderating role of cultural pride reinforcement messages and cultural endorsement of the mainstream messages. Hierarchal linear regressions were conducted to examine the study's hypotheses. The findings revealed that higher levels of acceptance of Eurocentric standards of beauty were associated with lower levels of perceived harm of sexual risk taking variables. However, further analyses revealed that this relationship did not remain significant. Additionally, neither cultural pride reinforcement messages or cultural endorsement of the mainstream messages served as significant moderators in the relationship between colorism and perceived harm of sexual risk taking.