Multilevel factors associated with depressive mood among multicultural adolescents in South Korea

ABSTRACT

Applying a social-ecological model (SEM) approach, we examined different factors associated with the depressive mood of multicultural adolescents in South Korea, including if engaging in transnational ties with the mother’s home country is associated with depressive mood. We included multicultural adolescents (n = 1,160) in the 2017 Multicultural Adolescent Panel Survey of the National Youth Policy Institute. We found an association between depressive mood and multicultural adolescents in South Korea at different levels of the SEM. Maintaining transnational ties with the mother’s home country may have a detrimental impact on the psychological well-being of multicultural adolescents, especially female adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• Multicultural adolescents
• depressive mood
• transnational ties
• South Korea
• social-ecological model

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

Ethical statement

This study utilised secondary data without personally identifiable information, and additional IRB approval was not required.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yaena Song

Yaena Song is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her research interests span around health equity for immigrant families and children, health psychology, and mHealth.

Sou Hyun Jang

Sou Hyun Jang is an assistant professor in the Department Sociology at Korea University. My research interests include international migration, transnationalism, medical sociology, and immigrants/minorities.