Examining Multicultural Acceptability Among Adolescents from Multicultural Families in South Korea: A Growth Mixture Modeling Approach

Background and purpose: South Korea has witnessed a gradual change in the demographic landscape over the last two decades with the rise in international marriages. However, multicultural youth from these families continue to experience discrimination and social exclusion, resulting in higher dropout rates from middle school and psychological challenges. While existing literature has predominantly focused on societal perceptions of multicultural adolescents, a critical gap exists in understanding how multicultural youth perceive acceptance and what factors affect their attitudes. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing multicultural youth’s evolving perceptions of acceptability over time and identifying associated factors to enhance their well-being and social integration.

Methods: This study utilized data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study by the National Youth Policy Institute in South Korea, the only national survey that has annually examined the cohort of multicultural adolescents and their mothers since 2011. The study sample included 1,193 multicultural adolescents and their mothers surveyed from Wave 4 (7th grade) to Wave 6 (9th grade). The adolescents were identified as those with a Korean father and a foreign-national immigrant mother. Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) was conducted to identify distinct latent subgroups of multicultural acceptability. Additionally, logistic regression was used to examine the associations between acceptability and various factors, including life satisfaction, self-esteem, school adjustment, and acculturative stress, while controlling for demographic variables.

Results: GMM revealed a three-group solution for multicultural acceptability with the best model fit (lowest AIC=5194.9; BIC=5266.1; Entropy=.904, significant BLRT p < .001). The identified groups were labeled as follows: Group 1 (Increasing, n=349, 29.25%), Group 2 (Maintaining, n=780, 65.38%), and Group 3 (Decreasing, n=64, 5.36%). Logistic regression results indicated that adolescents in the Decreasing group with higher life satisfaction (OR 2.235, 95% CI 1.222-4.089) and school adjustment (OR 3.290, 95% CI 1.251-8.650) had a higher probability of membership in the Increasing group. Similarly, adolescents in the Maintaining group with higher self-esteem (OR 1.628, 95% CI 1.161-2.284), school adjustment (OR 1.710, 95% CI 1.096-2.670), and maternal self-esteem (OR 1.353, 95% CI 1.025-1.785) showed an increased likelihood of belonging to the Increasing group.

Conclusions and Implications: The results highlight the importance of identifying distinct trajectories of multicultural acceptability and factors that could enhance acceptability among youth from diverse cultural backgrounds. Social work practitioners and policymakers may employ these results to expand the roles of school social workers, emphasizing their capacity to provide culturally competent mental health counseling tailored to the unique needs of multicultural youth. Additionally, implementing school-based group programs that promote intercultural understanding and acceptance, particularly catering to middle school students, may cultivate positive peer relations and boost the self-esteem of multicultural youth.