This study aims to longitudinally examine the effects of acculturative stress and bicultural acceptance attitude experienced by immigrant adolescents on their psychological adaptation in Korean society, where globalization and the transition toward mu...
This study aims to longitudinally examine the effects of acculturative stress and bicultural acceptance attitude experienced by immigrant adolescents on their psychological adaptation in Korean society, where globalization and the transition toward multiculturalism are accelerating. Moving beyond the limitations of fragmentary analyses in prior research, this study considers the developmental characteristics of adolescence, identifies individual trajectories of change in key variables, and integrates their effects on psychological adaptation, thereby providing an empirical basis for supporting stable adaptation.
Data were drawn from the second wave(2019~2023; five years) of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study(MAPS) conducted by the Korea Youth Policy Institute. The analytic sample comprised 317 immigrant adolescents who participated in at least three waves. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, latent growth modeling(LGM), and parallel process latent growth modeling were conducted using SPSS and Mplus 8.11. Missing data were handled using full information maximum likelihood(FIML).
The results were as follows. First, the mean rate of change in acculturative stress for the overall sample was not statistically significant; however, significant variance in individual slopes indicated meaningful interindividual differences in changes in acculturative stress. Second, both the initial level(intercept) and rate of change(slope) of bicultural acceptance attitude significantly predicted all psychological adjustment outcomes. Third, conditional analyses using a parallel process latent growth model showed that higher initial acculturative stress was associated with greater social withdrawal, and that a steeper increase in acculturative stress over time predicted higher levels of depression. Fourth, higher initial levels of bicultural acceptance attitude and greater increases over time were associated with higher self-esteem and life satisfaction and with lower depression and social withdrawal, indicating a more adaptive psychological adjustment pattern.
These findings suggest that baseline levels of acculturation-related factors and their longitudinal change patterns exert complex influences on the psychosocial well-being of immigrant adolescents. This study contributes to the literature by providing an in-depth longitudinal investigation of how developmental trajectories of acculturative stress and bicultural acceptance attitude shape psychological adaptation among immigrant adolescents. The results also have important policy and practice implications for addressing immigrant adolescents’ adaptation challenges. Specifically, beyond tailored support policies that account for individual differences in acculturative stress trajectories, there is an urgent need to establish routine mental health monitoring systems and expand professional resources to prevent depressive problems associated with increasing stress. In addition, cultural education and exchange programs that foster bicultural acceptance should be strengthened to support positive integration of both cultures and to enhance social support networks.
Several limitations should be noted. First, the study did not sufficiently incorporate migration background variables (e.g., timing, context, and motivations for migration), limiting an in-depth consideration of the complexity of migration processes. Second, due to the nature of MAPS, immigrant adolescents outside the public education system were excluded; thus, potentially more vulnerable groups experiencing greater adaptation difficulties were not represented. Third, the study did not fully account for additional influential factors such as socioeconomic status, and the sample was restricted to adolescents within a specific age range. Future research should adopt more multifaceted approaches by incorporating detailed migration-related background variables and expanding the study population to include immigrant adolescents outside the public education system.