Factors predicting multicultural acceptance among multicultural adolescents in South Korea: A latent growth model and growth mixture model approach

Despite the increase in international marriages in South Korea, adolescents from multicultural families often face social exclusion, leading to psychological challenges. Yet, research on how they perceive multicultural acceptance and what factors predict their attitudes over developmental stages is limited. Therefore, this study aims to address individual changes and trajectories of group changes in multicultural acceptance. The Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (Waves 4–6) by the National Youth Policy Institute in South Korea (N = 1193, 7–9th Grade) was utilized. Adolescents were identified as those with a Korean father and a foreign-national immigrant mother. Descriptive statistics, the Latent Growth Model (LGM), and Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) were performed to assess distinct profiles of multicultural acceptance. Logistic regression was used to examine predictive factors related to multicultural acceptance. The LGM results showed a trend of increasing multicultural acceptance with individual differences. The GMM results indicated the best fit with three profiles of multicultural acceptance: Increasing (29.3 %), Maintaining (65.4 %), and Decreasing (5.4 %). The logistic regression results showed that adolescents in the Decreasing class who reported higher life satisfaction and better school adjustment were more likely to transition to the Increasing class. Higher self-esteem, better school adjustment, and maternal self-esteem were associated with an increased likelihood of moving to the Increasing class in the Maintaining class. Interventions targeting these predictive factors are needed to increase multicultural acceptance among multicultural adolescents. Human services professionals may employ these findings to implement family functioning and school-based mental health programs promoting multicultural acceptance and boosting self-esteem.