Changes in Factors Affecting the Life Satisfaction of Multicultural Adolescents in Korea

BACKGROUND: Currently, Korea is witnessing a steady increase in the number of adolescents from multicultural families. we aimed to identify the trends in life satisfaction changes and identifies the predictors of life satisfaction in multicultural adolescents at the grade level. METHODS: Data from the Multicultural Adolescent Panel Survey (2012–2015) were analyzed in this study. Accordingly, we performed multiple linear regression analysis with previously identified life satisfaction predictors in adolescents as the explanatory variables for each school year. RESULTS: Multicultural adolescents experienced higher life satisfaction in the sixth than fifth grade, and their satisfaction tended to decline after the sixth grade. Academic satisfaction, depression, self-esteem, ego-resilience, and family support significantly predicted the group's life satisfaction in fourth to eighth grades; however, since these factors changed across grade levels, their impact on life satisfaction also varied across grades. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the necessity of developing approaches that consider the varying factors and their grade-level effects on multicultural adolescents’ life satisfaction and implementing effective policies and programs tailored to each grade level or developmental stage. These results provide valuable data to determine the timings and contents of such policies and programs.