Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

ACC 2024 Congress

Catch up on all the top stories and latest evidence in cardiology research with our ACC 2024 Congress hub page.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Associations of multicultural status with depressive mood and suicidality among Korean adolescents: the roles of parental country of birth and socioeconomic position

Authors: Jinwook Bahk, Agnus M. Kim, Young-Ho Khang

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The mental health of the offspring of immigrants is a major public health concern. In this study, we examined associations of multicultural status and parental country of birth with adolescent mental health in South Korea, and assessed the effect of socioeconomic position (SEP) on these associations.

Methods

We used four waves of the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) between 2011 and 2014, including 294,324 participants (149,219 boys and 145,105 girls aged 13–18 years) as study subjects. KYRBS is a cross-sectional survey conducted annually by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The participants in the KYRBS were drawn as stratified multistage clustered samples from Korean middle schools and high schools. We calculated the age-adjusted 12-month prevalence of depressive mood and suicidal behaviors by parental country of birth, and estimated the effects of SEP indicators on the relationship.

Results

The age-standardized prevalence of suicidality (suicide ideation, plans, and attempts) was significantly different between multicultural and non-multicultural boys. The impact of multicultural status on mental health varied with parental foreign-born status and maternal country of birth. Compared with non-multicultural counterparts, boys with Japan-born mothers showed lower prevalence ratios (PRs) of suicidal plans (PR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.16–0.70). Girls with Japan-born mothers also showed lower PRs of depressive mood (PR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.63–0.95) and suicidal ideation (PR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.41–0.83), while adolescents with Korean-Chinese mothers showed similar PRs. Boys with foreign-born fathers as well as boys with two foreign-born parents were at a greater risk of suicidality than non-multicultural boys. The magnitude of the relationship between multicultural status and mental health outcomes was generally attenuated after adjusting for SEP indicators.

Conclusions

In general, adolescents with Japan-born mothers showed lower PRs of depressive mood and suicidality than non-multicultural adolescents, while those with Korean-Chinese mothers showed similar PRs. Boys who had foreign-born fathers generally showed greater PRs of depressive mood and suicidality than non-multicultural boys. To ensure the effective implementation of policies to reduce mental health problems among multicultural adolescents in South Korea, detailed information should be considered regarding the cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds of families, such as parental country of birth and SEP.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Goodman A, Patel V, Leon DA. Child mental health differences amongst ethnic groups in Britain: A systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2008;8(1):1–11.CrossRef
2.
Stevens GW, Vollebergh WA. Mental health in migrant children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008;49(3):276–94.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Gilliver SC, Sundquist J, Li X, Sundquist K. Recent research on the mental health of immigrants to Sweden: a literature review. Eur J Public Health. 2014;24 Suppl 1:72–9.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Abebe DS, Lien L, Hjelde KH. What we know and don’t know about mental health problems among immigrants in Norway. J Immigr Minor Health. 2014;16(1):60–7.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Hilario CT, Oliffe JL, Wong JP, Browne AJ, Johnson JL. Migration and young people’s mental health in Canada: A scoping review. J Ment Health. 2015;24(6):414–22.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Belhadj Kouider E, Koglin U, Petermann F. Emotional and behavioral problems in migrant children and adolescents in Europe: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014;23(6):373–91.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Di Thiene D, Alexanderson K, Tinghog P, La Torre G, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. Suicide among first-generation and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: association with labour market marginalisation and morbidity. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2015;69(5):467–73.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Sieberer M, Maksimovic S, Ersoz B, Machleidt W, Ziegenbein M, Calliess IT. Depressive symptoms in first-and second-generation migrants: a cross-sectional study of a multi-ethnic working population. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2012;58(6):605–13.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Lipsicas CB, Makinen IH. Immigration and Suicidality in the Young. Can J Psychiat. 2010;55(5):274–81.CrossRef
10.
Kim HS, Kim DS. Adolescents of multi-cultural families and differential risks of suicidal behaviors. Korean J Soc. 2014;48(2):35–66.CrossRef
11.
Park HS, Yu JH, Park BY. The relationship between stress and suicidal ideation among the Korean multi-cultural family adolescents. J Korea Inst Electron Commun Sci. 2013;8:771–7.CrossRef
12.
Park GY, Che YR, Kim B. The analysis of risk factors influencing adolescent suicidal ideation in a multicultural family - based on the 2012 Korean Youth Health Risk Behavior On-line Survey. Korean J Health Serv Manage. 2013;7:155–65.CrossRef
13.
Lee BS, Kim JS, Kim KS. Factors that affect the subjective health status of adolescents in multicultural families. J Korean Public Health Nurs. 2013;27(1):64–75.CrossRef
14.
Kim JH, Kim JY, Kim SS. School Violence, Depressive Symptoms, and Help-seeking Behavior: A Gender-stratified Analysis of Biethnic Adolescents in South Korea. J Prev Med Public Health. 2016;49(1):61–8.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Bourque F, van der Ven E, Malla A. A meta-analysis of the risk for psychotic disorders among first- and second-generation immigrants. Psychol Med. 2011;41(5):897–910.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Yeh CJ. Age, acculturation, cultural adjustment, and mental health symptoms of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese immigrant youths. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2003;9(1):34–48.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Lau AS, Jernewall NM, Zane N, Myers HF. Correlates of suicidal behaviors among Asian American outpatient youths. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2002;8(3):199–213.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Williams DR, Mohammed SA, Leavell J, Collins C. Race, socioeconomic status, and health: complexities, ongoing challenges, and research opportunities. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1186:69–101.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
23.
Langhinrichsen-Rohling J, Friend J, Powell A. Adolescent suicide, gender, and culture: A rate and risk factor analysis. Aggress Violent Beh. 2009;14(5):402–14.CrossRef
24.
Adriaanse M, Veling W, Doreleijers T, Van Domburgh L. The link between ethnicity, social disadvantage and mental health problems in a school-based multiethnic sample of children in the Netherlands. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014;23(11):1103–13.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Borrell C, Muntaner C, Gil-Gonzalez D, Artazcoz L, Rodriguez-Sanz M, Rohlfs I, Perez K, Garcia-Calvente M, Villegas R, Alvarez-Dardet C. Perceived discrimination and health by gender, social class, and country of birth in a Southern European country. Prev Med. 2010;50(1–2):86–92.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Bhui K, Stansfeld S, McKenzie K, Karlsen S, Nazroo J, Weich S. Racial/ethnic discrimination and common mental disorders among workers: findings from the EMPIRIC Study of Ethnic Minority Groups in the United Kingdom. Am J Public Health. 2005;95(3):496–501.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
27.
Veling W, Hoek HW, Mackenbach JP. Perceived discrimination and the risk of schizophrenia in ethnic minorities: a case–control study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2008;43(12):953–9.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Brannen F, MacLellan D. A perspective of cultural change in Korea and its effect on multicultural children. J Humanit Soc Sci. 2014;19(6):19–30.
29.
Seo H, Lee S. A study on the difficulties of children from international marriage families in agricultural regions. J Korea Open Assoc Early Child Educ. 2007;12(4):25–47.
30.
Kim Y, Choi S, Chun C, Park S, Khang YH, Oh K. Data Resource Profile: The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS). Int J Epidemiol. 2016;45(4):1076–1076e.PubMed
31.
Bae J, Joung H, Kim JY, Kwon KN, Kim YT, Park SW. Test-retest reliability of a questionnaire for the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. J Prev Med Public Health. 2010;43(5):403–10.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Cho HJ, Khang YH. Family Affluence Scale, other socioeconomic position indicators, and self-rated health among South Korean adolescents: findings from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS). J Public Health. 2009;18(2):169–78.CrossRef
33.
French MT, Homer JF, Popovici I, Robins PK. What You Do in High School Matters: High School GPA, Educational Attainment, and Labor Market Earnings as a Young Adult. East Econ J. 2015;41(3):370–86.CrossRef
34.
Gevrek D, Gevrek ZE, Guven C. Benefits of education at the intensive margin: Childhood academic performance and adult outcomes among American immigrants. In: IZA Discussion Paper. Bonn: The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); 2014. p. 49.
35.
Phang H, Kim K. Trends and differentials in educational stratification in Korea. Korean J Sociol. 2003;37(4):31–65.
36.
McLanahan S, Percheski C. Family structure and the reproduction of inequalities. Annu Rev Sociol. 2008;34:257–76.CrossRef
37.
Spiegelman D, Hertzmark E. Easy SAS calculations for risk or prevalence ratios and differences. Am J Epidemiol. 2005;162(3):199–200.CrossRefPubMed
38.
National Youth Policy Institute. A longitudinal study of children and adolescents from multi-cultural families II. Seoul: National Youth Policy Institute; 2011. p. 1–344.
39.
Korean Ministry of Gender equality and Family. A Study on the national survey of multicultural families 2012. Seoul: Korean Ministry of Gender equality and Family; 2013. p. 1–806.
40.
Amato PR. The impact of family formation change on the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the next generation. Future Child. 2005;15(2):75–96.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Seol DH. International marriage migration and national identity : Marriage-based immigrants’ and their children’s self identification of Koreanness with regard to ethnic and civic nationhood in South Korea. Econ Soc. 2014;103:278–312.CrossRef
42.
Jung HS. Korean woman who married with Pakistan migrant labor. J Fem Theories Pract. 2007;16:78–98.
43.
Oppedal B, Roysamb E. Mental health, life stress and social support among young Norwegian adolescents with immigrant and host national background. Scand J Psychol. 2004;45(2):131–44.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Tamres LK, Janicki D, Helgeson VS. Sex differences in coping behavior: A meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2002;6(1):2–30.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Associations of multicultural status with depressive mood and suicidality among Korean adolescents: the roles of parental country of birth and socioeconomic position
Authors
Jinwook Bahk
Agnus M. Kim
Young-Ho Khang
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4044-y

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Public Health 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Obesity-related health impacts of fuel excise taxation- an evidence review and cost-effectiveness study

Research article

Social support and intimate partner violence during pregnancy among women attending antenatal care in Moshi Municipality, Northern Tanzania

Research article

A socio-ecological analysis of barriers to the adoption, sustainablity and consistent use of sanitation facilities in rural Ethiopia

Research article

Time to ‘re-think’ physical activity promotion for young people? Results from a repeated cross-sectional study

Research article

Trend and outcome of notified children with tuberculosis during 2011-2015 in Kampala, Uganda

Research article

Association between body mass index and diabetes mellitus in tuberculosis patients in China: a community based cross-sectional study