Abstract

The cultural background of multicultural youth significantly impacts their identity formation and psychological adaptation. The stress-vulnerability model posits that psychosocial stressors, such as peer relationships and school adjustment also play a significant role in depression among adolescents. In addition to general stress factors, cultural factors should be considered when studying depression in multicultural adolescents. This study examined the longitudinal influences of national identity and bicultural acceptance attitude on depression among multicultural adolescents in Korea. This study utilized data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (2012–2019) to analyze 1,500 participants. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was applied to explore the longitudinal relationship between the variables. Results reveala negative longitudinal correlation of national identity and bicultural acceptance attitude with depression, even after controlling for sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and academic performance. The findings suggest that a stronger national identity and bicultural acceptance can act as protective factors against depression, highlighting the importance of psychosocial interventions that account for cultural factors.