The Relationships of Acculturation Attitudes to Adjustment in Korean-Chinese Adolescents

조선족 청소년의 문화 접변유형과 적응간의 관계

The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure(Phinney, 1992) was administered to 179 Korean-Chinese mothers and their 8th and 9th grade children in the Yanbian region of China. Children also completed the Depression, Self-Esteem, and Social Competence scales. Findings were that while there was no difference between mothers and their adolescent children in Integration and Marginalization, more Separation in mothers and more Assimilation in adolescents were found. Korean-Chinese adolescents who belonged to the Integration type showed higher self-esteem and social competence than those of the marginalized type. Children's self-esteem and social competence were highest when both mother and child were in the Integration type. These results support the notion that Integration reflects the most adaptive, while Marginalization is the most at-risk attitude to acculturation.