Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Volume 45, Issue 7, 2016, Pages 1380-1395

Advancing Understanding of Acculturation for Adolescents of Asian Immigrants: Person-Oriented Analysis of Acculturation Strategy Among Korean American Youth (Article)

Choi Y.* , Tan K.P.H. , Yasui M. , Hahm H.C.
  • a School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
  • b School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
  • c School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
  • d School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Acculturation strategy, a significant predictor of immigrant adaptation, has been under-studied with Asian Americans, in particular, Asian American youth. Using person-oriented latent profile analysis, this study identified acculturation strategies among Korean American early adolescents living in the Midwest. Two-hundred ninety-one families were interviewed in 2007 that included 220 youth (mean age 13, 47.7 % female), along with 272 mothers and 164 fathers (N = 656). They were re-interviewed in 2008 (N = 588). The study found three distinct acculturation strategies: separation (11.8 %, n = 26), integrated bicultural (66.9 %, n = 150), and modest bicultural (21.3 %, n = 44). Integrated bicultural youth reported the strongest sense of ethnic identity and the most favorable characteristics, providing empirical support for the benefit of biculturalism. The findings further suggest that separation may not be as detrimental as previously thought, and modest bicultural—biculturalism that is not fully developed—may in fact be less desirable among Korean American youth. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Korean American youth Acculturation strategies Immigrant family Acculturation

Index Keywords

immigrant Social Identification human Chicago Illinois Humans migrant psychology American Adolescent Asian Americans male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation Asian American female juvenile cultural factor identity thinking father mother major clinical study social behavior Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84965071642&doi=10.1007%2fs10964-016-0496-0&partnerID=40&md5=b79c8cc25e87efcf6e88759e84fc7d0f
DOI: 10.1007/s10964-016-0496-0
ISSN: 00472891
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English