Analyzing gender differences in factors affecting depression among multicultural adolescents in South Korea: A cross-sectional study

Suicide is the topmost cause of death among adolescents in South Korea and is deeply related to depression. This study aimed to identify gender differences in the factors affecting depression among multicultural adolescents. This study is a secondary analysis using data from a national survey, the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS) conducted in 2017. The participants were 1160 multicultural adolescents ranging from 15 to 18 years, living in Korea, and whose fathers were Koreans and mothers were foreigners. The results showed that depression scores were higher for females (18.35) than males (16.38, t = 6.42, p < 0.001). In total, seven factors affected depression among male multicultural adolescents’ and the model explained 50.5% of the total variance (F = 77.99, p < 0.001), while four factors affected female multicultural adolescents’ depression, and the model explained 51.4% of the total variance (F = 100.02, p < 0.001). Significant gender differences were found in factors that influence depression among multicultural adolescents. Therefore, depression prevention programs for multicultural adolescents need to vary according to gender. Additionally, these programs should target families and teachers of multicultural adolescents as well.