Latent Profiles of Daily Stress and Related Factors in South Korean Multicultural Adolescents

This study aims to explore the types of daily stress experienced by multicultural adolescents in South Korea and to examine the influence of personal and environmental coping resources on their categorization. To this end, data from the second edition of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study, collected nationally by the National Youth Policy Institute in Korea were analyzed. A three-step latent profile analysis was conducted using the Mplus program on data from 1,685 multicultural adolescents in the fourth grade. The analysis identified six distinct stress profiles: Overall Low, Average, Overall High, Family and Self-Concept Difficulty, Peer Conflict High, and Peer Conflict Low. Among personal coping resources, self-esteem and social competence significantly increased the likelihood of belonging to the Overall Low stress profile. Additionally, parental monitoring and non-neglectful parenting, as environmental coping resources, were significantly associated with lower stress levels across various aspects of daily stress. The findings highlight the need for differentiated intervention strategies tailored to the diverse daily stress profiles of multicultural adolescents. Intervention programs should include initiatives to strengthen multicultural adolescents' self-esteem and social competence, alongside family-level strategies that address and improve parenting practices.