Acculturative Family Distancing and Depressive Symptoms Among Korean American Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Family Conflicts

This study investigated the associations among acculturative family distancing in communication and values, family conflicts (parent-adolescent conflict, interparental conflict), and depressive symptoms and the mediating effects of family conflicts in the associations between acculturative family distancing in communication and values, and depressive symptoms in KA adolescents. Path analysis was used to analyze data from a cross-sectional survey of 339 Korean American adolescents (Mage = 14.99, SD = 1.67; 53% female) residing in New York City and New Jersey. Measurements include the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale, Acculturative Family Distancing Youth Report Scale (AFD-YR), the Family Conflicts Scale (FCS), and the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale. All path coefficients for the final model were statistically significant. There were significant mediating effects of parent-adolescent conflict and interparental conflict on the associations between acculturative family distancing in communication and values and depressive symptoms. The study suggests acculturative family distancing may be a contextual risk factor for depressive symptoms among KA youth. Additionally, greater acculturative family distancing may erode the strength and quality of family relationships. One of the objectives of this study was to test the AFD theory which identifies more problematic dimensions of intergenerational acculturation gap that increase risk for family conflict. The findings of the current study not only support but also build on the AFD theory by examining its relationship to both interparental and parent-adolescent conflicts.