Abstract
South Korea has experienced rapid demographic diversification, accompanied by a growing population of adolescents from multicultural families-defined in Korean policy as youth with at least one foreign-born parent, most commonly a Korean father and foreign-born mother. This study examines the association between nativity-based discrimination and depressive symptoms among multicultural adolescents in Korea and investigates whether distinct dimensions of socioeconomic status (SES) moderate this association. Data were drawn from two waves (2022-2023) of nationally representative longitudinal data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study Ⅱ (MAPS Ⅱ). The analytic sample included 1,415 adolescents (52.1% boys) aged 13-14 years. Fixed-effects models were employed to account for unobserved, time-invariant individual-level heterogeneity that may confound the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms. SES was disaggregated into household income quartiles, parental occupational status, and parental educational attainment, and interaction terms were included to test moderation. Findings reveal a significant positive association between experiences of nativity-based discrimination and depressive symptoms, even after controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity. This association was particularly pronounced among adolescents in the lowest household income quartile. No significant moderation was observed for parental occupational status and educational attainment. Nativity-based discrimination is associated with increased depressive symptoms among multicultural adolescents in Korea, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The findings highlight the need for accessible, culturally competent mental health services and targeted family support programs, particularly for economically disadvantaged multicultural households, to promote mental health and social integration in Korea's increasingly diverse society.