Profiles of identity and discrimination and the psychological, health, and academic outcomes of Korean ethnic minority youth in China

Abstract

Korean Chinese is one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities in China. The protective effects of strong bicultural (ethnic and national) identities and the detrimental effects of ethnic discrimination on adjustment outcomes are well documented for ethnic minority youth in W.E.I.R.D. societies. Yet, ethnic minority youth in non-W.E.I.R.D. societies, such as Korean Chinese, may experience a unique form of discrimination-national discrimination. It is not known how multiple social identities and experiences of dual discrimination may intersect to predict youth adjustment. Thus, this study explored profiles of ethnic and national identities and ethnic and national discrimination among Korean Chinese youth and examined their psychological, health, and academic adjustment. The analytic sample included 267 Korean Chinese youth aged from 12 to 18 (M = 15.21, SD = 1.65) residing in Northeast China. Three latent profiles were identified. The dominant profile of Korean Chinese youth was characterized by high bicultural identity and low ethnic and national discrimination (BILD; n = 171). The second profile was characterized by high bicultural identity and high national discrimination (BIND, n = 50). The third profile was characterized by moderate ethnic and national identities and moderate ethnic and national discrimination (MIMD, n = 46). Regression analyses found that the BILD profile showed fewer depressive symptoms compared to the BIND profile and showed better perceived physical health compared to the MIMD profile. The findings highlight strong bicultural identities as a cultural asset and discrimination-particularly national discrimination-as a contextual risk to Korean Chinese adolescents' well-being.

Keywords: Korean Chinese youth; adjustment; ethnic discrimination; ethnic identity; national discrimination; national identity.