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영어

Purpose: This study aimed to identify and compare factors related to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) between multicultural and non-multicultural adolescents. Methods: The study utilized the secondary data from the 20th (2024) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. A Rao-Scott chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to analyze the differences and the factors associated with GAD among multicultural and non-multicultural adolescents. Adolescents were classified into the high-risk group of GAD based on a GAD-7 score of 10 or higher. Results: The mean GAD score was 11.36±4.68 for multicultural adolescents and 11.49 ±4.72 for non-multicultural adolescents. The proportion of adolescents classified as high-risk for GAD was 54.5% among multicultural adolescents and 55.8% among non-multicultural adolescents. Significant factors for high GAD risk in both groups were gender, perceived economic status, residential location, subjective health status, and perceived stress. However, academic performance, body image distortion, and body mass index were only significantly associated with GAD in non-multicultural adolescents. Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for targeted mental health interventions, including educational programs and psychosocial support systems, to prevent GAD in adolescents. Special attention should be given to sociocultural contexts when developing mental health strategies for multicultural youth.