Abstract:
This thesis explored adolescent perceptions of their relationships with their mothers and fathers and the association with depressive symptoms for Korean immigrant students in New Zealand. The sample consisted of 67 high school students and 89 university students. The study used ratings of perceptions of parenting based on the Network of Relationships Inventory – Relationship Quality Version (NRI-RQV) and the Asian American Family Conflict Scale (AAFCS), as well as self-reported depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Results showed that both high school and university students, on average, reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were correlated with high school student perceptions of the seriousness of acculturative conflict, relational conflict and criticism from mothers and the seriousness/likelihood of acculturative conflict and level of companionship with fathers. University student depressive symptoms were correlated with lower levels of relationship satisfaction with mothers. Additionally, university student depressive symptoms were associated with more frequent acculturative conflict with fathers and lower levels of relationship satisfaction, approval and closeness with fathers. Regression analysis showed that high school students’ perception of the seriousness of acculturative conflict with their fathers was a significant unique predictor of depressive symptoms. The high rates of depressive symptoms in this study affirm the importance of further examining the prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms in the Korean immigrant high school and university student population. Additionally, that intervention options should consider targeting relationships with parents, taking into account both the age of the adolescent and the gender of the parent.
