Purpose: This study determined acculturative stress’ effect on the life satisfaction of multicultural adolescents based on Roy’s Adaptation Model and some earlier studies. Further, it examined the sequential multiple mediating effects of bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem, and social withdrawal on life satisfaction.
Methods: Participants included 1,163 multicultural adolescents who participated in the sixth Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study. A hypothesis test was conducted using Hayes’ Process Macro Model 81.
Results: Life satisfaction increased with a decline in acculturative stress. Each of bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem, and social withdrawal had a single mediating effect on the relationship between acculturative stress and life satisfaction in multicultural adolescents. The sequential multiple mediating effects of bicultural acceptance attitude and self-esteem were confirmed significant after their impact on the relationship between acculturative stress and life satisfaction was analyzed. Bicultural acceptance attitude and social withdrawal were found
to have a significant sequential multiple mediating effect on the relationship, as well.
Conclusion: This study’s results demonstrate that acculturative stress reduction is critical to improving multicultural adolescents’ life satisfaction. Bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem,
and social withdrawal have a single mediating or sequential multiple mediating effect on the relationship between multicultural adolescents’ acculturative stress and life satisfaction. The findings, which highlight mediating effects, indicate that by increasing bicultural acceptance attitude and self-esteem, and reducing social withdrawal, multicultural adolescents’ life satisfaction can be improved.