Exploring the Factors Influencing Social Isolation among Multicultural Adolescents: Focusing on Bullying, Parenting Attitudes, and Social Support

This study comprehensively examined the effects of bullying victimization, parenting attitudes, and social support on social isolation among multicultural adolescents. Utilizing data from the 5th wave of the 2nd phase of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS) conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute, hierarchical regression analysis was performed on 1,842 multicultural middle school second graders. The results indicated that bullying victimization significantly increased social isolation, while parental educational support and expectations acted as protective factors that reduced social isolation. Conversely, parental neglectful attitudes exacerbated social isolation. Among social support variables, peer support significantly decreased social isolation, whereas teacher support was not statistically significant. Based on these findings, the results may serve as foundational data for developing policies and programs aimed at preventing peer bullying, strengthening positive parenting attitudes, and expanding peer support networks to alleviate social isolation among multicultural adolescents.