Stress or Buffer: The Impact of Social Transnational Ties on Depressive Mood and Suicidal Ideation Among Female Marriage Migrants in South Korea

This study examines whether and to what extent transnational ties with the home country influence female marriage migrants’ depressive mood and suicidal ideation in South Korea. We analyzed the multicultural adolescent panel survey (2011–2018), which included multicultural adolescents born to a foreign-born parent. We adopted fixed-effects ordered logistic regression models for eight time periods. While suicidal ideation increased over time, no change in depressive mood was found among female marriage migrants. The inflow transnational ties was negatively associated with depressive mood and suicidal ideation. The outflow transnational ties did not significantly predict depressive mood and suicidal ideation. Supporting female marriage migrants to maintain transnational ties with their home country could improve their mental health. More policy support is also essential for vulnerable female marriage migrants with limited human and social capital. Future studies need to expand the impact of other types of transnational ties on mental health among immigrants in Korea.