Susan S. Chuang

Details on Research Interests

Dr. Susan Chuang is a Full Professor at the University of Guelph, Ontario. She received her baccalaureate in Criminology and Sociology at the University of Toronto, Ontario. At the University of Rochester, New York, she received a Masters of Science in Elementary Education, and a Masters of Science and Doctorate in Human Development. After graduation, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Maryland, U.S.

Chuang's first line of research includes parenting, fathering, parent-child relationships, child and adolescent development, and school readiness in various sociocultural contexts (e.g., cross-cultural work on Chinese families in Canada, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan; Latina/o families in Paraguay, US; Black families in Jamaica; Brazilian families). Some of the studies have been supported by SSHRC. Areas of exploration include parenting practices and beliefs, parental conflicts on childcare activities, mothers' and fathers' roles and responsibilities in the family, parental views on children's independence and personal freedom, and parent-child relationships.  

A second line of research focuses on youths' and parents' views on cannabis use and the impact on familial dynamics and relationships (two externally funded projects: Canadian Home Economics Foundation and SSHRC). The project is to explore how cannabis use is understood among Chinese-Canadian communities with respect to attitudes, beliefs, and social stigma, motivations for use, and how parents and youth are talking about (or not) cannabis (SSHRC: 2021 - 2025).  

A  more recent line of research explores intimate partner violence against men, false allegations, child custody and access, high conflict relationships, parental alienation, and their impact on individual and family well-being. Specifically, the first project, Partnering to Support Victimized Fathers of Intimate Partner Violence: An Evidence-Based Approach, is working with the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, York Region, to examine men's experiences with intimate partner violence as fathers and how gender, ethnicity, and SES may complicate surviving men's experiences. Surviving fathers' willingness to disclose, seek help and support are some of the topics that are being explored (SSHRC-funded). The second project, The Complexities of Separation, Divorce, Child Custody, and the Aftermath: Fathers' Perspectives and Lived Experiences, explored the under-researched topic of the psychological, social, and financial impact on fathers as they experience marriage/union dissolution, high conflict, interpartner violence, allegations of abuse, and paternal disenfranchisement. Dr. Chuang is in collaboration with two family lawyers (SSHRC-funded). 

As lead organizer, her colleagues from four Professors from three Provinces (BC, ON, and QC) hosted the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Fatherhood and Men's Experiences with Violence and Victimization on September 2022 in Toronto, Ontario (SSHRC-funded). Scholars, community organizations, practitioners from 21 countries and regions presented their work. The countries and regions include: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Kenya, Portugal, Sweden, South Africa, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailans, Trinidad and Tabgao, United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Video recordings and powerpoints are available (visit: www.internationalfamiliesalliance.com)

Chuang also recently organized the 7th On New Shores conference on immigrant families. The Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Families in Global Contexts: Moving Forward conference was held in October 2022. 

She is currently a co-author on the Canadianized version of the Essentials of Lifespan Development with McGraw-Hill Education. It is expected to be published in February 2023. Also with McGraw-Hill Education, she is authoring (as first author) a Child Development textbook with the expected publication date of 2025. 

Chuang is the Series Editor for Springer on two series, including: (1) the Advances on Immigrant Family Research; and (2) Men, Family, and Society. She has edited four books for the series (three as lead editor), as well as other edited books for Lexington Books. She is the Associate Editor for the Journal of Family Psychology and the Journal of Adolescent Research. She provides numerous free community workshops for parents with children of various ages, as well as workshops for school-aged children, youth, and emerging adults. She also conducts workshops for service providers and teachers. Workshops are at no cost. The primary goal of the workshops is to bring greater attention to mental health issues.