Susan S. Chuang

Details on Research Interests

Dr. Susan Chuang is a Full Professor at the University of Guelph, Ontario and an accredited family meditor. 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, parenting time and decision-making, 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 have been explored (SSHRC-funded). The second project, The Complexities of Separation, Divorce, Child Custody, and the Aftermath: Fathers' Perspectives and Lived Experiences, explores the under-researched topic of the psychological, social, and financial impact on fathers as they experience marriage/union dissolution, high conflict, interpartner abuse, allegations of abuse, and paternal disenfranchisement. Dr. Chuang is in collaboration with two family lawyers (SSHRC-funded). 

As lead organizer, and with four Professors from three Provinces (BC, ON, and QC), they 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, Thailand, Trinidad and Tabago, United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Video recordings and powerpoints are available (visit: www.IFAlliance.net)

As lead organizer, the Men and Families conference (M & F) was hosted in Toronto in 2023 (SSRHC-funded) as well as 2024. For 2025, the M & F is on the move to Barbados! In 2026, the M & F will be hosted in Sao Miguel, Portugal. Various free webinars will also be organized for 2025 - 2026 (SSHRC-funded; see www.IFAlliance.net for details of upcoming events).

As founder of the On New Shores conferences on immigrant and refugee families, Chuang also organized the 7th one  in 2022 in Toronto, ON.  

She is currently a co-author on the Canadianized version of the Essentials of Lifespan Development with McGraw-Hill Education (2023). 

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 two edited books for Lexington Books. She is the Associate Editor for the Journal of Family Psychology .

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.