Title: Parenting and Parents’ Well-being Across Cultures: Insights from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Thailand, and the United Kingdom
Date: March 13, 2026 (Friday)
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (Hong Kong Time)
Format: Online in English
Registration: https://eduhk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3wFUUNo8SuuCpoWIwrg8Xw (Register to attend live or to receive the video recording of the session)
This inter-conversation brings together researchers from across Asia and the United Kingdom to explore the nature of parenting and parents’ well-being from diverse cultural perspectives. Hosted and moderated by Dr Xiaozi Gao, the session features five presentations exploring various dimensions of parenting across different cultural settings, including the impact of economic pressures on parental mental health, parent-child relationships and their developmental implications, emotional and attachment dynamics in families, and the role of traditional beliefs and cultural practices in contemporary parenting. Through comparative and culturally-situated research, the speakers highlight both universal and culturally-specific aspects of parenting experiences. The session provides a platform for cross-cultural dialogue about the challenges parents face and the diverse ways in which families promote children’s development and parental well-being.
Biography of Speakers
Dr Xiaozi Gao is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Early Childhood Education at The Education University of Hong Kong and a member of the Centre for Educational and Developmental Sciences. Her research focuses on family studies, parenting behaviors, and child development, with particular emphasis on parent-child interactions and early childhood education. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from The Education University of Hong Kong. Dr. Gao's current research investigates how environmental factors like household chaos influences children's socio and cognitive development and family well-being.
Dr Chengyi Xu is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Child, Adolescent and Family Research, University of Cambridge. She obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Claire Hughes. Prior to Cambridge, she received her Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Her research examines how culture and key social contexts, including family and school environments, influence the development of children’s executive function and social understanding.
Ms Elya Marfu’atun is a clinical psychologist and lecturer in Special Education at Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia, with expertise in parenting, child development, and inclusive education. Her work focuses on promoting young children’s social and emotional well-being in diverse cultural contexts. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Institute of Education, Massey University, where her research centres on developing and evaluating a culturally responsive online parenting program for preschool children. Through her research, teaching, and clinical practice, she aims to strengthen family practices and support positive early childhood development.
Dr Weiyi Xie is an Associate Professor at South China Agricultural University. With a lifelong passion for children’s mental health, she dedicated her career to understanding and supporting young minds. Her academic foundation was built at The University of Hong Kong, where her Ph.D. research focused on psychosocial adjustment and cross-cultural parent-child dynamics. Now, she leads intervention studies specifically designed to address childhood maltreatment and complex family dynamics. By bridging her expertise as a researcher and clinical counselor, she strives not only to map the trajectories of psychological growth but to actively foster resilience and healing in the families she serves.
Dr Kannika Permpoonputtana is an Associate Professor at the National Institute for Child and Family Development, Mahidol University, Thailand. She holds a PhD in Neurosciences, a Master’s degree in Human Development, and she is also a licensed occupational therapist. Her interdisciplinary research spans early childhood development, parenting, and brain–behavior relationships, with a focus on how early experiences, caregiving environments, and parental practices influence children’s neurodevelopment, executive functions, play, parenting, and participation across the lifespan. She has published widely on neurobiological mechanisms, play and parenting, and the development and cultural adaptation of assessment tools for young children. She is particularly interested in translating neuroscience evidence into practical, family-centered approaches that support responsive parenting and promote healthy development in early childhood.
