Our department held an enlightening International Dialogue on 25 November 2024, featuring Dr. Rebecca Y. M. Cheung, the Department of Educational Studies, Academy of Future Education, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. The event focused on the critical role of mindfulness and family dynamics in cultivating social-emotional well-being across various developmental stages.
Dr. Cheung emphasized the profound impact of contextual factors on social-emotional wellness throughout different developmental periods. Her research program delves into mindfulness, family communication, and emotion regulation as pivotal processes. She highlighted the importance of understanding when, why, how, and for whom these processes are most relevant, particularly within family contexts facing diverse needs.
Dr. Cheung also provided valuable insights into the dynamics of family interactions and their impact on social-emotional well-being. She stated that children are not passive members of the family but active participants interacting with their parents in mental health. Following her studies, she also mentioned the detrimental effects of interparental conflict on children's emotional security, which can lead to negative perceptions of the family and emotional dysregulation. To mitigate these effects, she introduced the importance of emotion regulation with mindfulness practices to manage children's and parents’ emotions and prevent impulsive reactions, which can create a positive environment that promotes the social-emotional wellness of children in the final act of her presentation.
