The A*STAR IHDP Seminars: Human Potential series

[RECORDED] Nurturing Resilience: Singapore's Parenting Paradox and Its Implications for Positive Youth Development

In this seminar, Associate Professor Peipei Setoh explores the fascinating paradox within Singapore's parenting landscape, where strict parenting practices coexist with strong family cohesion and positive child outcomes. This apparent contradiction challenges our conventional understanding of "optimal" parenting and highlights the crucial role of cultural context in shaping developmental trajectories. Drawing on the latest findings from Singapore's most comprehensive birth cohort study, GUSTO, she illustrates how our unique sociocultural environment offers valuable insights into childhood resilience and the formation of lasting parent-child bonds. A/Prof Setoh also discusses how we can harness these cultural insights to foster positive youth development in Singapore and beyond. By examining the interplay between parenting styles, cultural values, and child outcomes, we can develop more nuanced, culturally informed approaches to support families and children. This session inspires a constructive dialogue on understanding child development with audiences in research, policy and practice, to contribute to the well-being of future generations in Singapore.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Associate Professor Peipei Setoh
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
Director, Early Cognition Lab, NTU

A/Prof Peipei Setoh is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU). She holds a MA and PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she researched cognitive development in infants and young children. A/Prof Setoh is the director of the Early Cognition Lab at NTU and she leads the Social Science team in Singapore’s largest birth cohort study, Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO). Her current research focuses on how family and parenting influence children’s outcomes