yuk king chan lau | The Chinese University of Hong Kong (original) (raw)

Papers by yuk king chan lau

Work is perceived to be a major barrier to the amount and quality of time available for family us... more Work is perceived to be a major barrier to the amount and quality of time available for family use. Both adequate time and quality time are important for the wellbeing of a family. Among the various patterns in the use of family time, there is ample evidence of a positive relationship between participation in family leisure and family functioning. Despite the persistent trend of long working hours in Hong Kong, how work affects the involvement of workers in family leisure is under-examined in the region. Guided by an ecological-systemic perspective, a random sample telephone survey was conducted in November 2010. A total of 1,002 respondents were successfully interviewed. From the results of the survey, it was found that work-family conflict has restricted involvement in family leisure activities and increased the burden on members of the family who are responsible for organising family leisure activities. Furthermore, work-family conflict, together with the burden of organising fam...

This article reports the experience, knowledge and skills of youngsters who refuse to go to schoo... more This article reports the experience, knowledge and skills of youngsters who refuse to go to school and their parents as documented through the use of a narrative oriented multiple-family group. The integration of a narrative framework into the multiple-family group expanded the focus from inter-familial and intra-familial interactions to the interaction of the youth and their family members with the dominant ideology in the school system. This expanded scope facilitates our understanding of school participation in the problem. It adds a focus of social justice and enhances a reflective and reflexive practice of school-based family counseling. In addition to changes at the individual and family levels, modifications at the school level are also necessary to help students achieve success in school.

Education and a parent’s responsibility to govern children’s appropriate behaviours are greatly e... more Education and a parent’s responsibility to govern children’s appropriate behaviours are greatly emphasised in Chinese culture. In this culture, school refusing behaviours are not only a reflection of personal problems or a deficit of the students, but also a failure of their parents’ parenting skills. Qualitative studies on students who refuse to attend school found that they are usually ‘exiles’ who are critical of the meritocratic ideology promoted in their schools. Students who refuse to attend school and their parents need space for their voices and critical perspectives. This article illustrates the implementation of a narrative oriented multiple-family group with students who refuse to attend school and their parents, which is guided by the tradition of ‘consulting your consultants’ developed by Michael White and David Epston. The telling and re-telling in the group was found to be an empowering process for the participating families. The cultural difference between the emphas...

China Journal of Social Work, 2014

Marriage & Family Review, 2008

Abstract In recent research on post-divorce families in Hong Kong, there has been a shift away fr... more Abstract In recent research on post-divorce families in Hong Kong, there has been a shift away from the assumption of pathology, and in favor of a trend of increasing attention to children's resilience and the benefits of a continuous parental relationship. There remains, however, a lack of empirical knowledge to guide social work practices in this area in contemporary Hong Kong. The present study is designed to examine how children's relationships with both parents and the different patterns of parental relationships impact children's self-esteem. Sixty-nine post-divorce families participated in the survey. The findings of a positive impact of quality relationship with both parents supported the promotion of active involvement of both parents. The likelihood of increased parental conflicts, however, makes the co-parental involvement a double-edged sword as far as the children are concerned, while an avoidance/low-conflict pattern of parental relationship is found to be the most beneficial pattern for the children. To enhance the well-being of children, a secure residential parent-child relationship with a noncompetitive nonresidential parent-child relationship is deemed beneficial.

Social Indicators Research, 2009

ABSTRACT Work and family conflicts are always viewed as issues of human resource management or oc... more ABSTRACT Work and family conflicts are always viewed as issues of human resource management or occupational health. Insufficient attention has been focused on the impact on child development and quality of parenting, especially regarding the impact of a father’s work. To examine the impact of work and family conflicts on the quality of father–child interactions in Hong Kong, a cross-sectional survey was conducted. In total, 556 pairs of working fathers and their school-aged children participated in the survey. The findings of the survey indicated that fathers’ work-to-family conflicts negatively affected the quality of father–child interactions, which in turn caused harm to children’s self-esteem. In addition to work-family conflicts, a low income level of the fathers, a larger number of children in the family, and the presence in the family of children approaching adolescence were significant risk factors to the quality of father–child interactions. The mothers’ active parental involvement and the complexity of the fathers’ occupation were significant protective factors of the quality of father–child interactions. To facilitate strong family bonding and good quality parenting, possible measures to ensure a healthy work-family balance among working fathers are discussed.

Journal of comparative family studies

The study examined, from a feminist perspective, the labor force participation of married women i... more The study examined, from a feminist perspective, the labor force participation of married women in Hong Kong at different stages of the family life cycle, as well as the interaction of women's gender role attitudes with human capital variables and resource variables. Findings showed that labor force participation of married women was both an ideological issue and a resource issue. The coexistence of a higher education level and a nontraditional gender role attitude positively associated with women's labor force participation. Traditional and nontraditional women differed in where they look for childcare support. However, irrespective of their gender role attitude, women opted to work when their family needed their financial contribution and they chose to stay home to take care of the family when the financial situation allowed. Putting the welfare of the children and family before the mothers' autonomy and personal development remained the overriding principle in the res...

Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2012

With the close economic relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland, cross-border commuting w... more With the close economic relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland, cross-border commuting work arrangements have become a common work-family arrangement of Hong Kong residents. Previous studies have focused on the detrimental influences of the cross-border work arrangement on family relationships. More recent studies with a resilience perspective have revealed that there are both risks and successes in family adjustment to the cross-border work arrangement. The resilience perspective was adopted as the conceptual framework of a crosssectional survey that aimed to explore the risk and protective factors in marital adjustment to the work-related separation. Positive copings of both spouses were found to be the most significant protective factors, while beliefs that the workrelated absence of a parent makes a family incomplete and worry over the infidelity of the traveling spouses were the most significant risk factors. Stationary wives reported a significantly lower level of mar...

Social Work With Groups, 1999

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the implementation of two multiple family groups for post-separatio... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the implementation of two multiple family groups for post-separation families and post-divorce families in Hong Kong. The implementation strategies with a systemic perspective and the cultural issues identified will be illustrated.

Journal of Family Social Work, 2009

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1,015 respondents) that aims to ident... more This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1,015 respondents) that aims to identify the perceived general family functioning and family resources of Hong Kong Chinese families and their linkage to each other in a rapidly transforming society. The perceived general family functioning of the respondents was average, and the five types of family resources—time, income, human capital, psychological

Journal of Family Social Work, 2005

This study examines the relationship between the making of financial provision by nonresident par... more This study examines the relationship between the making of financial provision by nonresident parents and children's self-esteem in a Chinese context. It is found that the relationship depends much on the dynamics of the nonresident parents' participation in other areas of family relationships, such as parental conflict. As this is an exploratory study with a small sample size, the results are suggestive rather than conclusive. The study contributes by indicating the possible cultural difference in the family dynamics of the post-divorce families in the Chinese context of Hong Kong and the West, and the need to take into account the perspectives of both the resident and nonresident parents in studying nonresident parents' post-divorce involvement.

Journal of Family Social Work, 2014

ABSTRACT The impact of the work-family interface on both individual functioning and family functi... more ABSTRACT The impact of the work-family interface on both individual functioning and family functioning among the Hong Kong working population is examined in this article. Guided by an integration of the scarcity theory and the role expansion theory, this study is based on data drawn from a random-sample survey conducted in 2010. Work-family conflict was found to have a different impact than work-family facilitation on individual and family functioning. Work-family conflict had a detrimental effect on mental health and family functioning, while work-family facilitation had a positive effect. These results provide initial evidence of the applicability of related Western theories on the work-family interface in Hong Kong. In addition, those who were single were found to have experienced a similar level of work-family conflict but a significantly lower level of work-family facilitation in comparison with those who were not single. Due to their disadvantageous work situations, special attention has to be paid to the mental health status of those born after the 1980s.

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 2007

ABSTRACT With the traditional practice of excluding the nonresident parent from post-divorce fami... more ABSTRACT With the traditional practice of excluding the nonresident parent from post-divorce families in Chinese societies, the importance of post-divorce parental alliance has largely been ignored. Patterns of post-divorce parental alliance in Hong Kong have been explored in this study, re-conceptualizing post-divorce families as binuclear families. Based on the data of 62 resident parents and their children, a typology with six patterns was proposed. The six patterns include (1) harmonious co-parenting, (2) harmonious parallel parenting, (3) supportive parallel parenting with some conflicts, (4) disengaged parallel parenting, (5) enmeshed co-parenting, and (6) antagonistic conflicting parenting. In addition to the consistent findings with the West on the harmful effects of conflicting parental relationship on children's well-being, harmonious parental alliance was also negatively associated with children's self-esteem in the Hong Kong study. These negative associations were attributed to the strain on the children caused by the inadequate coordination across households and the conflict between children's perceived filial obligations and their need for autonomy.

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 2004

... Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (1997). Conflict and Harmony: Casebook on Family... more ... Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (1997). Conflict and Harmony: Casebook on Family Mediation and Couple Counseling, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Catholic Advisory Council (in Chinese). ... Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 28(1/2), 77-89. Lau, YK (2002). ...

The Hong Kong Journal of Social Work, 1998

Divorce is a family issue and not only an individual concern; a family systems perspective is pro... more Divorce is a family issue and not only an individual concern; a family systems perspective is proposed as a more appropriate framework when working with the post-divorce families. This is an intervention model. Guided by the family systems perspective, two multiple family groups for post-separation and post-divorce families were organised. The evaluation results of the two groups and their implications to the social work profession at clinical and macro levels will be discussed in this article. 离婚是一项影响深远的家庭事件，在离婚适应过程中，家庭成员的功能间存著互为影响的关系，以提升个人功能为主辅导模式并未能处理这种关系，家庭系统理论则能补此不足。多家庭小组是结合家庭系统理论及小组辅导的一种创新性介入模式，本文将简介两个多家庭小组的检讨结果及其对社会工作专业在实务和宏观层面之启示。

The Hong Kong Journal of Social Work, 2003

In Hong Kong, post-divorce families have long been conceptualised as "single parent families... more In Hong Kong, post-divorce families have long been conceptualised as "single parent families", thereby overlooking the fact that some non-resident parents do have continuous participation in the post-divorce families. With this over-generalised conceptualisation, social services have been focusing on bringing about successful single parenting and have ignored the possibility of post-divorce co-parenting and non-residential parenting in these families. It also reinforces the win-lose dichotomy in fighting over child custody. The author recommends re-conceptualising the post-divorce families as "binuclear families" to draw our attention to the possible participation and influence of the non-resident parents in these families. Promotion of forever-parenthood and family law reform would also help to induce change in the dominant social discourse. We need more empirical research on post-divorce families to clear the obscured picture and facilitate the formulation of a...

The Hong Kong Journal of Social Work, 2004

China Journal of Social Work, 2009

ABSTRACT With the close economic relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland, work‐related co... more ABSTRACT With the close economic relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland, work‐related commuting across the border is emerging as a common work/family arrangement in Hong Kong. To examine the costs and benefits of this at the individual and family levels, a cross‐sectional survey with quota sampling was conducted. The target group of the survey was couples with one spouse working across the border and their children between the ages of 8–17, if there were any. A resilience perspective was adopted to address both the positive and negative impacts of the work arrangement on family relationships.Findings of the survey indicate that disruption in the fulfillment of parental obligations is the most significant cost of the cross border work arrangement. Fathers are more likely to be marginalized in their parental role due to their higher frequency of travel and limited contacts with the children. For mothers with children at dependent age, limitations in parental involvement due to the work arrangement bring a strong sense of guilt. Work‐family conflict significantly intensified their intention to end the cross‐border work. On the other hand, the results indicate that commuting assignments can be stimulating and enriching to a marriage. To maximize the benefits of the cross‐border work arrangement and minimize its negative impacts, family‐friendly work policies and a family‐friendly work schedule are strongly recommended. Successful coping strategies and the necessary resources for the successful adjustment should be further examined.随着香港与内地密切的经济关系，与跨境工作有关的工作/家庭安排正成为一个在香港常见的现象。为了研究这种安排在个人和家庭层面上的成本效益，作者进行了一个具有代表性的配额抽样调查。调查的对象是其中一方需跨境工作的夫妇；以及如他们有子女的话，子女的年龄必须介乎8至17岁之间。本研究同时处理跨境工作安排对家庭关系的正面和负面影响。调查结果发现，未能履行父母的义务是跨境工作安排最大的成本。由于频密的跨境工干和跟子女的接触有限，父亲更容易被排斥于其父亲的角色以外。由于跨境工作的安排以致未能与仍然是依赖年龄的子女有更多的联系，也为母亲带来强烈的罪疚感。工作与家庭的冲突大大增加了他们结束跨境工作的意愿。另一方面，研究发现这种工作安排可以刺激和丰富婚姻。为了发挥跨境工作安排最大的好处，并尽量减少其负面影响，作者强烈建议有利雇员发展家庭生活的工作安排。有效的的应对战略和所须的资源则需要进一步的研究。

Child & Family Social Work, 2003

This paper argues that researchers and social workers, whose work aims at empowering single paren... more This paper argues that researchers and social workers, whose work aims at empowering single parent families, have inadvertently participated in a social construction process that reinforces a pathological perspective on these families. The process has paradoxically caused single parent families to be disempowered through a welfare service system that pinpoints their difficulties and vulnerabilities. To address the paradox, the author recommends a 'both-and' perspective that takes into account both the needs and difficulties, and the strengths and successes, of these families. Social welfare services for single parent families in Hong Kong Y K Lau

Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 2011

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1002) conducted in November 2008, whi... more This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1002) conducted in November 2008, which aimed to identify parenting stress and perceived family functioning of Chinese parents in Hong Kong; to explore the effects of the parents' socio-demographic characteristics (gender, family income, education and family structure) on the aforementioned stress and functioning variables; and to examine the interrelationship among these characteristics and the two variables in question. Results showed that the reported parenting stress was at average level, while the perceived family functioning was slightly below average. The results also indicated that the parenting stress of mothers, single parents, the low-income and the less-educated was higher than that of fathers, parents of nuclear and extended families, the high-income and the better-educated. Socio-demographic characteristics except the parent's gender had similar effects on perceived family functioning. Higher parenting stress was associated with lower family functioning, and explained a larger variance in the perceived family functioning than the socio-demographic characteristics taken alone. The results of the study have provided empirical support regarding the interrelationships among the vulnerable groups in society, parenting stress and perceived family functioning. Implications of the study for social work practice are discussed.