Dr. Paweena Sukhawathanakul

Biography

Paweena Sukhawathanakul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria. Her research focuses on lifespan health development, with a special emphasis on positive youth development. Sukhawathanakul's work encompasses topics such as peer victimization, violence injury prevention, and community psychology. She is particularly interested in school-based social emotional learning programs and youth activism, emphasizing the importance of social responsibility in fostering development among young people. Her research employs a variety of community-based qualitative and quantitative methodologies to investigate how to enhance the social emotional development of children and adolescents. By identifying the factors that support and undermine youth thriving, Sukhawathanakul aims to promote societal norms that foster tolerance, compassion, and fairness, ultimately benefiting the collective well-being of communities. Through her work, she seeks to leverage the strengths of young individuals alongside the opportunities available in their environments, thereby advancing the implementation of evidence-based prevention science in school settings.

Research Interests