Faculty
Suzanne Ho-Wai SO
Ph.D., King's College London
Professor
Rm 321, Wong Foo Yuan Building
shwso@cuhk.edu.hk
3943 6211
2603 5019
Brief Introduction
Professor Suzanne So is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor So received her BA in Experimental Psychology, MSSc in Clinical Psychology and PhD from the University of Oxford, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and King’s College London respectively. She is particularly interested in how mental disorders develop and how to treat and prevent them. As a clinician and educator, she is keen to bridge what the books say with what real people experience in their daily life, so as to make conceptual knowledge come alive and to promote a more humanistic understanding of patients’ experiences.
Research Interests
I am interested in examining the psychological processes that contribute to the development and maintenance of psychosis, a severe mental ill-health condition. My students and I focus on the role of cognitive biases (such as belief inflexibility) and affective processes (such as worry) on psychotic disorders and emotional disorders. Our projects cover the continuum of psychosis, from individuals at risk of developing the illness, to patients across the acute and recovery stages. We adopt a wide range of methods to address our research questions, such as clinical interviews, questionnaires, experience sampling with the use of a mobile phone app, actigraphy, EEG, fMRI, meta-analysis, treatment trials, analysis of big data such as electronic health records, and multivariate statistical modelling.
Teaching Areas
- PSYC4906- Guided Self-help Practicum
- PSYC6730- Intervention Seminar I
Publications
So, S.H., Chau, A.K.C., Tsui, W.L.A., Chan, S.S., Chang, W.C., Ellett, L., Sun, X., & Barry, T.J. (2025). Autobiographical memory retrieval in schizophrenia and its association with symptom severity. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, [ePub ahead of print] DOI: 10.1037/mac0000227
Chan, S.S.M., Wong, O.W.H., Hussain, S., Tsoi, K.K.F., Ma, K.K.Y., Chau, S.W.H., Ma, S.L., Lai, K.Y.C., Chu, W.C.W., Lo, H.H.L., Ho, S.W.S., Leung, C.C., Yiu, K.K.L., So, S.H., Sham, P.C., Hung, S.F., & Leung, P.W.L. (2025). Twelve-month prevalence of DSM-5 mental disorders and the psychosocial correlates – A child and adolescent psychiatric epidemiologic survey in Hong Kong SAR. The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, 57, 101533.
Kingston, J., Dunford, A., Chau, A.K.C., So, S.H., & Pile, V. (2025). Vivid images of future harm: The relationship between paranoia, prospective imagery and present moment awareness. Personality and Individual Differences, 237, 113038. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2024.113038
Morris, E.M.J., Kingston, J., Ellett, L., Lincoln, T., Gaudiano, B.A., So, S.H. (2025). Impact of change in insomnia on change in pandemic paranoia: A longitudinal moderated-mediation model in an international sample. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 186, 341-347. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.04.042
So, S.H., Woodruff, P.W., & Khaled, S.M. (2025). Editorial: Markers of clinical significance and treatment-seeking of psychotic experiences in non-clinical populations: Potential resilience and risk factors. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1557770. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1557770
Morriss, J., Rosenek, N., Gaudiano, B.A., So, S.H., Kingston, J., Lincoln, T.L., Morris, E.M.J., & Ellett, L. (2024). Associations between interpersonal trauma and intolerance of uncertainty in an international multi-site sample. Cognitive Therapy and Research. DOI: 10.1007/s10608-024-10552-3
Morriss, J., Gaudiano, B.A., So, S.H., Kingston, J., Lincoln, T., Morris, E.M.J., & Ellett, L. (2024). Associations between intolerance of uncertainty, paranoia, anxiety and depression: Evidence from an international multi-site sample. Mental Health Science, 2024, e81. DOI: 10.1002/mhs2.81
Schlier, B., Lincoln, T.M., Kingston, J.L., So, S.H., Gaudiano, B.A., Morris, E.M.J., & Ellett, L. (2024). Cross-cultural validation of the Revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale. Psychological Medicine, 54, 1985-1991. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291724000072.
So, S.H., Chau, A.K.C., Gaudiano, B.A., Ellett, L., Lincoln, T.M., Morris, E.M.J., & Kingston, J.L. (2024). The relationship between risk perception, anxiety and paranoia – A predictive model in a community sample. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 5, 100052. DOI: 10.1016/j.xjmad.2024.100052
Powell, C.L.Y.M., Chiu, C.Y., Sun, X., & So, S.H. (2024). A meta-analysis on the efficacy of low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy for generalised anxiety disorder. BMC Psychiatry, 24, 10. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05306-6
Chau, A.K.C., & So, S.H. (2024). The mediating role of social stress sensitivity on the relationship between hostile attribution bias and paranoia: An experience sampling study. European Psychiatry, 67(S1), S285. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.595
Liu, T.C., Kwok, N.T., Leung, P.W., Hung, S.F., Chan, S.S.M., Chau, S.H.W., Wong, W.H., & So, S.H. (2024). Emotional reactivity to daily events in adolescents with clinical depression and subthreshold depression: an experience sampling study. European Psychiatry, 67(S1), S543. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.1127
Chung, L.K., Harris, A.W., Griffiths, O., Jack, B.N., Le Pelley, M.E., Spencer, K.M., Barreiros, A.R., Harrison, A.W., Han, N., Libesman, S., Pearson, D., Elijah, R.B., Chan, S.S.M., Chong, G.H., So, S.H., & Whitford, T.J. (2024). Neurophysiological evidence of motor preparation dysfunction to inner speech in schizophrenia. European Psychiatry, 67(S1), S243. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.516
Wang, W., Sun, X., Wong, A.C.N., & So, S.H. (2023). Selective processing in attention and memory in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis of the negative priming effect. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 161, 112-122. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.02.041
Denecke, S., Schlier, B., Kingston, J.L., Ellett, L., So, S.H., Gaudiano, B.A., Morris, E.M.J., & Lincoln, T.M. (2023). Differentiating paranoia and conspiracy mentality – A network approach. Scientific Reports, 13, 22732. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47923-x
Chau, A.K.C., So, S.H., & Barkus, E. (2023). The role of loneliness and negative schemas in the moment-to-moment dynamics between social anxiety and paranoia: an experience sampling study in non-clinical young adults. Scientific Reports, 13, 20775. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47912-0
Gaudiano, B.A., Marks, R., Ellett, L., So, S.H., Lincoln, T.M., Morris, E.M.J., & Kingston, J.L. (2023). The role of general vs pandemic-specific paranoid ideation in the use of recommended preventative behaviors and vaccine willingness during a worldwide pandemic: An international study in the general public. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 167, 110-118. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.014
Chung, L.K., Jack, B.N., Griffiths, O., Pearson, D., Luque, D., Harris, A.W.F., Spencer, K., Le Pelley, M.E., So, S.H., Whitford, T.J. (2023). Neurophysiological evidence of motor preparation in inner speech and the effect of content predictability. Cerebral Cortex, bhad389. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad389htt
So, S.H., Chau, A.K.C., Chung, L.K., Leung, C.M., Chong, G.H.C., Chang, W.C., Mak, A.D.P., Chan, S.S.M., Lee, S., & Sommer, I.E. (2023). Moment-to-moment affective dynamics in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. European Psychiatry, 66, e67. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2438
Kingston, J.L, Schlier, B., Lincoln, T., So, S.H., Gaudiano, B.A., Morris, E.M.J., Phiri, P., & Ellett, L. (2023). Paranoid thinking as a function of minority group status and intersectionality: An international examination of the role of negative beliefs. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 49, 1078-1087. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad027
So, S.H., Zhu, C., Chau, A.K.C., Sun, X., Chiu, C.-D., Chan, R.C.K., & Leung, P.W.L. (2023). 18-month trajectories of delusional dimensions in young adults: Relationship with reasoning biases and worry. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132, 209-221. DOI: 10.1037/abn0000784
Chau, S.W.H., Hussain, S., Chan, S.S.M., Wong, O.W.H., Zhang, J., Feng, H., Lai, K.Y.C., Ma, S.L., So, S.H., Tsoi, K.K.F., Wing, Y.K., Hung, S.F., & Leung, P.W.L. (2023). A comparison of sleep-wake patterns among school-age children and adolescents in Hong Kong before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 19, 749-757. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.10422
Ellett, L., Schlier, B., Kingston, J., Zhu, C., So, S.H., Lincoln, T.M., Morris, E.M.J., & Gaudiano, B.A. (2023). Pandemic paranoia in the general population: international prevalence and sociodemographic profile. Psychological Medicine, 53, 5748-5755. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291722002975
Kingston, J.L, Schlier, B., Ellett, L., So, S.H., Gaudiano, B., Morris, E.M.J., & Lincoln, T. (2023). The Pandemic Paranoia Scale (PPS): Factor structure and measurement invariance across languages. Psychological Medicine, 53, 2652-2661. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721004633
Chau, A.K.C., So, S.H., Sun, X., Zhu, C., Chiu, C.-D., Chan, R.C.K., & Leung, P.W.L. (2022). The co-occurrence of multidimensional loneliness with depression, social anxiety and paranoia in non-clinical young adults: A latent profile analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 931558. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.931558
Chau, A.K.C., So, S.H., Sun, X., Zhu, C., Chiu, C.-D., Chan, R.C.K., & Leung, P.W.L. (2022). A network analysis on the relationship between loneliness and schizotypy. Journal of Affective Disorders, 311, 148-156. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.057
So, S.H., Zhu, C., Lincoln, T., Gaudiano, B., Kingston, J.L., Ellett, L., & Morris, E.M.J. (2022). Pandemic paranoia, general paranoia, and their relationship with worry and beliefs about self/others – a multi-site latent class analysis. Schizophrenia Research, 241, 122-129. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.01.045
Lincoln, T.M., Schlier, B., Strakeljahn, F., Gaudiano, B.A., So, S.H., Kingston, J., Morris, E.M.J., & Ellett, L. (2022). Taking a machine learning approach to optimize prediction of vaccine hesitancy in high income countries. Scientific Reports, 12, 1-12. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-05915-3
Sun, X., So, S.H., Chung, L.K., Chiu, C.-D., Chan, R.C.K., & Leung, P.W.L. (2022). Longitudinal bifactor modelling of anxiety, depression and schizotypy – the role of rumination as a shared mechanism. Schizophrenia Research, 240, 153-161. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.01.005
So, S.H., Chung, L.K., Tse, C.Y., Chan, S.S., Chong, G.H., Hung, K.S., & Sommer, I.E.C. (2021). Moment-to-moment dynamics between auditory verbal hallucinations and negative affect and the role of beliefs about voices. Psychological Medicine, 51, 661-667. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291719003611
So, S.H., Mak, A.D., Chan, P., Lo, C., Na, S., Leung, M.H., Ng, I.H., Chau, A.K.C., & Lee, S. (2021). Efficacy of Phase 1 of Life Goals Programme on symptom reduction and mood stability for bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 281, 949-957. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.11.019
So, S.H., Chan, G.H., Wong, C.K., Ching, E.W., Lee, S.S., Wong, B.C., Zhu, C., Sun, X., Chung, L.K., Hung, A.Y., Wong, J.O., & Chan, S.S. (2021). A randomised controlled trial of metacognitive training for psychosis, depression, and belief flexibility. Journal of Affective Disorders, 279, 388-397. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.126
Powell, C.L.Y.M., Lo, A.P.K., Yeung, G.T.Y., Leung, N.T.Y., Mak, W.W.S., So, S.H., Chiu, C.D., Yau, S.S.W., Mullan, E.G., & Leung, P.W.L. (2021). A pilot study on the effectiveness of low-intensity cognitive-behavioural therapy (LiCBT) for common mental disorders in Hong Kong. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 13, 1-6. DOI: 10.1017/S1352465820000971
Zhu, C., Kwok, N.T., Chan, T.C., Chan, G.H., & So, S.H. (2021). Inflexibility in reasoning: Comparisons of cognitive flexibility, explanatory flexibility, and belief flexibility between schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 609569. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.609569
Wang, L-L, Sun, X., Chiu, C-D., Leung, P.W.L., Chan, R.C.K., & So, S.H. (2021). Altered cortico-striatal functional connectivity in people with high levels of schizotypy: A longitudinal resting-state study. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 58, 102621 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102621
Wang, W., Chau, A.K.C., Kong, P., Sun, X., & So, S.H. (2021). Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing in Treating Co-Occurring Psychosis and Substance Addiction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 83(1), 21r13916. DOI: 10.4088/JCP.21r13916
Mak, A., Leung, O.N.W., Chou, I.W.Y., Wong, S.L.Y., Chu, W.C., Yeung, D., So, S.H., Ma, S.L., Lam, L.C.W., Leung, C.M., & Lee, S. (2021). White matter integrity in young medication-naïve bipolar II depressed adults. Scientific Reports, 11:1816. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81355-9
Gaweda, L., Moritz, S., Ochoa, S., So, S.H. (2021). Editorial: The relationship between cognitive biases and psychosis: Searching for mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 753317. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.753317
Other Information
- An interview on the RTHK1 health programme “精靈一點”. The topic is on "Cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis", Feb 7, 2014.
- An interview on the Phoenix TV programme “醫APPS最強”. The topic is on "IQ", Mar 29, 2014
Awards
2016 CUHK Young Researcher Award
2016 CUHK University Education Award
2016 CUHK Faculty of Social Science Exemplary Teaching Award
2017 UGC Teaching Award (Early Career Category)
2021 CUHK Faculty of Social Science Exemplary Teaching Award
