- Child welfare
- International and domestic adoptions
- Children’s mental health
- Immigration
- Identity formation in ethnic minority children
- Acculturation
- Culturally sensitive social work practice
- Research instruments
Educational Background
- Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, USA
- M.S.W., University of Texas at Austin, USA
- M.Phil., and M.A., B.A., Berhampur University, Orrisa, India
Biography
Dr. Jayashree Mohanty is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University Windsor. Her primary area of research is child welfare, with a focus on two interrelated areas: 1) the wellbeing of international and transracial adoptees and domestic adoption practices in Asia; and 2) the mental health of immigrant children and adolescents in multicultural families, as well as foreign-born youths. Her previous research examined the complex pathways through which parental support for ethnic and racial socialization influences ethnic identity development and bolsters the psychological well-being of international adoptees; adoption communication and psychological wellbeing of adoptive children and their families in South Korea, India and Singapore. The most significant finding of her research was that racial socialization has a beneficial effect on adoptees’ well-being. Her current work encompasses research on low-income families in Singapore; acculturation experiences and parent-child relationship in newcomer families in Windsor; and Korean international adoptees psychological well-being. She is passionate about bringing cross-cultural perspective and children’s agency to child welfare issues. Some of her funded research projects include a benchmark study on Singaporeans attitudes towards child adoption; adoption disclosure and psychological well-being of adoptees; acculturation experiences of immigrants in Singapore and identifying positive adaptive pathways in low-income families in Singapore (Principal Investigator, Dr Esther C L Goh). Dr. Mohanty’s expertise in the area of child welfare and adoption has been recognized in print and visual media. She was invited as a keynote speaker to the 5th International Conference on Adoption Research in New Zealand. She is also an invited reviewer for several academic journals. Her teaching areas include child welfare, working with children and youth, research methods, and program evaluation. Prior to her appointment at the University of Windsor, Dr Mohanty was an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore.
Recent Publications
Mohanty, J. (2015). Ethnic identity and psychological well-being of international transracial adoptees: A curvilinear relationship. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2015, 33-44. (special issue)
Mohanty, J. (2015). Adoption disclosure and behavioral adjustment of Domestic adoptees in India. Journal of Family Science, 6, 68-76 (special issue)
Mohanty, J. (2014). Attitudes towards adoption in Singapore. Journal of Family Issues, 35, 705-728.
Mohanty, J., Jianjin, A., Chokkanathan, S. (2014). Adoption disclosure: Experiences of Indian domestic adoptive parents. Child and Family Social Work. DOI: 10.1111/cfs.12175
Chung, Y., & Mohanty, J. (2014). Between two worlds in Asia: Korean youths in Singapore. Journal of Population Research, 31, 219-235.
Mohanty, J. (2013). Ethnic and racial socialization and self-esteem of Asian adoptees: The mediating role of multiple identities. Journal of Adolescence, 36, 161-170.
Mohanty, J. (2012). Attitudes towards adoption disclosure in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 22, 104-115. (special issue)
Mohanty, J., Newhill, C. (2011). Asian adolescent and young adult adoptees’ psychological well-being: Examining the mediating role of marginality. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 1189-1195.
Mohanty, J. (2010). Development of the ethnic and racial socialization of transracial adoptee scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 20, 600-610.
Mohanty, J., & Newhill, C. (2008). A theoretical framework for understanding ethnic socialization among international adoptees. Families in Society, 89(4), 543-550.
Mohanty, J., & Newhill, C. (2006). Adjustment of international adoptees: Implications for practice and future research agenda. Children and Youth Services Review, (28), 384-395.
Mohanty, J., Koeske, G., & Sales, E. (2006). Family cultural socialization, ethnic identity, and self-esteem: Web-based survey of international adult adoptees. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, (15), 153-171.