The elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder-caregiver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included 4 focus group discussions and 5 in-depth interviews with elderly, and 10 in-depth interviews with adult children of the elderly. Discussion guide topics included caregiving arrangements, and roles/responsibilities of elders and caregivers. Using a grounded theory approach, a comprehensive analytic memo was developed and discussed to explore emerging themes on the caregiver dynamic. Both elders and caregivers felt that elders should be taken care of in the home by their children. They pointed to a sense of duty and role modeling of parental caregiving that is passed down through generations. Even as elders desired support from their children, they feared losing their independence, and saw financial autonomy as important for maintaining relationship balance. Caregiving challenges included: households where both the adult child and his/her spouse worked outside the home; households where elders had a disproportionate amount of household work; economically stressed households; and lack of direct communication between elders and caregivers regarding conflicts. Results point to strong values around caring for elderly in the home, but identify challenges to this arrangement in the future.

Background: Studies from around the world have shown higher rates of anxiety, depression, alcohol and other drug use, and burnout in medical students. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the socio-demographic factors and severity of difficulties Sri Lankan medical students face regarding psychological wellbeing and burnout. Method: This one-off survey used a cross-sectional design, assessing substance use, psychological wellbeing, and burnout using the CAGE, GHQ-12, and OLBI. The survey was open to all medical students in six universities in Sri Lanka. Chi-square analysis was used to assess the statistical significance related to categorical dependent variables and one-way ANOVA for continuous dependent variables. Results: A higher prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions was found following admission to the medical course in comparison prior to admission. Sixty-two percent of students had a score of more than 2 on the GHQ-12 indicating caseness. The OLBI identified exhaustion in 79% of students. The CAGE questionnaire was positive in 4.8% of students. Conclusions: Only a small proportion of students are recognizing their mental health difficulties and seeking help. Further understanding is required as to why this is, as well as re-evaluation of the demands of the curriculum. Effective ways of regularly identifying and providing practical and evidence-based support for mental health problems in medical and other undergraduates need to be identified and introduced.

No abstract

Host plants including a total of 22 families representing 45 species were recorded for 16 fruit flies of the tribe Dacini in Sri Lanka. Bactrocera kandiensis was found to be highly polyphagous, and its host range was as wide as that of B. dorsalis. Some host plants of B. dorsalis, B. kandiensis, B. correcta, B. cucurbitae, and B. trilineata were newly recorded. In addition, host plants of B. gavisa, B. sp. near nigrotibialis, B. sp. near tau, Dams discophorus, and D. keiseri were recorded for the first time. Host plants of 46 % Sri Lankan Dacini are now known.

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of residential treatment which follows the therapeutic community (TC) model for Sri Lankan individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). Design/methodology/approach A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in two selected residential treatment centers which follow the TC model as a rehabilitation approach. All the clients of the selected residential treatment centers were invited to take part in the study and data were collected from 75 consented male participants using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The perceived effectiveness of the residential treatment was assessed using the Treatment Effectiveness Assessment instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings Most of the participants were Sinhalese (98.7%, n = 74) with a mean age of 27.0 ± 6.0 years. The average duration in which participants stayed at selected centers was 8.0 ± 4.0 months. Most of the participants reported that the encouragement during the program was sufficient (89.3%, n = 67), psychological support was satisfactory (89.3%, n = 67), freedom (69.5%, n = 52) and facilities were adequate (76.0%, n = 57) within the program. A higher proportion of participants said that the counselors and program guides were friendly (80.0%, n = 60), and participants were allowed to communicate with their family with restrictions (92.0%, n = 69). The mean perceived effectiveness score (score range 1–40) was 34.0 ± 7.0 and the four domain scores (score range 1–10) were substance use (9.0 ± 2.0), health (8.0 ± 2.0), lifestyle (9.0 ± 2.0) and community (9.0 ± 2.0). The majority (88.0%, n = 66) of the participants perceived a high level of treatment effectiveness. Originality/value There is a paucity of empirical evidence on effectiveness of TC model for individuals with SUD in South Asian countries including Sri Lanka. The findings of this study highlight that the participants perceived higher effectiveness of the residential treatment which follows the TC approach for Sri Lankan individuals with SUD.