Browsing by Author "Kodithuwakku, K.M."

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    Access to inpatient psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Observations from Sri Lanka and implications for future crises
    (Elsevier, 2023) Baminiwatta, A.; Kulathunge, M.; Abeysinghe, C.U.; Alahakoon, H.; Kodithuwakku, K.M.; Nanayakkara, T.; Ranasinghe, R.; Sampath, W.E.
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    Psychometric evaluation of a Sinhalese version of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire and development of a six-facet short form in a Sri Lankan buddhist context
    (Springer, 2022) Baminiwatta, A.; Alahakoon, H.; Herath, N.C.; Kodithuwakku, K.M.; Nanayakkara, T.
    OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Sinhalese version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), including its factor structure, internal consistency and convergent validity, in an exclusively Buddhist population. METHODS: The FFMQ was translated to Sinhalese using forward and backward translation, expert consensus and pretesting. The translated questionnaire was administered to a sample of 415 nurses (90.8% female; mean age = 39 years; 100% Buddhists), from 4 hospitals in Sri Lanka. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)-21 was administered concurrently. A series of empirical factor models were tested for fit using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to explore alternative factor structures. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach α. RESULTS: The original five-factor structure, either as first-order or hierarchical models, showed poor fit in the present population. EFA supported a six-factor structure, where the original Actaware facet splits into two facets, namely, Distract and Autopilot. A 20-item short form composed of 3–4 items from each of the six facets, selected based on factor loadings and item-total correlations, showed excellent CFA model fit. Internal consistencies of the 20-item scale (α = 0.7) and the five subscales (α = 0.67–0.72) were satisfactory. Overall mindfulness showed moderate negative correlations with depression, anxiety and stress; and all facets except Observe and Describe correlated negatively with psychological problems. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings endorse a six-factor structure of mindfulness, which had been proposed in a few previous studies. A modified 20-item short form with six facets shows satisfactory psychometric properties.
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    Trait mindfulness, compassion, and stigma towards patients with mental Illness: A study among nurses in Sri Lanka
    (Springer, 2023) Baminiwatta, A.; Alahakoon, H.; Herath, N.C.; Kodithuwakku, K.M.; Nanayakkara, T.
    OBJECTIVES: Stigma towards persons with mental illness is widespread. Mindfulness may protect against stigma by cultivating accepting attitudes, non-reactivity, and prosocial emotions. This study aimed to assess whether higher trait mindfulness among nurses was linked to lower stigma towards psychiatric patients, and whether compassion mediated this relationship. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study among nurses in four tertiary care hospitals in Sri Lanka, stigma towards psychiatric patients was assessed using the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-9), which assesses nine separate domains of stigma. The 20-item Six-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the 5-item Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale were used to assess mindfulness and compassion, respectively. Correlations among these variables were explored. Mediation analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 405 nurses (90.6% female, mean age = 39.6 years) participated in the study. Those with higher trait mindfulness were more likely to believe they would help a person with mental illness, and less likely to believe a person with mental illness should be avoided or segregated from the society. Compassion was inversely correlated with avoidance and anger, and positively correlated with pity, helping, and coercion domains. Trait mindfulness was positively correlated with compassion. Mediation models revealed that compassion partially mediated the effects of trait mindfulness on helping and avoidance. Facet-level analyses revealed significant effects of describing, non-reactivity, and observing on several stigma domains mediated through compassion. CONCLUSIONS: Trait mindfulness among nurses appears to have a direct buffering effect against several domains of stigma towards psychiatric patients and significant indirect effects through compassion, albeit with small effect sizes.