Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Acceptability of a web-based character strengths module for early adolescent school children(Postgraduate Institute of Medicine University of Colombo, 2023) Chandradasa, M.; Williams, S.; Sumanasiri, S.; Selliah, S.; Gunarathne, P.; Paric, A.; Ravindran, N.; Kuruppuarachchi, K.A.L.A; Ravindran, A.BACKGROUND: Frequent socio-political conflicts in the past decades have adversely affected the well-being of youth in Sri Lanka. There is a need to support youth development, mitigate past trauma, and promote social harmony. School-based interventions to improve character development, emotional regulation, and tolerance have good evidence and may benefit adolescents in Sri Lanka. Our objective was to develop a novel character strength program in Sinhala to promote Leadership, Empathy, Altruism, Personal Growth, and Social Responsibility (LEAPS). This program consists of ten web-based modules and is facilitated by teachers. This initial evaluation focuses on the first module and its acceptability among students and teachers. METHOD: Program modules were developed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist with the support of mental health and educational experts. The first module was piloted among grade 8 students (12-14 years) and teachers of two schools in the Gampaha District. It was designed to be interactive and contains various cultural activities and questions. On completion, participants gave feedback online via Likert scales. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. RESULTS: A total of 115 students and 66 teachers participated. Overall, more than 95% of students and teachers found the module appropriate and suitable. The students had more favourable ratings for the module compared to the teachers on aspects of understanding the content (p<0.001), ability to complete by self (p<0.001), suitability to age (p<0.001), shorter time for completion (p<0.001) and suitability of the design (p<0.001). Both groups suggested that the pictures and activities be increased. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching character strengths using a web-based intervention was well accepted by adolescent students and teachers in Sri Lanka.Item Facilities and challenges for education during COVID-19 pandemic among institutionalized orphans in Gampaha District(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2021) Jayarathne, N.P.M.W.; Jayalath, H.B.S.; Jayasooriya, M.G.N.B.; Jayasooriya, Y.T.; Jayasundara, H.P.P.I.; Perera, K.M.N.Background: Orphans are critically underprivileged in receiving and accessing positive learning experiences in general. This may have worsened during a global pandemic with movement restrictions. We aimed to describe the facilities and challenges for education before and during COVID-19 pandemic among institutionalized orphans in Gampaha district. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study approached all wardens of Child Development Centers (CDCs) in Gampaha district compatible with the inclusion criteria (N=46) using a telephone interview in February, 2021. Results: The response rate was 56.5% (26/46) as 43.4% declined participation due to legal and administrative issues. More than 60% accommodated fewer than 20 children. All CDCs had at least 2 uniforms per child. Other essentials for schooling and stationeries were adequately available. Only 10 had a separate chair and a table for each child. Only 16 CDCs had computers and 15 had internet connections before the pandemic. Twenty-four (92.3%) reported that they sent their children to extra tuition classes. During COVID-19, roughly equal proportions used printed material sent from school (34%), online learning platforms (32%) and television (30%) to continue education. Only 65% was able to provide equal e-learning facilities for all children. Only 17 (73%) could continue education without any interruption. Majority could not state a cost for education. However, 84% stated they “managed” and 81% claimed that it increased during COVID-19. Most had covered their expenses through private organizations (53%) and individual donations (25%). Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on children's education in the studied institutions due to inadequate facilities.