Browsing by Author "Rodrigo, M.D.A."

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Job satisfaction and mental health of Sri Lankan doctors
(SAARC Psychiatric Federation, 2013) Rodrigo, M.D.A.; Dissanayake, A.U.G.I.P.; Galhenage, J.; Wijesinghe, S.; Kuruppuarachchi, K.A.L.A.
AIM: To measure job satisfaction and mental wellbeing among medical practitioners working in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional survey was conducted on randomly selected doctors working in three large hospitals in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka in 2008 and 2009. Warr, Cook, and Wall job satisfaction scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire were used respectively to measure job satisfaction and mental health wellbeing of doctors. RESULTS: A total of 172 doctors responded (response rate 28.6%). Average job satisfaction score was 47.8 (range- 10-70) and 43.6% of doctors reported high job satisfaction. Better remuneration (97.1%) and better working hours (44.8%) were identified as ways to improve job satisfaction. Average GHQ-12 score was 1.9 and less than 10% scored greater than 3. No doctor reported drinking daily or using recreational drugs. CONCLUSION: The response rate was low, thus preventing generalization of findings. The majority of doctors responding had good job satisfaction.
The Knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers in Sri Lanka towards childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2011) Rodrigo, M.D.A.; Perera, D.; Eranga, V.P.; Williams, S.S.; Kuruppuarachchi, K.A.L.A.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes towards attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among primary school teachers in the Gampaha District. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in randomly selected schools of Gampaha district using a stratified sampling method. The knowledge and attitudes on ADHD were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire distributed among all the consenting primary school teachers in the selected schools. RESULTS: Total of 202 completed questionnaires of 210 distributed were returned. The majority showed good understanding about ill effects of ADHD, teachers' role in management and counterproductive effects of punishment. Three-fourths had a positive attitude towards behavioural therapy. However, only a minority had adequate knowledge about the presentation of ADHD and its treatment with medication. More than 80% of teachers believed that the parents were to be blamed for the child's ADHD. The majority of participating teachers also believed that behavioural disturbances caused by ADHD children were deliberate and malicious. Teachers who had training in child psychology recorded a significantly higher knowledge and had a more favourable attitude. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge of ADHD and its treatment among primary school teachers needs to be improved. Particular focus should be on improving attitudes and disseminating the message that timely interventions can make a difference in the educational and social development of the child.
Validation of Kessler's psychological distress scale among the Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka
(SAARC Psychiatric Federation, 2011) Wijeratne, L.T.; Williams, S.S.; Rodrigo, M.D.A.; Peiris, M.U.P.K.; Kawamura, N.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.
OBJECTIVE: Kessler's psychological distress scales, KlO and K6 are short rating scales designed to screen psychiatric morbidity in the population. Despite being increasingly popular elsewhere, they have not been validated in Sri Lanka. We examined the validity of these scales among the Sinhala speaking population in the Gampaha district of Sri Lanka. DESIGN: The English language version of the KiD and K6 questionnaire were translated into Sinhala using standard methods. The KiD and K6 scores for 27 healthy and 37 psychiatrically ill individuals were compared with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders (SClD) outcome categories. RESULTS: The KiD and K6 were sensitive and specific in detecting mental illness, especially depression. Those with schizophrenia had scores similar to healthy individuals. We suggest cut offs of 12 for KiD and 7 for K6 having 9D% sensitivity and 81% specificity for both scales. INTERPRETATION: KiD and K6 are valid screening tools for non-psychotic psychiatric illness among the Sinhala speaking population in Sri Lanka. They can be used in psychiatric epidemiological studies.
Validation of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) translated to Sinhala and assessing internet addiction among school children in the Western province of Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2021) Wijesinghe, C.A.; Gunasekera, T.N.P.; Premathilake, W.D.B.M.; Rodrigo, M.D.A.; Pathmeshwaran, A.; Kuruppuarachi, K.A.L.A.
Introduction and objectives Addiction to the internet is a recognized problem worldwide but has not been scientifically studied in Sri Lanka according to our knowledge. The objectives of the study were to translate Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to Sinhala and validate for use in a Sri Lankan population and to assess the prevalence of internet addiction in school children. Methods A school based cross sectional analytical study conducted in two stages among students aged 15 to 19 years. In stage 1 of the study, 200 students were administered the Sinhala translation of the IAT and internal consistency and test retest validity assessed. Once validation of the scale was established the translated scale was used on a sample of 2800 students to assess presence of internet addiction. Results The Sinhala translation of the Internet addiction test showed good reliability with a Chrohnbach’s alpha value of 0.78 and good validity with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.85. 8% of the entire study sample and 12.6% among those using the internet showed features of internet addiction. The majority of cases of internet addiction identified were mild 8.2% followed by moderate internet addiction in 3.6% and only 0.9 % having severe internet addiction. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the Sinhala translation of Young’s IAT is suitable to assess internet addiction in Sri Lanka. It also identified that there are students in Sri Lanka who are addicted to the internet. More studies are required to identify characteristics of those who are addicted to the internet and to plan interventions.