Introduction: Many global studies identify the importance of parental emotion regulation (ER) and quality of parent-child attachment on children's ER ability. Such research is rare in Sri Lanka.Objective: To assess the association between parental ER difficulties, quality of parent child attachment and temperament on adolescents' ER difficulties.Method: A cross sectional study was done on 233, 12-14 year old adolescents and 349 parents accessed from a Type AB, Type C and Type 2 school and from a Christian and Buddhist Sunday school within the Colombo Educational zone using the convenient sampling method. Content and consensual validated Difficulties in ER Scale, the Inventory of Parent-Peer-Attachment-Parental subscale, the Abbreviated Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised were used along with a demographic questionnaire to collect data. Results: A significant positive relationship was found between mother's, father's and adolescent's ER difficulties (Mother: Pearson r (208) = 0.305, Father: Pearson r (122) =0.377). A significant negative relationship was seen between attachment towards mother and attachment towards father and adolescent's ER ability [(Mother: Spearman r (225) = -0.220, Father: Spearman r (219) = -0.233].Fathers' ER abilities had a greater impact on the adolescents' ER abilities than mother's ER abilities (Father: β=0.32, p<0.01, Mother: β=0.823, p=0.526). Similarly, father's attachment (β=-0.277, p<0.01) was seen to be more important in predicting ER ability in the adolescents than _________________________________________

Harmful masculine norms, attitudes, and behaviours are considered the cause of most cases of gender-based violence against women and girls in most parts of the world. This premise applies to the patriarchal society of Sri Lanka as well. Regarding various policy-level efforts made to reduce the frequency of gender-based violence in Sri Lanka, this paper explores the efficacy of adapting a cross-cultural evidence-based approach to gender relations tried under the Parivartan programme in India in an effort to improve masculinity-based gender norms in Sri Lanka. The programme’s content and consensual validities are assessed by using the Delbecq technique which involves experts from a variety of relevant fields. At the onset of the programme, each expert independently rates the relevant concepts and teaching techniques that are generally used by cricket coaches on male cricketers of 12-14 years. Towards the end, after a group discussion by experts, a second rating is made of the same concepts and teaching techniques. The two ratings are compared, and the programme is revised to suit Sri Lankan society. The Sri Lankan experience of the cross-cultural evidence-based approach to gender relations inspired by the Parivartan programme in India shows satisfactory content and consensual validities. Therefore, this paper argues that the Delbecq technique is a useful tool to devise in improving masculinity-based gender norms in the society of Sri Lanka.

COVID-19 has emerged as the most impactful pandemic after the Spanish flu. As communities adjust to a life with COVID-19 it has become essential to employ different behavioral mechanisms of prevention to curtail community transmission. Perceptual factors such as risk perception and locus of control play a role in the level of stress experienced and the likelihood of employing behavioral methods for the prevention of the spread of the virus. The present cross sectional study utilized four questionnaires measuring COVID-19 related risk perception, COVID-19 related stress, locus of control and adherence to safety measures. The sample consisted of 371 undergraduate students representing all academic years in the Faculty of Arts in the University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka. A significant relationship was found between COVID-19 risk perception and COVID-19 stress. Increase in internal locus of control was reflective of lower levels of risk perception and COVID-19 related stress. However adherence to safety measures did not have a significant association with COVID-19 risk perception, COVID-19 related stress or their level of internal locus of control. COVID-19 risk perception was also predictive of COVID-19 stress while increasing internal locus of control and adherence to safety measures were not. This suggests perception of risk to be the key predictive factor for the psychological wellbeing of undergraduate students in this study during the COVID-19 pandemic.