Nuwan Jayawickreme

My research focuses on cultural models of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, predictors of psychological well-being in populations affected by war, cross-cultural assessment of psychological constructs, and the construct validity of posttraumatic stress disorder.  

*Indidates Manhattan College student co-author

Publications

Thomas, F., *Divirgilio, R., Jayawickreme, N., Sivayokan, S, McShane, K., & Jayawickreme, E. (in press). Coping with the long-term impact of civil strife: A grief-centered analysis of Tamil Sri Lankan communities affected by ethnopolitical conflict. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being

*Zapffe, L., *Hennig, K., Jayawickreme, N., & Jayawickreme, E. (2023). What does it mean to flourish, languish, and grow? A qualitative analysis of civilian interviews from survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. SSM – Mental Health, 4, 100274.

*Mousa Almatar, N., Jayawickreme, N., Foote, W.G., Demaske, A., & Jayawickreme, E. (2023).  Personal growth initiative predicts adaptive subjective trajectories of life satisfaction among survivors of ethnopolitical violence in Rwanda and Sri Lanka.  Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 15, 499-515. 

Jayawickreme, N., Knight, S., Rasmussen, A., & Ryder, A. G. (2022).  Cultural Issues in Psychological Assessment. In M. Bagby & M. Sellbom (Eds.), Comprehensive Clinical Psychology, 2^nd Ed. (Vol. 4, pp. 285-300).  New York: Elsevier.

*O’Neill, A., Jayawickreme, N., Blackie, L.E.R., Demaske, A., Goonasekera, M., & Jayawickreme, E. (2021). Knowing when someone is resilient: Development and validation of a measure of adaptive functioning among war-affected Sri Lankan Tamils. SSM – Mental Health, 1, 100026.

Jayawickreme, N. & Saw, A. (2021). Introduction to Special Issue on Promoting Health and Well-Being in Forcibly Displaced Asian Populations. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 12, 159-160.

Demaske, A., Blackie, L.E.R., Jayawickreme, N., & Jayawickreme, E. (2021).  Examining the functional utility of personal growth initiative in a war-affected Sri Lankan sample.  Asian American Journal of Psychology, 12, 215-224.

Jayawickreme, N., *Vargas-Estrella, B., Lacasse, J., & Jayawickreme, E. (2021). Considering intergroup humiliation as a risk factor for conflict and violence relapse and for post-conflict mental health problems. In J. G. Kestenbaum, C. Mahoney, A. Meade, & A. Fuller (Eds.), Public Health, Mental Health, and Mass Atrocity Prevention (pp. 142-156). New York: Routledge.

Jayawickreme, N., Atefi, E., Jayawickreme, E., Qin, J., & Gandomi, A.H. (2020).  Association rule learning is an easy and efficient method for identifying profiles of traumas and stressors that predict psychopathology in disaster survivors: The example of Sri Lanka.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17: 2850. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082850

Rasmussen, A. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020).  Developing valid psychological measures for populations impacted by humanitarian disasters.  Conflict and Health, 14: 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-020-00260-6

Jayawickreme, N. & *Pugliese, E.  (2019).  Pain and culture: Differences in experience and treatment, challenges of measurement and some recommendations. In A. Maikovich-Fong (Ed.), Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Chronic Pain: An Evidence-Based Guide (pp. 583-596). New York: Routledge.

Jayawickreme, N., Rasmussen, A., Karasz, A., Verkuilen, J., & Jayawickreme, E. (2019).  Network models can help focus research on the role of culture and context in psychopathology, but don't discount latent variable models.  Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42, e14.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., Zachry, C., & Goonasekera, M.A. (2019). The importance of positive need fulfillment: Evidence from a sample of war-affected Sri Lankans. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 89, 159-169.

Rasmussen, A., Verkuilen, J., Jayawickreme, N., Wu, Z., & McCluskey, S.T. (2019). When did Posttraumatic Stress Disorder get so many factors? Confirmatory factor models since DSM–5.  Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 234-248.

Jayawickreme, N, Mootoo, C., Fountain, C., Rasmussen, A., Jayawickreme, E., & *Bertuccio, R. (2017). Post-Conflict Struggles as Networks of Problems: A Network Analysis of Trauma, Daily Stressors and Psychological Distress Among Sri Lankan War Survivors. Social Science and Medicine, 190, 119-132.

Jayawickreme, N., Verkuilen, J., Jayawickreme, E., *Acosta, K., & Foa, E.B. (2017).  Measuring depression in a non-Western war-affected displaced population:  Measurement equivalence of the Beck Depression Inventory.  Frontiers in Psychology, 8:1670. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01670

Blackie, L. E. R., Jayawickreme, E., Forgeard, M. J. C., & Jayawickreme, N. (2015).  The protective function of personal growth initiative among a genocide-affected population in Rwanda. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 7, 333-339.

McLean, C. P., Morris, S. H., Conklin, P., Jayawickreme, N., & Foa, E. B. (2014). Trauma characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescent survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 29, 559-566.

Jayawickreme, N., Cahill, S. P., Riggs, D. S., Rauch, S. A. M., Resick, P. A., Rothbaum, B. O., & Foa, E. B. (2014).  Primum Non Nocere (first do no harm): Symptom worsening and improvement in female assault victims after prolonged exposure for PTSD.  Depression and Anxiety, 31, 412-419.

Lacasse, J. J., Forgeard, M. J. C., Jayawickreme, N., & Jayawickreme, E. (2014). The factor structure of the CES-D in a sample of Rwandan genocide survivors. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 49, 459-465.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., & Foa, E. B. (2013). Using the individualism-collectivism construct to understand cultural differences in posttraumatic stress disorder. In K. M. Gow and M. J. Celinski (Eds.), Mass trauma: Impact and recovery issues (pp. 55-76). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2013). From trauma victims to survivors: The positive psychology of refugee mental health. In K. M. Gow and M. J. Celinski (Eds.), Mass trauma: Impact and recovery issues (pp. 313-330). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., & Lacasse, J.J. (2012).  Psychopathology, psychosocial problems and post-traumatic growth in North-Eastern Sri Lanka: A quantitative analysis.  In D. Herath and K.T. Silva (Eds.), Healing the wounds: Rebuilding Sri Lanka after the war (pp. 130-166).  Colombo and Kandy, Sri Lanka: International Centre for Ethnic Studies.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., Atanasov, P., Goonasekera, M. A., & Foa, E. B. (2012). Are Culturally Specific Measures of Trauma-Related Anxiety and Depression Needed? The Case of Sri Lanka. Psychological Assessment, 24, 791-800.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., & Goonasekera, M.A. (2012). Using focus group methodology to adapt measurement scales and explore questions of well-being and mental health: The case of Sri Lanka. Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, 10, 156-167.

Williams, M., Jayawickreme, N., Sposato, R., & Foa, E. B. (2012). Race-specific associations between trauma cognitions and symptoms of alcohol dependence in individuals with comorbid PTSD and alcohol dependence. Addictive Behaviors, 37, 47-52.

Jayawickreme, N., Yasinski, C., Williams, M., & Foa, E. B. (2012). Gender-specific associations between trauma cognitions, alcohol cravings, and alcohol-related consequences in individuals with comorbid PTSD and alcohol dependence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 26, 13-19.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., & Miller, E. (2010). Triumphalism, fear and humiliation: The psychological legacy of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 3, 208-222.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., Goonesekara, M., & Foa, E. B. (2009). Distress, well-being and war: Qualitative analyses of civilian interviews from north-eastern Sri Lanka and validation of culturally- sensitive measures of well-being and distress. Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, 7, 204-222.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., & Goonasekera, M. (2009). Distress, well-being and war: Qualitative analysis of civilian interviews from north-eastern Sri Lanka and validation of culturally-sensitive measures of well-being and distress. Well-Being and Development. Colombo, Sri Lanka: University of Colombo/ SPARC.

Blank, M., & Jayawickreme, N. (2009). Fear circuitry disorders reconsidered: Review of “Stress-induced and fear circuitry disorders: Advancing the research agenda for DSM-V” by Dennis S. Charney, Paul. J. Sirovatka, Darrel A. Regier, & Gavin Andrews. PsycCritiques – Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 54.

Golec de Zavala, A., Cichocka , A., Eidelson, R. J., & Jayawickreme, N. (2009). Collective narcissism as an individual difference variable and its social consequences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 1074-1096.

Edited Journal Issues

Jayawickreme, N. & Saw, A. (2021). Special Issue on Promoting Health and Well-Being in Forcibly Displaced Asian Populations. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 12 (3).

Rasmussen, A. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020). Psychological measurement in populations impacted by humanitarian disasters.  Conflict and Health. 

Conference Paper Presentations

*Nguyen, H. & Jayawickreme, N.  (2021, May).  Social class predicts decision-making strategies in Vietnam.  Paper presentation at the 33rd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Virtual.

Jayawickreme, N. (with Rouzitalab, S., Asnaani, A., Laurine, C.J., & Mehta, T.) (2020, November).  Closing the gap: Transporting evidence-based interventions to diverse “real world” settings via community-partnered research. Panel Discussion at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

Jayawickreme, N., Kim-Prieto, C., Roby, R., Lacasse, J., & Jayawickreme, E. (2020, November).  Identifying key idioms of distress that are predictive of psychopathology: “Thinking Too Much,” daily stressors and psychopathology in Sri Lankan war survivors. Oral symposium at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

Jayawickreme, N., Qin, J., Gandomi, A., Atefi, E., & Jayawickreme, E. (2019, November). Using association rule learning to identify profiles of traumas and stressful life events that predict anxiety and depression in Sri Lankan war survivors.  Oral symposium at the 35th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

Jayawickreme, N. (2019, November). Cultural psychology approaches to studying trauma and posttraumatic stress. Chair of oral symposium at the 35th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

Jayawickreme, N. (2019, May). Confirmatory factor analysis models of posttraumatic stress disorder: A critique and some better practice suggestions. Chair of oral symposium at the 31st Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC

Jayawickreme, N., Lacasse, J., *Enyart, J., *Cannamela, K., *Marsh, D., & Jayawickreme, E. (2018, October).  Understanding local ontological systems of meaning as a prerequisite to psychosocial interventions for war survivors: An mixed methods study of Sri Lankan war survivors.  Oral symposium at the 5^th World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY.

Jayawickreme, N., Mootoo, C., Fountain, C., Jayawickreme, E, & Rasmussen, A. (2017, May). A network analysis approach to understanding the relationship between traumatic events, cultural constructs of distress and daily stressors in displaced Sri Lankans. Oral symposium at the 29th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, MA.  

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., *Acosta, K., Goonasekera, M. A., & Foa, E. B. (2016, May). Is depression characterized by different symptoms in different cultures? A comparison of two traumatized samples from the United States and Sri Lanka. Oral symposium session presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.

Jayawickreme, N., Kaiser, B., Kohrt, B., & Rasmussen, A. (2016, May). Cross-cultural instrument adaptation. Symposium presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, Minneapolis, MN.

Jayawickreme, N. (2016, April). Context and mental health: Culture, poverty, and religion. Panel discussion at Global Mental Health: Transdisciplinary Perspectives, a research symposium organized by Georgetown University, Washington, DC. (Note: My comments at this event are mentioned in the conference proceedings for this event, published in the journal Global Mental Health (see page 3): Mendenhall, E. (2017): The Georgetown symposium on global mental health: Transdisciplinary perspectives, Global Public Health, DOI:10.1080/17441692.2016.1265138)

Jayawickreme, N., Kaiser, B., Kohrt, B., Rasmussen, A., & Wutich, A. (2015). Cross-cultural instrument development and adaptation. Oral symposium presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, Providence, RI.

Lacasse, J. J., Jayawickreme, N., & Jayawickreme, E. (2015, April).  The relationship between PTSD symptoms and perceived injustice and lack of security in survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.  Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, Providence, RI.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., & Goonesekara, M. (2013, November). Role of life problems in explaining the association between experienced trauma and mental distress in survivors of the civil war in Sri Lanka. Paper session presented at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Philadelphia, PA.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., & Lacasse, J.J.  (2012, July).  Psychopathology, psychosocial problems and post-traumatic growth in north-eastern Sri Lanka: A quantitative analysis. Paper session presented at “Healing the Wounds: Rebuilding Sri Lanka After the War,” a Conference organized by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., Atanasov, P., Goonesekara, M., & Foa, E. B.  (2011, November). Do measures of distress need to be culturally specific? The example of Sri Lanka. Paper session presented at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Baltimore, MD.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., & Miller, E. (2010, March).  Triumphalism, fear and  humiliation: The psychological legacy of Sri Lanka’s civil war.  Paper session presented at the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism Graduate Workshop, Philadelphia, PA.

Jayawickreme, E., Jayawickreme, N., & Goonesekara, M. (2009, September).  Well being and war: Valued capabilities among war-affected populations in Sri Lanka.  Paper session presented at the Annual Meeting of the Human Development and Capability Association, Lima, Peru.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., Foa, E. B., Seligman, M. E. P., & Goonesekara, M.  (2009, April).  Culturally valid assessment tools of mental health and well-being: Combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Paper session presented at “Wellbeing and Development in Sri Lanka,” a Conference organized by the Psychosocial Assessment of Development and Humanitarian Interventions (PADHI) Project, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Jayawickreme, N., Jayawickreme, E., Foa, E. B., Seligman, M. E. P., & Goonesekara, M.  (2008, November).  Distress, well-being and war: Qualitative analysis of civilian interviews from north-east Sri Lanka. Paper session presented at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chicago, IL.

Student Poster Presentations

*Lacoudre, J. & Jayawickreme, N. (2023, March). The relationship between religious community and subjective well-being.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Divirgilio, R., Thomas, F.C., Jayawickreme, N., Sivakoyan, S., Jayawickreme, E., & McShane, K. (2022, November). Coping with the long-term impact of civil war: A grief-centered analysis of Tamil Sri Lankan communities affected by ethnopolitical conflict. Poster presentation at the 56th Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New York City, NY. 

*Bartsch, E. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020, May).  Mind your stress: Stress mindset impacts well-being, stress perception, and academic performance.  Poster presented at the 32^nd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL.

*Almatar, N.M. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020, March).  Is the relationship between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress moderated by social isolation?  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Bartsch, E. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020, March).  Mind your stress: Stress mindset impacts well-being, stress perception, and academic performance.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Combs, P. & Jayawickreme, N. (2020, March).  Does self-reliance and collectivism predict life satisfaction in military spouses?  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Pugliese, E. & Jayawickreme, N. (2019, March).  Relationship between pulmonary injury and psychopathology in FDNY: 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

*Vargas-Estrella, B. & Jayawickreme, N. (2019, March).  Collectivistic agency and Puerto Ricans’ views about mental health services. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

*Smith, K. & Jayawickreme, N. (2018, March).  Hospital nurses’ susceptibility to vicarious trauma.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA.

*Esposito, J. & Jayawickreme, N. (2018, March).  Sexual ambivalence and the use of emoticons through text message conversations.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA.

*Cannamela, K. & Jayawickreme, N. (2017, March).  Police/community relations in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Caridi, R. & Jayawickreme, N. (2017, March).  Does high self-efficacy in a particular life domain offset the negative impact of low self-efficacy in other life domains?  A study of college students and workers.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association.

*Ratliff, S. & Jayawickreme, N. (2016, March).  Ethnic self-identification and ethnocultural empathy: A cross-cultural comparison of the United States and Turkey.  Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

*Duffey, A. & Jayawickreme, N. (2015, April). The relationship between acculturation and resiliency in Hispanic Americans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, Providence, RI.

*Duffey, A. & Jayawickreme, N. (2015, March).  The relationship between acculturation and Resiliency in Hispanic Americans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA.

*Bertuccio, R. & Jayawickreme, N. (2014, March). Predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in a Sri Lankan war-affected population. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

Grants

2017 and 2013;

Summer Research Grant, Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY, $3000.00

2008:

APA Dissertation Research Award, Science Directorate, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, $3000.00

2007-2008:

Research Grant, The Asia Foundation’s “Reducing Incidences and Effects of Torture” (RESIST) program and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (Principal Investigator with Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme), $10, 750.00