Mental health futures in post-war Sri Lanka: Resilience, relational pluralism, and implementation pathways

Abstract

This paper examines the state of psychosocial health in Sri Lanka fifteen years after the end of its civil war, analyzing both the lingering impact of the conflict and the additional challenges posed by recent events, including the 2019 Easter bombings that particularly impacted the Catholic community, and the severe economic crisis that began in 2022. Drawing on research published in this SSM-Mental Health special collection, as well as other research and recent stakeholder dialogues, we examine how Sri Lankan institutions have managed these compounded challenges and propose evidence-based approaches for improving mental health outcomes and promoting pluralism among the country's many communities. We specifically focus on three promising frameworks: resilience, locally-adapted models of pluralism that emphasize relational coexistence across religious and ethnic divides, and implementation science. The paper outlines how these approaches can be effectively deployed in the Sri Lankan context while accounting for linguistic barriers, power dynamics, and the need for early childhood intervention. We conclude by proposing concrete steps for developing and implementing these interventions while considering Sri Lanka's current economic constraints and healthcare infrastructure limitations.