Dr. Malathie Dissanayake

Senior Lecturer (Grade I)


Department of Psychology and Counselling
Faculty of Health Sciences
RG
Contact:

, Department of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda

Office: 112881000, Ext:

E-mail: mpdis@ou.ac.lk malathie.dissanayake@gmail.com


Areas of Specialization:

Developmental Psychology

Research interests:

Emotional experience of individuals in different cultures
Social and emotional development throughout the lifespan
Aging and well-being
Psychology and health, and psychological well-being

Affiliations:

2021 – International Affiliate – American Psychological Association

2010 – Member – Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC, USA

2006 – Student affiliate – American Psychological Association
Washington, DC, USA

Course Coordination:

PLU3307, PLU4301, PLU4303, PLU4309, PLU5301,PLU5305

Awards:

August 2015 Best Presentation Award, 1st World Asian Studies Conference-2015, Sri Lanka

August 2015 Session’s Best Presentation Award, 1st World Asian Studies Conference-2015, Sri Lanka

August 2015 Session’s Best Presentation Award, 2nd International Conference on Social Sciences-
2015, Sri Lanka

August 2007 Psychology Graduate Support Award, North Carolina State University, USA

2006 SCCR Annual Graduate Student Award, 35th Annual Meeting of Society for Cross-Cultural
Research (SCCR) in Savannah, Georgia, USA

Sept. 2005 Graduate Assistantship, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA

1995-1996 University Scholarship for Best Performance on the results of General Arts Qualifying
Examination University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Researches:

Research Presentations:

Dissanayake, M. P., Halberstadt, A. G., Kalat, J. W., & Kamble, S. V. (2020). Valuing positive emotions as a mediator of the association between individuals’ affect and satisfaction with life,
The Open University Research Sessions 2020, 12 – 13, Nov. 2020.

Dissanayake, M. P., Halberstadt, A. G., Kalat, J. W., & Kamble, S. V. (2019). The role of the beliefs that emotions are part of life in the relationship between emotion differentiation and interpersonal relationships. Presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSSH) 2019, National Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2019). The relationship between self-efficacy and Perceptions of illness severity. Presented at the Open University International Research Sessions, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018). The impact of lecturer-student rapport on student learning. Presented at the Open University International Research Sessions, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018). Cross-cultural investigation of beliefs about emotions. Presented at the 5th International Conference on Social Sciences -2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018). The important principles and factors for significant developmental outcomes: The role of experience, age, developmental stages, and sociocultural context in human development. Presented at the 5th International Conference on Social Sciences -2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2015, October).The effect of self-efficacy on patients’ perceptions of general health: The mediating role of positive affect. Annual Research Sessions 2015, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P., Rupasinghe, P. D., Samarasinghe, H. L., Ellawala, A., Jayathungage, A. I., Gunawardene, N. N., & Vidanagamage, M. (2015, August). Mediating effect of self-efficacy and positive affect on the link between beliefs about the benefits of health behaviors and life satisfaction. Paper presented at International Conference in Applied Psychology, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2015, August). Exploring religious involvement of individuals living in two South Asian cultures. Paper presented at World Asian Studies Conference, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2015, August). Gender as a moderator of the relationship between positive affect and life satisfaction. Paper presented at International Conference on Social Sciences, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2015, August). The effect of beliefs about valuing positive emotions on happiness and life satisfaction: The mediating role of positive affect. Paper presented at International Conference on Social Sciences, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2015, July). Predicting happiness and life satisfaction from individuals’ perceptions of life. Paper presented at International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake, M. P., Rupasinghe, P. D., Samarasinghe H. L., Ellawala A., Jayathungage, A. I., Gunawardene, N. N., & Vidanagamage, M. (2015, May). Intercorrelations among health beliefs and affect. Paper presented at International Conference Public Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Research Supervisions:

Jan. 2021 – present PhD Thesis Supervisor (Co-supervisor)
Student: M. K. U. M. Gunasekara
Research and Higher Degrees Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Topic: The Development and Assessment of a Socio-Culturally Applicable Pain Coping Skills Intervention for Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

Nov. 2018 – May 2020 Thesis Supervisor
Student: M. K. U. P. Gunaratne
Maters in Counselling and Psychosocial Support Program
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
Topic: The Prevalence of Depression among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Sept. 2018 – present Thesis Supervisor
Student: N. De Silva
MPhil in Clinical Psychology
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
Topic: The Prevalence of Externalizing Behavior Problems in Preschool Children in Kandy District

Aug. 2016 – 2020 PhD Thesis Supervisor
Student: B. Ariyaratne
MPhil/PhD Program
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
Topic: Regulatory Emotional Self-efficacy and the Psychological Well-being of the Elderly in the Sri Lankan Context: The Mediating Role of Culture Orientation

June 2016 – 2020 PhD Thesis Supervisor (Co-supervisor)
Student: A. V. S. Rekha
MPhil/PhD Program
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo
Topic: Cultural acceptability and Effectiveness of Sinhala Version of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression

Publications:

Articles

Dissanayake, M. P., Halberstadt, A. G., & Kalat, J. W. (2020). Emotional experiences and expressions of individuals in the Sri Lankan context: The roles of gender, culture and religion. OUSL Journal, 15(1), pp.43–65. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/ouslj.v15i1.7455

Dissanayake, M. P. (2019). The role of the interconnection between global and domain specific-processes and universally available experience in children’s cognitive development. Asia Pacific Journal of Academic Research in Social Sciences, 4, 62-68. ISSN 2704-4157

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018). The important principles and factors for significant developmental outcomes: The role of experience, age, developmental stages, and sociocultural context in human development. Proceeding of the 5th International Conference on Social Sciences, 5, 22-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/2357268X.2018.5103

Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2018). Beliefs about emotions: The role of valuing positive emotions in personal well-being. Proceeding of the 5th International Conference on Social Sciences, 5, 14-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/2357268X.2018.5102
Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2018). Predicting happiness and life satisfaction from individuals’ perceptions of life. Proceeding of the 4th International Conference on Arts and Humanities, 4(2), 21-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/icoah.2017.4203

Dissanayake, M. P., (2018). Long-term effects of cognitive training. ICSSPE July Newsletter.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018).The effect of self-efficacy on patients’ perceptions of general health: The mediating role of positive affect. SAITM Medical Journal, 3, 24-28.

Dissanayake, M. P., Kamble, S. V., & Patil, A. (2017). Gender as a moderator of the relationship between positive affect and life satisfaction. Proceeding of the 4th International Conference on Social Sciences, 4, 74-82.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2017). Beliefs about the benefits of health behaviors and life satisfaction: The mediating effect of self-efficacy. ICSSPE Bulletin Current Issues, 73, 36-41.

Dissanayake, M. P., & Rupasinghe, P. D. (2016). The effect of health beliefs on self-efficacy and life satisfaction. SAITM Medical Journal, 1(1), 4-7.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2016). The multidimensional model: An integrated approach to psychological well-being. Senior Professor KulasenaVidanagamage Felicitation Volume, 252-261.

Dissanayake, M. P., Jayathungage, A. I., Rupasinghe, P. D., Samarasinghe, H. L., Ellawala, A., Gunawardene, N. N., & Vidanagamage, M. (2015). Age-related trends in value of general health, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction. Proceeding of the 2nd International Conference on Social Sciences, 2, 143-146. DOI: 10.17501/ icoss2015-1115

Dissanayake, M. P., & McConatha, J. T. (2013). The interplay of multiple identities of individuals across multiple domains. World Cultures eJournal, 19(1), 1-12.

Dissanayake, M. P., & McConatha, J. T. (2011). A comparative investigation of the self-image and identity of Sri Lankans. World Cultures eJournal, 18(2), 1- 18.

Dissanayake, M. P. (2001). Psychological problems of university female students who have been in areas affected by the war (in Sinhala). Center for Women’s Research. Images of Women in Modern Sri Lanka, 1-35.

Book Chapters

Dissanayake, M. P. (2018). Achieving active and healthy ageing in Sri Lanka. In J. T. McConatha & Karin Volkwein-Caplan (Eds.), Ageing, Physical Activity and Health: International Perspectives. London: Routledge.

McConatha, J. T. & Dissanayake, M. P. (2014). Laugh and Pray. In J. T. McConatha (Ed.), Stress management and longevity: The importance of physical and social activities in later life (pp. 135-154). UK: Meyer & Meyer Sport.

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