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Article History

Received: 11 December 2024

Accepted: 24 July 2026

First Online: 27 July 2026

Declarations

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval: Ethical approval obtained by Ethics Review Committee in Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. ERC/PGIM/2023/116, Date: 28.08.2023. The specific ethical standards followed by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, are generally aligned with internationally recognized guidelines and standards. While PGIM may not have its own named standard like the “Declaration of Helsinki”, it typically adheres to several key international and national ethical frameworks, including: Declaration of Helsinki; CIOMS (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences) Guidelines; International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects; Belmont Report; Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines; National Guidelines from the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC); National Health Research Ethics Guidelines. The questionnaires were reviewed (Section A,C and D) by a consultant psychiatrist, and data collectors were trained by a consultant psychiatrist/MO-mental health to ensure the communication process would not cause any psychological distress during data collection process. Participants were given an information sheet, along with the contact details of the Ethics Review Committee as well as the corresponding author. A brief introduction to the study and an informed written informed consent was obtained.