Padhi - Publication - (25 02 2009) Libre PDF

a Tool a Guide and a Framework
PREFACE
The Psychosocial Assessment of Development and Humanitarian Interventions (PADHI)
was established at the Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC) of the Faculty
of Arts, University of Colombo in 2006. The overall objective of the project has been to
enhance the capacity of academics and practitioners to explore local understandings
of concepts such as wellbeing, suffering and distress and to address these issues in
the context of development and humanitarian interventions. Speciic objectives of
the programme were development of a conceptual framework to understand the
determinants of wellbeing in Sri Lanka, the development of a wellbeing assessment
tool, and the dissemination of information to broaden local understandings of wellbeing
among development practitioners, students, and academics.
The development of a conceptual framework to understand wellbeing was much

needed given the diversity of interventions described as ‘psychosocial’ implemented
in Sri Lanka especially in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami in 2004. The framework
offers a comprehensive base to understand psychosocial wellbeing in Sri Lanka. The
development of the wellbeing assessment tool is a practical guide to carrying out
humanitarian and development work guided by principles and values important in
fostering and maintaining psychosocial wellbeing. It is hoped that this publication
will be useful to practitioners as a guide in planning, designing and implementing
psychosocially sensitive development and humanitarian interventions.
S T Hettige
Director
Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC)
Faculty of Arts
University of Colombo
i
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This handbook would not have become a reality without the support of many people.
The PADHI programme would like to acknowledge the various contributions that many
people and agencies have made to their research at SPARC which resulted in the putting
together of this book. We would like to thank the following:
• The Asia Foundation for initial support to start the PADHI programme at SPARC
• UNFPA for consolidating and strengthening the PADHI programme
• Dr Jon Hubbard (Centre for Victims of Torture, Minnesota) for his extremely valuable
input into the development of the wellbeing assessment tool
• Prof Jeanne Maracek (Swarthmore University, Pennsylvania) and Dr Alison Strang

(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh) for their input and support for the
development of the conceptual framework
• Ms Anusha Thangakone for reviewing the handbook at short notice and providing
very useful comments
• Mr Sagara Chandrasekera (Programme Coordinator, Research and Survey Unit of

SPARC) for his help in data entry and data analysis which helped us to reine the
assessment tool
• Our dedicated team of ield researchers during Phase 1 and Phase 2
• Academics and practitioners who provided input at various times during the
development of the conceptual framework and assessment tools
• Ms Sabrina Hermosilla for her input into developing the Objective Assessment Tool
during her internship with SPARC
• Ms Kusala Wettasinghe for helping us with piloting the Objective Assessment Tool
iii
We would also like to express our gratitude to
• Dr Gameela Samarasinghe, Prof Ramanie Jayathilaka, Prof Siddhisena and

Ms, Shermal Wijewardene, Academic Advisors to the project, for their expertise
and guidance given unhesitatingly and generously at all times
• The researchers who participated in the initial literature review and wrote working
papers which provided us with the background with which the conceptual framework
for wellbeing was developed
• Our colleagues in SPARC for their support and cooperation at all times
• And last but not least, the communities that hosted our research and allowed us to
come into their homes and spend time with them during our ield work
PADHI PROGRAMME TEAM

Academic Advisors
Prof Ramanie Jayathilaka (Department of Sociology, University of Colombo)
Dr Gameela Samarasinghe (Department of Sociology, University of Colombo)
Prof Siddhisena (Department of Demography, University of Colombo)
Ms Shermal Wijewardene (Department of English, University of Colombo)
Programme Team
Asha Abeyasekera-Van Dort
Harini Amarasuriya
Udeni Appuhamilage
Mihiri Ferdinando
Prasadi Fernando
Maleeka Salih
Kanchana Kumarasekera (Administrative Assistant)
iv
FOREWORD
Sri Lanka is considered unique compared to other developing countries due to its high
social indicators. However, the ongoing ethnic conlict, the tsunami disaster, economic
backwardness and poverty have affected people’s wellbeing in numerous ways.
Development and humanitarian interventions have been implemented in Sri Lanka for
a long period of time. These interventions became more important with the ethnic
conlict and the tsunami disaster. However the impact of these interventions and
the impact of socio-economic and political forces would be different on people due to
many divisions in society, such as ethnic, caste, religious, class and gender. One of the
critiques of development and humanitarian work is that there is a gap in understanding
wellbeing between the implementers of development and humanitarian interventions
and those receiving. Development and humanitarian interventions are criticised for not
responding to the needs of the communities they are working with. The need for culture
and gender sensitivity in development and humanitarian work is thus important.
Within this context, the work of the Psychosocial Assessment of Development and
Humanitarian Interventions (PADHI) programme at the Social Policy Analysis and Research
Centre (SPARC) of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo is of immense value. The
PADHI programme has been able to develop a conceptual framework to understand the
determinants of wellbeing in Sri Lanka. It has also developed methodology and tools
to assess wellbeing among individuals and communities through which psychosocially
sensitive interventions could be developed. The conceptual framework and tools were
developed after undertaking an intensive literature survey and collecting empirical
data from diverse communities in two districts in Sri Lanka. Therefore the conceptual
framework and the tools developed are culture speciic and multi-disciplinary. The book
‘a Tool, a Guide, and a Framework’ is a comprehensive guide, which provides the reader
the core principles that underline the psychosocial framework on wellbeing, principles
and guidelines for assessing organizational capacities for service delivery, the wellbeing
tool and how to implement it, the different types of data that can be gathered from the
wellbeing assessment tool, and guidelines to identify appropriate interventions for the
speciic community or group in which the wellbeing assessment tool was carried out.
Thus, this book would be a valuable resource for planners, development workers both
at governmental and non-governmental organizations, academics and students.
Ramanie Jayatilaka
Department of Sociology
University of Colombo.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface i
Acknowledgments iii
Foreword v
1. Introduction 01
Harini Amarasuriya
1.1. Overview
1.2. Background
1.2.1. What is PADHI?
1.2.2. Development, wellbeing and the psychosocial approach
1.2.3. Developing a framework for wellbeing
1.3. The Book – ‘a Tool, a Guide, and a Framework’
2. Core Principles 07
Harini Amarasuriya & Asha Abeyasekera
2.1. Overview
2.2. Why a ‘Social Justice’ approach to Wellbeing?
2.3. The Core Principles
2.4. Conclusion
3. Understanding Wellbeing in Sri Lanka: a Psychosocial Framework 11

Asha Abeyasekera, Harini Amarasuriya, & Mihiri Ferdinando
3.1. Overview
3.2. Introduction
3.3. The Framework – an Overview
3.4. Deining Psychosocial Wellbeing – the Domains
3.5. Power as Mediator – the Role of Power, Inluence, and Identity
in mediating Wellbeing
3.6. Systems and Institutions – the Enabling Environment
3.7. Conclusion
4. The Wellbeing Assessment Tool 23

Maleeka Salih & Udeni Appuhamilage
1. Overview
2. What is the wellbeing assessment tool? Structure and Objectives
3. How to administer the tool
4. The wellbeing assessment tool
vi
5. Analysing the Data 45

Maleeka Salih
5.1. Overview
5.2. Preparing the data for analysis: exploration and description
5.2.1. Cleaning and cross-checking the data
5.2.2. Coding and categorization
5.2.3. Describing the sample
5.3. Generating research questions
5.4. Understanding the purpose of each question in the wellbeing
assessment tool
5.5. Interpreting and utilising the indings
5.6. Qualitative Analysis of Data
5.6.1. Examining the Language and Terminology
5.6.2. Constructing Case Studies for analysis
5.7. Conclusion
6. Objective Setting - Assessing Organizational Capacities for 55

Objective Setting and Service Delivery in Psychosocial Programmes
Udeni Appuhamilage & Maleeka Salih
6.1. Overview
6.2. Introduction
6.3. What is an objective setting process?
6.4. Participation
6.5. Issues for Consideration
6.5.1. Assessment of Participation
6.5.2. Dimensions of Flexibility
6.5.3. Assessment of Flexibility
6.5.4. Issues for Consideration
7. Identifying Appropriate Interventions 71

PADHI Team
7.1. Overview
7.2. Identifying Appropriate Interventions – some Key Questions
8. Conclusion 73
Gameela Samarasinghe
Afterword: Conducting Research 75

Glossary 76
Bibliography 79
Annexures 82
i economic indicator
vii
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1
1. Overview
This chapter will describe the objectives of the Psychosocial Assessment of Development
and Humanitarian Interventions (PADHI) programme established at the University of
Colombo in 2006. It will explain the rationale for developing the psychosocial framework
and related tools discussed in this book. It will also briely describe the process by
which the framework and tools were developed and implemented in the ield. The
chapter will also provide an overview of the book and the intended purpose of the
framework, tools, and guide.
2. Background
2.1 What is PADHI?

The Psychosocial Assessment of Development and Humanitarian Interventions (PADHI)
programme was established at the Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC)
of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo in 2006. The overall objective of the
programme was to strengthen the capacity of academics and practitioners to clarify local
understanding of concepts such as wellbeing, suffering, and distress and incorporate
these within development and humanitarian interventions. More speciically the
programme had the following objectives:
i. To develop a conceptual framework for understanding the determinants of wellbeing

in Sri Lanka
ii. To develop methodology and tools to assess wellbeing among individuals and
communities through which psychosocially sensitive interventions could be
developed
iii. To disseminate information of local understandings of wellbeing among development
practitioners, students and academics
2.2 Development, wellbeing and the psychosocial approach

The diversity of interventions described as ‘psychosocial’ being implemented in Sri
Lanka, initially among conlict affected communities and after the tsunami in other
areas as well, resulted in the need for greater clarity regarding the nature and scope
of psychosocial work and the concept of psychosocial wellbeing. One of the earliest
deinitions of the term ‘psychosocial’ described it as underlining the close relationship
between the psychological and social effects of armed conlict, the one type of effect
continually inluencing the other (UNICEF, 1997). The link to armed conlict signiies
the initial focus of psychosocial interventions in responding to the mental health needs
arising from conlict situations. The Psychosocial Working Group1 describes the term
as explicitly pointing to the social, cultural and psychological inluences on wellbeing.
This broader deinition relects the growing recognition that the need for psychosocial
interventions is not limited to people who have experienced armed conlict, but should
be extended to communities experiencing other kinds of dificult situations and life
circumstances as well.
The development of the PADHI programme was very much inluenced by the discussions
taking place within the psychosocial sector in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka while psychosocial
interventions were initially conined to conlict affected areas, the scope of psychosocial
responses expanded rapidly beyond conlict-affected individuals and communities in
the post-tsunami aftermath. Whether conlict affected or tsunami affected it also
became evident that purely individual, therapeutic and counseling interventions were
not suficient or even appropriate. Broader interventions such as inancial support,
skills building, providing safe and secure shelter, etc. were also important in alleviating
distress. The development of the psychosocial sector in Sri Lanka thus focused not only
on the psychological, mental and emotional situation of people but also their social
relations and material conditions.
Sri Lankan psychosocial practitioners were increasingly arguing that the ‘psychosocial-
ness’ or ‘psychosocial sensitivity’ of an intervention was determined more by how an
intervention was designed and implemented rather than the speciic nature of the
intervention.2 It was also the case that as the type of interventions termed psychosocial
expanded they began to be similar to traditional development interventions, i.e., micro
credit activities, skills training, health activities etc.
This overlap became particularly relevant given the current emphasis within the
development sector on improving wellbeing and the quality of life. The argument
that traditional economic development indicators provided only a partial idea of
‘development’ and that broader human and social indicators, which measured the quality
of life or the wellbeing of individuals and communities, were needed has been growing
stronger. This has encouraged a multi-disciplinary approach within development, with
researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines entering a ield traditionally
dominated by economists.
1
The Psychosocial Working Group comprises of members from the following institutions: Centre for International
Health Studies, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh; Columbia University, Programme on Forced Migration
and Health; Harvard Programme on Refugee Trauma; Solomon Asch Centre for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conlict;
University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Centre; Christian Children’s Fund; International Rescue Committee, Programme
for Children Affected by Armed Conlict; Medecins sans Frontieres-Holland; Mercy Corps; and Save the Children
Federation.
2
The discussions that took place during a series of workshops for policy makers on integrating psychosocial work into
development and humanitarian work in 2004 as well as those within the Working Groups of the Psychosocial Forum
of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies were particularly inluential in this regard. For further references
see’What is Psychosocial?” (2007), The Psychosocial Forum Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, Colombo.
2
Introduction
Wellbeing, however, is a broad concept and has diverse meanings. If development

is concerned with wellbeing this can be taken to mean quite simply that various
development interventions are designed and implemented in order to improve
wellbeing. One of the features of development work is that usually there is a group of
people and agencies purporting to be ‘doing’ development while there is another group
of people ‘receiving’ development. Neither of these groups is homogenous. It is fair
to say that both between and within these groups there are several understandings of
wellbeing. Although interventions may claim to be improving wellbeing, there might
not be consensus on the deinitions and indicators of wellbeing.
If development interventions are concerned with broader questions regarding the

quality of life and wellbeing of individuals and communities, then its outcomes would
not mean merely the achievement of a speciic objective, for example the construction
of a dam. The social, cultural and psychological consequences of the intervention need
to be considered as well, for example displacement, environmental damage, creation
of employment, loss of livelihoods, impact on people’s coping mechanisms and support
networks, disruption to cultural or religious events, maintenance of social relationships
due to dam construction. The outcomes of development and humanitarian interventions
need to be assessed based on its impacts and effects on people’s capabilities and
vulnerabilities as well as their relationship with the external environment.
One of the critiques of development and humanitarian work in Sri Lanka is that there
is a gap between how those ‘doing’ development and those receiving development
understand wellbeing. Development and humanitarian interventions are criticised for
not responding to the needs of the communities they are working with, for imposing
both problems and solutions and for being culturally insensitive. A psychosocial
approach that would focus on the constant interplay between the inner world and
external environment of individuals seemed to be particularly appropriate to assess the
ways in which individuals and communities experience development and humanitarian
interventions concerned with improving wellbeing.
2.3 Developing a framework for wellbeing

Developing tools to assess the ways in which development and humanitarian interventions
inluence the wellbeing of individuals and communities requires an understanding
of what wellbeing means. Keeping in mind the diverse understandings of wellbeing
that exist, PADHI took the approach of developing a tool that would help detail the
speciicities of what wellbeing means to particular individuals and communities across
several selected dimensions.
To identify these dimensions of wellbeing, the PADHI programme undertook a literature

review of local and global understandings of wellbeing as evident in research studies,
policy documents and various state and non-state initiatives that purport to promote or
measure wellbeing. The conceptual model for wellbeing in Sri Lanka was drafted after
a multi-disciplinary survey of local and international literature that focused on aspects
3
of wellbeing, wellness, and quality of life especially within a development context.3

The survey looked into how various discourses, theories, and concepts explicitly, or
more often implicitly, conceptualize the wellbeing of individuals and communities. A
survey of local ethnographic literature and popular cultural practices was undertaken
to capture local understandings around wellbeing. In addition, the framework for
wellbeing relects the concepts and theories prevalent in several major discourses
including mental health, mainstream development theories, the discourse on gender
and development, and the emerging discussions on elderly people and people living
with disabilities. The survey also explored how two major actors in the development
sector—namely donor agencies and the state— conceptualize individual and collective
wellbeing in their policies. Exploratory ield work was then undertaken in two districts
amongst six communities4 in order to understand how wellbeing was conceptualized at
individual, family and community levels. The sample population was multi-ethnic. The
two selected districts consisted of communities that were affected by the tsunami, the
conlict, or both. The indings from this phase of ield work were used to ascertain to what
extent the framework was useful in capturing the ways in which different communities
described wellbeing. The indings also led to the modiication of the framework, which
relects local understandings of wellbeing in both design and content.
Subsequently, a framework and a tool were developed that could assess the wellbeing
of individuals and communities according to their own deinitions and priorities. This
tool was implemented among 4 communities in one district. The purpose of this phase
of ield work was to examine how well the tool assesses wellbeing among individuals and
communities and the extent to which it could provide information that could inform the
design of psychosocially sensitive development interventions. The assessment tool was
inalised based on the indings from the ield work.
3. The Book – ‘a Tool, a Guide, and a Framework’

The book is designed as a guide for the development community interested in
incorporating a psychosocial perspective into development interventions with the
intention of improving the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities. The
primary purpose of the book is to provide policymakers and planners with a framework
and related tools to integrate a psychosocial perspective into planning, implementation,
and assessment of both short-term and long-term development interventions. The book
introduces the following:
 Chapter 2 details the core principles that underlines the psychosocial framework on
wellbeing and argues that these principles must be considered when planning and
implementing interventions aimed at improving the wellbeing of individuals and
communities.
3
By development we mean the body of literature focusing on policies and interventions designed to address the
economic and social causes and consequences of poverty with the aim of improving the condition of poor people’s
lives, speciically in ‘developing’ countries.
4
The ield work was undertaken in the districts of Hambantota (south) and Ampara (east). Group discussions were
conducted in two Sinhala and one Muslim community in Hambantota. In Ampara discussions were conducted amongst
Muslim, Sinhala, and Tamil communities. All together 20 group discussions were conducted.
4
Introduction
 Chapter 3 introduces the psychosocial framework and describes the domains and
dimensions of wellbeing, and presents the indings from the ield work conducted
on local understandings of wellbeing in ive speciic communities in Sri Lanka. It
also presents a case-study to illustrate how the psychosocial framework can be used
to analyze existing development projects.
 Chapter 4 introduces the wellbeing assessment tool. It explains the structure of the
tool, how to administer the tool, and then presents the tool itself.
 Chapter 5—Understanding the Data—provides a matrix that explains the different
types of data that can be gathered from the wellbeing assessment tool and presents
a guide to help understand and analyse the research indings.
 Chapter 6 presents principles and guidelines for assessing organizational capacities
for objective setting and service delivery in psychosocial programs.
 Chapter 7 presents a checklist aimed at identifying appropriate interventions for
the speciic community or group in which the wellbeing assessment was conducted.
The checklist helps development planners to consider the many components of
designing and implementing a psychosocially sensitive intervention.
5
6
CORE PRINCIPLES
Chapter 2
1. Overview
The purpose of this chapter is to describe and relect on the particular approach
that informed the development of the psychosocial framework and the rationale for
choosing a particular set of underlying principles in its conceptualisation. This will
enable practitioners who use this book to assess how useful this particular framework
and the tools are in relation to their own speciic approaches.
2. Why a ‘Social Justice’ approach to Wellbeing?

The conceptualisation of theories, frameworks and methodology involves making
certain choices with regard to approach and focus. No single framework can claim to
either highlight all issues or address all concerns. Choices are made at various stages
regarding what is included and what gets priority. As mentioned in the previous chapter,
prior to formulating a framework for understanding wellbeing, the PADHI programme
conducted an extensive review of literature. This included literature on development
issues across a range of sectors in Sri Lanka such as health, education, livelihood issues
etc. A key feature to emerge was the extent to which issues such as discrimination,
inequity and disempowerment inluenced people’s experience and negotiation of
everyday life. For example, youth in Sri Lanka had identiied injustice in society as a
primary cause of youth frustration (Hettige, 2002). A number of studies have highlighted
that having the ‘right’ social connections and patronage politics were an important
aspect of people’s day-to-day lives and heavily inluenced people’s access to services
or resources ( Hettige, Mayer and Salih, 2005). It appeared that for many people in Sri
Lanka negotiating the everyday was very much inluenced by the extent of power and
inluence they could wield.1
Development interventions need to recognise this aspect of Sri Lankan society since their
interventions (knowingly or unknowingly) could contribute towards either maintaining
or challenging the existing status quo. For example, development practitioners often
identify community leaders to represent community needs and ideas when consulting
with stakeholders before implementing development projects. However, if a community
leader represents a particular power group or alliance, then there is a greater
probability that only the interests of that particular group would be represented. Since
it appears that among many communities in Sri Lanka access to resources and services
1
This point was further corroborated in the ield work conducted by the PADHI programme.
are mediated by systems of patronage and social connections, power dynamics within
a community would considerably inluence who beneits or loses by a development
intervention (Moore 1990, Spencer 2008, Amarasuriya forthcoming) What was evident
from the literature review was that those without access to those systems of patronage
and connection were at higher risk of not beneiting from development interventions or
not being able to access resources or services unless speciic mechanisms were in place
to ensure their inclusion.
A social justice approach calls attention to issues of discrimination, marginalisation and

disempowerment. Its focus is on equity especially when it comes to the distribution of
resources, whether they are material, political, social or cultural. Thus, the framework
that is presented here consciously addresses issues of inequity and discrimination. The
tools that were developed based on this framework focus on identifying the dynamics
of power and inluence within a given community and how it determines people’s
experience of the different dimensions of wellbeing.
3. The Core Principles

Within a broader social justice approach, the framework draws attention to the
need to recognise the intrinsic value of human beings in addition to recognising that
social relationships, networks and alliances are important aspects of people’s lives.
Recognising the intrinsic value of human beings means treating people as valuable and
worthy not merely because they are useful to their families, communities or nation, but
because of their humanity. It also includes recognising and valuing the potential that
exists in each individual. Interventions which focus on women merely as caregivers or
men as primarily breadwinners have only identiied their instrumental value. Such a
focus does not allow women and men to lourish in their own right, giving recognition to
their diverse needs and interests.
At the same time, the importance of social relationships in people’s lives and their
experience of wellbeing are evident by the ways in which their lives are organised
around groups and relationships, be these within the family or among a larger community
of people. Development interventions often impact on these relationships through the
creation of new groups and relationships and by changing or inluencing the dynamics of
existing ones. For example, setting up micro credit groups might create new alliances
but also cause further tensions in existing relationships as a result of increased group
pressure on each other to repay loans so that each member of the group can beneit.
Similarly, child rights awareness programmes may result in greater vigilance by the
community on parental behaviour, thus changing the dynamics between neighbours.
Perhaps even because of these risks and tensions as much as the beneits, the importance
of relationships in the everyday interactions of people in Sri Lankan communities cannot
be ignored. The psychosocial framework for wellbeing that is presented here underlines
the importance of understanding this aspect of people’s lives.
This point is particularly important because of the potential for conlict that exists in a
social justice approach. A social justice approach challenges existing power dynamics
and status quo. There is, as its intent, a strong transformative element. Transformation
from a social justice perspective involves the redistribution of power and resources.
8
Core Principles
Such transformation has the potential for creating tensions and conlicts since it is
unlikely that many powerful and resource-high groups would agree readily to the
redistribution that is being sought. This will, very likely, impact on existing relationships
and networks. It is important for people’s wellbeing that their involvement in such
transformative interventions is well informed, prepared and supported. For instance,
development interventions that seek to raise awareness regarding gender discrimination
need to ensure that they also provide the support when people act on the awareness. As
has been the experience in Sri Lanka, bringing women into decision-making has caused
conlict with other groups even whilst beneiting women in general and particular
situations. A social justice approach needs to recognise the transformative potential of
conlict but also be adequately prepared to deal with its consequences.
Finally, the framework recognises that values and relationships are both embedded
within a cultural context. It is important that development initiatives understand
the cultural dynamics within a community and develop appropriate means to engage
with them. The engagement with culture that is being proposed here includes the
recognition of the diversity and dynamism of culture amongst individuals and in
communities. For instance, it appreciates the dificulties of identifying one monolithic,
‘Sri Lankan’ culture. Instead it proposes that development practitioners need to
understand the resources, and beneits as well as the tensions and conlicts that are
part of the dynamic nature of culture. Development practitioners need to ensure that
respect for culture does not mean inadvertently reinforcing and reproducing hegemonic
and oppressive cultural values. For example, which religious or ‘cultural’ festivals a
particular community consider important may relect the power of particular types of
cultural identities. If development practitioners are unaware of the ways in which such
identities are contested or debated they may inadvertently reinforce and reproduce
hegemonic cultural identities in a way that increases the marginalisation of certain
groups within a community.
The framework presented here does not consider culture to be a separate dimension
but recognises its indivisibility from the values and relationships that are important to
people. Culture therefore permeates through all the dimensions shaping and inluencing
the ways in which the dimensions are articulated by individuals and communities.
4. Conclusion
The framework for wellbeing that is proposed in this book adopts a social justice
approach in that it pays particular attention to the ways in which power and inluence
mediate the experience of wellbeing and which we feel is given inadequate attention
in development intervention. Furthermore, it focuses on the worth of the human not
merely in terms of his or her instrumental value. It also recognises the importance
of social relationships in people’s lives. However, it is necessary to keep in mind the
transformative aspect of a social justice approach and the conlict potential of such
an approach. The need to be prepared to deal with conlict therefore is necessary
when adopting a social justice approach. These values and relationships are shaped by
existing culture, which also requires to be understood and integrated in the design of
an intervention.
9
10
UNDERSTANDING
WELLBEING IN
SRI LANKA:
A PSYCHOSOCIAL
FRAMEWORK
Chapter 3
1. Overview
This chapter presents a framework to understand the wellbeing of individuals and
communities from a psychosocial perspective.1 It also presents the indings from
the exploratory ield work conducted in 6 communities in 2 districts in Sri Lanka to
illustrate why focusing on the concept of ‘wellbeing’ may be important when planning
and implementing development programmes. The framework attempts to answer the
following questions:
i. How can we understand wellbeing from a psychosocial perspective?

ii. What are some of the key domains that constitute wellbeing?
iii. What role does power and identity play in the achievement of wellbeing?
iv. What factors seem to enhance or undermine wellbeing?
2. Introduction
Wellbeing is a composite term and contains a range of meanings. Wellbeing can refer
to a positive state of being. It often refers to a person’s overall sense of health and
wellness; it can also refer to a person’s feelings of happiness or general satisfaction with
his/her quality of life; it also points to the experience of contentment and fulilment
with one’s life circumstances. Wellbeing is said to be experienced when a person’s
individual, relational, and collective needs are fulilled (Prilleltensky 2005).
The idea of having to fulil one’s needs to experience a sense of wellbeing points to
an active aspect of the concept of ‘wellbeing’. In order to experience wellbeing, one
has to work towards achieving wellbeing. Wellbeing, therefore, is not a static state of
being, but is about a process of becoming. Wellbeing is then a dynamic concept.
The experience, or a feeling, of wellbeing cannot be understood only within the

subjective or emotional realm. A person’s psychological state is not only inluenced,
but is also largely determined by her social environment. The achievement of wellbeing,
therefore, depends on the external environment or the social context in which the
person is placed. This interconnectedness between experience and achievement, the
psychological and social dimensions of wellbeing, points to the psychosocial nature of
wellbeing.
1
The framework can be applied to understand individual, family, and community wellbeing.
3. The Framework – an Overview

The proposed framework for wellbeing is conceptualized as having three key
dimensions:
i. The irst dimension attempts to deine what constitutes wellbeing. It identiies

key elements that contribute to a person’s or community’s overall experience
of wellbeing The framework proposes psychosocial wellbeing as comprising
ive interconnected domains.
ii. The second dimension identiies what mediates the experience of wellbeing.
The framework argues that power and inluence, and also identity play a
fundamental role in determining a person’s achievement of wellbeing, and
mediates a person’s experience of wellbeing.
iii. The third dimension points to the need for an enabling environment if wellbeing
is to be achieved. It identiies systems and institutions as key to contributing
to or undermining the achievement of wellbeing.
The three dimensions of the framework are based on the principle of social justice. In
placing social justice at the centre of its rationale, the framework attempts to address
the discrimination, inequity and disempowerment that inluence people’s experience
and negotiation of everyday life in Sri Lanka.
4. Deining Psychosocial Wellbeing – the Domains
12
Understanding Wellbeing in Sri Lanka: A Psychosocial Framework
An individual (or family or community) experiences wellbeing when they are able to:
(i) access physical, material, and intellectual resources;

(ii) experience competence and self-worth;
(iii) exercise participation;
(iv) build social connections; and
(v) enhance physical and psychological wellness.
Emphasis is placed on the active verb in each domain to underscore the importance of
agency in achieving wellbeing. The presence of these various elements (or domains)
in a community—resources, opportunities to participate, social networks—does not
automatically mean that individual members are experiencing wellbeing. These have
only the potential to facilitate the experience of wellbeing. In order to actually
experience wellbeing an individual or community has to have the ability and opportunity
and the freedom to actively engage in achieving these domains. For example, the
presence of a school does not necessarily mean that a child is able to go to school. The
lack of inancial resources to buy books, or the need for the child to stay home and
look after younger siblings, may mean that he/she cannot access the school. A young
graduate may have acquired the skills and knowledge to gain employment, but the lack
of viable employment opportunities in the community may mean that he/she is unable
to experience competence through the use of his/her knowledge and skills.
The following discussion of the domains irst deines how each domain was theoretically
conceptualized. It then describes the indings from the ield discussions on wellbeing
with six communities in two districts. It must be kept in mind that the descriptions give
a sense of how particular communities thought about wellbeing. It can in no way be
generalized to all communities living in Sri Lanka.
4.1 Access valued Physical, Material, and Intellectual Resources

The resources domain refers to natural, material, and intellectual resources needed to
fulill basic human needs such as food, shelter, and health. It also points to resources
needed to pursue human aspirations such as education and livelihoods. We draw a
distinction between basic needs and human aspirations. Meeting aspirations is about
having the necessary skills and facilitating people’s desire to plan for theirs and their
family’s future. We use the term ‘valued’ to emphasize that different cultural settings
and societies may value different types of resources to fulill their basic needs and
aspirations.
Access to resources usually dominates discussions around wellbeing in Sri Lanka. In

the ield work conducted achieving economic security was stressed by all communities
as imperative for wellbeing. Economic security meant having an adequate income to
meet present needs; having savings to meet future needs and unforeseen expenses;
and avoiding debt. Education and employment was thought to determine the degree
and quality of economic security. Employment was seen as (and is) the primary means
through which needs are met. Therefore, the availability of viable livelihood and
income generation activities were stressed so that people can earn an income that
13
can meet the needs of their family. This included saving for the future and also having
enough to meet unforeseen expenses, especially sudden illnesses. Education is valued
because it is seen as a means to permanent employment and improving one’s social
status in a community. Social networks also played a role in gaining employment as
connections to local politicians and other inluential people increased people’s chances
of getting a job.
Access to resources also meant the availability of good quality services. The mere
presence of infrastructure and services was seen as inadequate for achieving a
meaningful sense of wellbeing. People stressed the need for good quality schools and
roads, viable employment opportunities, timely transport services, and regular health
services. The emphasis not only on adequacy but the quality of resources underscores
the principle of social justice that underlines the framework on wellbeing.
4.2 Experience Competence and Self Worth

Competence is the ability to function in society and fulill roles and responsibilities.
This domain points out that individuals must have the opportunity to use their abilities,
skills, knowledge, and creativity in their day-to-day life if they are to experience a
sense of competence. Competence is also experienced when individuals are able to
make informed choices about their own and their families’ lives.
In the ield work conducted, the different communities described experiencing

competence in four main ways:
i. Both men and women experience competence when they are able to develop a
good character. Moral qualities included showing love and compassion to others,
belief in one’s self, and having a positive life philosophy. Moral abilities included
perceptiveness; perseverance; ability to differentiate between right and wrong;
and being able to positively inluence others.
ii. Competence was also experienced when people were able to fulill their duties and
responsibilities to family. For women, this included caring for children; educating
one’s children; fulilling parental expectations; and protecting one’s family.
While men also placed taking care of children and family at the centre of their
responsibilities, being employed was highlighted as important to their sense of
personal achievement.
iii. Both men and women experience competence when they can exert inluence over
their community and country. This meant making a positive contribution to one’s
society and country. For men exerting inluence usually meant providing leadership
in the community and participating in community activities. For women exerting
inluence is usually at multiple levels from family and neighbours to community.
iv. Meeting challenges was an important means through which competence was
experienced. Meeting challenges means not only coping with dificult life situations
like economic hardship and family problems, but overcoming these dificult
circumstances and life situations.
14
Self-worth is derived from the experience of competence and refers to one’s sense
of place in one’s world and one’s sense of importance in one’s family and community.
Self worth also refers to self esteem and self conidence. Both competence and self-
worth derives from the ability to function and cope, including in times of crisis and
adversity.
In the ield work conducted experiencing self-worth was articulated somewhat differently
by men and women. For women, it seemed to revolve around three major factors. A
sense of self-worth is experienced through
i. personal achievements like educational attainment and employment;

ii. fulillment of one’s role especially towards one’s family;
iii. children’s achievements—their educational attainment, gaining employment,
marriage and grandchildren
For men, self-worth was mainly experienced through educational attainment and
gaining economic independence through employment.
4.3 Exercise Participation

This refers to the opportunity for individuals to have a voice and to shape and inluence
decisions that impact on their lives. Participation provides a space for self expression;
leadership and participation in politics; and the practice of social, religious and
spiritual rituals. Participation also means inluencing decision making processes at
family, community and even national levels. Participation is one of the fundamental
ways in which people exercise their agency and, therefore, is linked to the second
dimension of the framework—that is the exercise of power and inluence. Within a
development context the domain of participation recognizes that human beings are not
passive recipients or beneiciaries, but are active agents in shaping their own destiny.
In emphasizing participation as essential for wellbeing, the framework underscores the
principle of self-worth. It emphasizes that even in collectivist societies, individual
needs and aspirations should not get subsumed for the collective good.
In the ield work conducted exercising participation was articulated as the ability to
contribute to one’s community. Participation is exercised mainly to establish and
maintain one’s membership in the community, and also to expand one’s sphere of
inluence. Membership is established through participating in communal activities
like shramadhana, festivals, religious and cultural rituals. Being an active member of
one’s community enabled individuals to inluence community processes and, perhaps,
outcomes. Participation was not usually expressed in terms of exercising one’s personal
rights, but rather as contributing to collective action.
Exercising participation was also practiced by forming social connections. Being an active
member of one’s community strengthened community relationships. Participation also
contributed to the experience of competence and self worth as contributing to one’s
community was an essential aspect of fulilling one’s role and responsibilities.
15
4.4 Build Social Connections

This domain points to the importance of relationships to psychosocial wellbeing and
human lourishing. The domain acknowledges that individuals are usually embedded
in a network of social relations. Relationships are central to our identity and sense of
belonging. Individuals build social connections through the formation of various types
of relationships with other individuals, families or various groups in society. Social
relations usually facilitate access to resources and also enable the practice of one’s
cultural rituals.
In the ield work conducted, men and women expressed building social connections as
maintaining family relationships and establishing membership in the community. People
stressed that building relationships is facilitated through the principle of reciprocity or
the concept of ‘give and take’: assisting one’s extended family and neighbors through
material and other means is just as important as asking for assistance.
4.5 Enhance Physical and Psychological Wellness

This domain stresses that good health is essential to the experience and achievement
of wellbeing. Physical and mental wellness is not only absence of illness and disease,
but also an overall sense of physical vigor and psychological capacity that enables the
achievement of the other four domains. Psychological capacity encompasses both
cognitive and emotional development. Physical and psychological wellness enables
people to actively engage in the achievement and experience of wellbeing. At the same
time, people can engage in actively enhancing their state of physical and psychological
wellness.
Physical wellness may be enhanced through attaining suficient levels of physical activity,
paying attention to nutritional needs, and undergoing rehabilitative care to overcome
or manage disabilities. Similarly, psychological wellness may be enhanced through
the acquisition of emotional management skills such as stress or anger management,
relaxation, or attempting to develop particular qualities that they see as helpful to
manage their day-to-day lives (e.g. patience, assertiveness, sociability, etc). People
may also deliberately undertake to enhance their cognitive capacities. Examples of this
include acquiring knowledge, attempting insight or relection, adopting effective study
skills, engaging in meditation, etc.
The word ‘enhance’ has been used to acknowledge that not all physical and psychological
wellness factors may be within the realm of inluence of an individual. For example,
imbalances of physiology, presence of inirmity or disability, and socio-economic factors
which constrain choice and energy cannot be overcome by the efforts of an individual
and may require external or collective assistance. However, the word ‘enhance’ also
indicates that there is some scope to enhance physical or psychological wellness through
individual or internal efforts of a person.
16
5. Power as Mediator – the Role of Power, Inluence, and Identity in Mediating

Wellbeing
The role of power in experiencing wellbeing has been demonstrated by various
scholars.2 As we have described above, a person’s sense of wellbeing is determined
to a large extent by his/her environment, and also by how he/she deals or copes
with the external environment. What determines the nature of this interaction
between the person and the external environment depends, we argue, on the extent
of power and inluence a person exerts over their environment and his/her identity.
The psychosocial framework for wellbeing asserts that power and inluence is
central to the experience and achievement of wellbeing in Sri Lanka. The framework
for wellbeing, therefore, does not deine the domains of wellbeing simply as the
existence of resources or competencies, or as opportunities to participate and have
social connections, but rather emphasizes the active role individuals, families,
and even communities must play in achieving these characteristics. Individuals or
communities need to access resources; experience competence and self worth;
exercise participation; and build social connections if they are to experience
wellbeing. The interplay between a person’s ability and the external environment
is mediated by how much power and inluence a person is able to exercise, which
in turn is determined to a large extent by one’s identity.
2
See Prilleltensky et al (2001) “The Role of Power and Control in Children’s Lives: an Ecological Analysis of Pathways
towards Wellness, Resilience, and Problems”.; Batliwala (1995) Deining Women’s Empowerment: A Conceptual
Framework.; Carolyn Moser; Datta and Kornberg (2002) Women in Developing Countries. Assessing Strategies for
Empowerment; Friere (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
17
In the ield work conducted it was clear that power and inluence were gained mainly
through social networks. It was unfortunate, however, that establishing and maintaining
alliances with state oficials and political patronage were important sources of inluence
for all communities. State oficials dominated the list of important actors in people’s
lives. Power gained through social networks facilitated a person’s ability to access
resources and determined how much control they had over personal and collective
goods and services. Both private and state aid was described as being selectively
distributed. Maintaining alliances with the oficials, therefore, was strategic to gaining
power. Nepotism and favouritism were day-to-day experiences for people and one that
they had to negotiate through exercising inluence. The only way to ensure political
patronage was to align one’s self to one or more oficials or at least establish a strategic
alliance with one important person whose power could be exercised on your behalf.
The psychosocial framework does not in any way afirm or condone political patronage or
nepotism as ways of gaining power and inluence. The framework points to the important
role power and inluence play in mediating people’s wellbeing—a role that cannot be
ignored by development planners and implementers. Moreover, ield discussions points
to the injustice and inequity that people have to deal with in their day-to-day life.
Family connections were also an important source of power and determined the
achievement of economic stability. Economic stability was possible through family
inheritance; the income of spouses who had migrated for work; through children or
family members ordained in the temple who could facilitate access to resources; and
through the gifts of relatives living abroad.
The amount of power an individual can exert is intrinsically tied to his/her identity. One’s
given identity as a woman, or a member of an ethnic minority, or as an economically
disadvantaged person determines how much inluence an individual can or is allowed to
exert in their family and community. A person’s identity is an amalgamation of several
different components, including gender, ethnicity, class, caste, educational level, and
socio-economic status. No single aspect of identity can be said to determine the exercise
of power and inluence. Depending on the context, one or more of these components
may become more prominent than the others. For example, in Sri Lanka a man’s sense
of safety and security is intrinsically tied to his ethnic identity. A young Tamil man
will not experience the same sense of safety and security going through a military
checkpoint as a Sinhala one.
6. Systems and Institutions – the Enabling Environment

An enabling environment is imperative for the experience and achievement of wellbeing.
The framework emphasizes the need for supportive systems and institutions to enable the
wellbeing of both individuals and communities. The quality of systems and institutions
in a particular society can either enable or detract from individuals’ achievement of
wellbeing. The economic and political systems of a country would directly impact the
distribution of resources and who can or cannot access them. A person can experience
competence only if institutions such as schools exist to develop competencies. On the
other hand while schools may help develop competencies, a failing economic system
may not provide enough opportunities for people to experience competence and self
18
worth through engaging in productive livelihoods. Physical and psychological wellness

can be maintained only if health services, including clinics and hospitals are available
and accessible. Participation can be exercised only if community-level institutions like
civil-society organizations and political parties exist and the prevailing political system
allows for free association. Social connections are also enabled through institutions
such as the family and kinship ties.
Institutions and systems exist at three different levels (Prilleltensky et al 2005). These
can take the form of infrastructure, services, facilities, and organizations.
i. Level 1 (Micro level) – Family; informal community groups

ii. Level 2 (Meso level) – Services and organizations that exist in communities
are placed at this level. These can be health and education services, formal
community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and even
local government bodies. Representative bodies of different interest groups
such as trade unions, political parties, and community groups are also
represented at this level.
iii. Level 3 (Macro level) – This level consists of economic and political systems
including policy-making legislative bodies. These systems may exist in turn at
different levels: provincial, national, regional or global.
Level 1 – Micro-level Institutions

In the ield work conducted the family emerged as a key institution in enabling
wellbeing. When individual family members have access to resources, especially through
employment and assets, it enables family wellbeing. When a family experiences poverty
and are forced to send their children to work instead of school or children are unable
19
to take care of elderly parents, it is described as a negative sense of wellbeing for

the family. Family structure and family relationships also directly impacted individual
wellbeing. Family disputes—marital or inter-generational—undermine one’s sense of
wellbeing, while effective communication between family members enhanced individual
wellbeing.
At the micro level informal groups also featured prominently in the discussions about
an enabling environment. Women described neighbours, savings groups, and informal
networks as essential, especially in times of need. These networks and groups were
important to the practice of cultural rituals like weddings, funerals, coming of age
ceremonies as neighbours and other group members would assist in the preparation and
execution of the ritual.
Level 2 – Meso-level Institutions

At the meso level, institutions and key actors of these institutions emerged as the
enabling environment for the achievement of wellbeing. State institutions and services
dominated the list: the school, the medical service, local government bodies, welfare
services, the Rural Development Authority, the police, and the armed forces. State
oficials were a signiicant force in people’s lives. Key actors included the Grama
Niladhari who was needed for a variety of needs from education and welfare to
loans and employment; the Public Inspector of Health (PHI) and the Medical Oficer
of Health (MoH); and individual police men. Places of worship and religious leaders
feature prominently in the day-to-day lives of people. Community-based organizations,
especially death benevolent societies and savings groups were important. NGOs and
their activities are also considered important.
Level 3 – Macro-level Institutions and Systems

At the macro-level economic and political systems underpinned the discussions on
wellbeing. The persistence of poverty and the inability to overcome it was blamed on
the prevailing economic system. The inability to pursue one’s livelihood was seen as
resulting from the lack of capital, weak market linkages, inadequate access to loans,
and lack of infrastructure facilities. The lack of permanent employment and jobs
that matched educational attainment was another distinct feature of the prevailing
economic system. Many worked as labourers whose daily wage was not guaranteed. The
rising cost of living and the inability to save meant that people did not have economic
security and were immersed in a vicious cycle of debt due to loans taken for medical
and educational needs, and sometimes even for basic needs.
For communities directly affected by the conlict, the ethnic conlict and the lack of
peace characterized the political system. Conlict affected the experience of wellbeing in
every way. People’s access to resources was undermined as they could not engage in their
livelihoods and education was disrupted. Experiencing competence and self-worth was
undermined due to the lack of opportunities for people to gain and use their knowledge
and skills although many were coping despite their unstable environment. Exercising
participation and building social connections was limited due to displacement and the
breakdown of community networks. Physical and mental wellness was compromised due
to the insecure environment, poor living conditions, and lack of medical services.
20
In non-conlict areas injustice and corruption characterized the prevailing political

system. The injustice of the political system manifested itself chiely through corruption.
Political patronage was essential for one’s survival. Alliances with state oficials was
imperative for various reasons including eligibility for social security and other welfare
beneits, timely assistance in times of health needs, and fair treatment in the event of
breach of law.
The discussions on what enables or undermines wellbeing clearly pointed to the need
for effective and eficient systems and institutions. Development policy makers
and practitioners cannot focus only on improving the domains of wellbeing. As the
framework demonstrates attention must be paid to the enabling environment of systems
and institutions if wellbeing is to be truly improved.
7. Conclusion
The psychosocial framework in deining wellbeing captures the multi-dimensional nature
of wellbeing. If the dynamic nature of wellbeing is to be understood as a continuous
interplay between the person and his/her social environment, then it must be understood
through a psychosocial framework. The principle of social justice underlines the way
the framework deines what constitutes wellbeing, what mediates wellbeing, and what
enables wellbeing. The domains and the dimensions emphasize the need to promote
equality and empowerment. The framework also asserts that wellbeing is not a static
state of being or a state of satisfaction, but is a process of becoming. The development
of human capabilities, therefore, is central to the experience and achievement of
wellbeing. Moreover, achieving wellbeing requires change at three levels: the micro
(personal), the meso (community), and the macro-level (institutional), which points to
the role of systems and institutions, especially the state play, in creating an enabling
environment that promotes and protects the wellbeing of individuals, families, and
communities.
21
22
THE WELLBEING
ASSESSMENT
TOOL
Chapter 4
1. Overview
This chapter describes the wellbeing assessment tool and presents the following:
i. The structure and main elements of the tool

ii. How to administer the tool
iii. The wellbeing assessment tool
2. What is the wellbeing assessment tool?

The wellbeing assessment tool is a structured interview which was developed with the
aim of identifying speciic elements of wellbeing important for a given community or
individual. Data gathered from the tool can be used for analysis at two levels:
i. the individual level

ii. the community level
At the individual level, the tool can be used to asses individual wellbeing over time,
track changes in the different domains and dimensions of wellbeing, and direct individual
intervention. At the community level, aggregates of individual responses can be used
to identify existing concerns and to design context-speciic and psychosocially-sensitive
interventions. The tool can also be used for research purposes in studying a community
or particular groups within it.
2.1 Structure of the tool

The tool comprises of eight main sections:
A. Geographical location
B. Demographic information (2 subsections)
C. Introduction and consent (2 subsections)
D. Domains (7 subsections)
E. Power and inluence (2 subsections)
F. Social mapping (2 subsections)
G. Closing the interview

H. Observations to the interview
Sections A, B, and C deal with the basic elements needed to begin a research interview. It
records demographic information of the respondent, records details of the geographical
location where the interview takes place, and gives the respondent a basic introduction
regarding the rationale for the interview. The section also covers the ethics of research,
i.e., gaining consent of the respondent to carry out the interview as well as assuring the
maintenance of conidentiality.
Sections D and E deal with gathering data directly in relation to the conceptual
framework and are the most extensive parts of the tool. The section begins with an
open ended question on wellbeing that is intended to put the respondent at ease while
gathering narrative information. These sections comprise both open ended and close
ended questions that deal with identifying speciic elements in each domain relevant
to wellbeing.
Section F deals with activities for further rapport building while making the information
more relevant for the interviewee.
Section G deals with closing the interview in an ethical and psychosocially sensitive
manner, where the respondent is given room to make comments in general or give
feedback on the interview process.
2.2 Objectives of the tool

A matrix comprising each section of the tool is given below and can be used as a quick
method of browsing through the uses of the tool.
Section Objective Importance

Interview Information IDs for each interview Useful as a quick method for
(box at top of page) (respondent,interviewer coding each interview and date)
for data entry.
A. Geographical Obtain community speciic Useful as a quick method of

Location information and segregate identifying and grouping
data at the level of communities, villages or camps,
community, village or camp for analysis.
B. Demographic Demographic background Useful to identify the average

Information for each respondent number of members within a
1. Household household, their relationship to
Composition each other and their social
status.
2. Economic Condition Useful to identify the economic

condition of the respondent as
well as to gain a sense of what
24
The Wellbeing Assessment Tool
economic assets are prevalent

and important to that
community/village or camp.
C. Consent Obtain informed consent Useful as a mechanism for

ensuring the maintenance of
ethics.
D1 To build rapport and Useful as a tool to build rapport

Timeline demonstrate interest in between the respondent and
the person of the respondent interviewer. It can also
be used to identify similarities
To gather data for the or differences in important and
construction of respondent signiicant life events between
narratives communities.
To gather data on signiicant

events in the community that
impact on wellbeing of
individuals
If common events/incidents
are identiied, they can be
used to compare wellbeing
between groups
D2 For further rapport building Important as a means to gaining

Meaning of and initiating an open a quick overview of factors
wellbeing discussion about wellbeing important for wellbeing for
each community, group or camp.
To transition into speciic
questions on each of the
domains that constitutes
wellbeing.
To allow respondents to identify
key elements of wellbeing in an
undirected manner
To analyze elements of
wellbeing in each narrative and
compare with the framework.
Also, identify new areas, if any.
Elaboration of To allow respondents to This is important to identify

each domain describe each domain and its speciic components of
(3.1; 4.1; 5.1; relevance to wellbeing from wellbeing in relation to each
6.1; 7.1) their point of view. This helps respective domain for
25
to identify the speciic different communities,

elements of each domain, groups or camps.
recognizing that these may
change over time.
To be able to identify which

resources may be required for
different groups in a community,
thereby ensuring a more
context-speciic and responsive
intervention
Satisfaction with To assess individual and This is important to gain an

each domain community’s sense of understanding of how satisied
(3.2; 4.2; 5.2; satisfaction with different or not an individual is within
6.2; 7.2) domains as this may change each domain, which can
over time and with their help direct which types of
prevailing circumstances intervention are most important
to each respective community,
To assess overall satisfaction group or camp.
of individuals and communities
by creating an aggregate of
satisfaction scores per
respondent, called the overall
satisfaction score
Factors To identify factors that mediate Important to gain an

inluencing wellbeing in that particular understanding of what enables
domains domain. or undermines wellbeing within
(3.3, 3.4; 4.3, 4.4; each study population.
5.3,5.4; 6.3, 6.4; Because wellbeing is not a
7.3,7.4) static state and requires to be
achieved, interventionists
cannot afford to ignore
mediators of wellbeing, but
should include these in the
design and strategies of their
intervention.
How wellbeing To identify the mechanisms

is achieved in a and processes by which
particular domain individuals achieve wellbeing
(3.5; 4.5; 5.5; in a particular domain
6.5; 7.5) Interventionists can use this
information to design and
26
strategize their interventions

accordingly.
Satisfaction with To assess satisfaction with level

ability to get of power in a particular domain
things done in a
particular domain
(3.6; 4.6; 5.6;
6.6; 7.6)
Services, To assess types of services, This is important for

institutions institutions and infrastructure humanitarian and development
and required to achieve wellbeing workers to identify how best
infrastructure in a particular domain each intervention needs to be
required for a choreographed for each
particular domain community based on the
(3.7; 4.7; 5.7; available services, institutions
6.7; 7.7) and infrastructure.
Satisfaction with To assess satisfaction with

services, services, institutions and
institutions and infrastructure available to
infrastructure support development in a
for a particular particular domain
domain
(3.8; 4.8; 5.8;
6.8; 7.8)
People, To identify actors which This is important for

organizations support the achievement humanitarian and development
and agencies of wellbeing in a sector workers to identify key
supporting the particular domain people and organizations in
achievement of each community. They may
wellbeing in each consider building rapport with
domain them in order to ensure the
(3.9; 4.9; 5.9; intervention strengthens
6.9; 7.9) existing support structures
and projects are implemented
in a psychosocially sensitive
manner.
E. 1. Power To understand how power and Important to identify power

How power is inluence are exerted by relations within the family
exerted within individuals and groups in areas and community and being
family, of decision-making and ‘getting aware of these when designing
27
community things done’. It also helps to interventions.

and with oficial understand how people
actors (1,2,3) perceive their ability to exert
Importance of power and inluence,the
power (4) importance they attach to it,
Satisfaction with and their levels of satisfaction
power (5) with the power and inluence
they currently exert.
E. 2. To identify how people deal This is an optional section,

Process Map with problems and issues but can be used to identify
what steps people take when
addressing a particular problem
or issue in their lives.
F. 1. To identify most important and To gain a quick overview of

Prioritization least important domain, so as which domain is most important
to guide interventions and least important to that
community, group or camp at a
particular time.
F. 2. To identify the network of This gives an important insight

Social Map relationships the person is into the people and institutions
embedded in that support people.
28
3. How to administer the tool

The tool is a one-on-one structured interview schedule which is designed to gather
qualitative as well as quantitative data. The interview takes approximately one and a
half hours to administer. However, if the respondent indicates willingness to continue
the interview, it can be extended up to two hours. It is not recommended to exceed
two hours.
3.1 Materials Required

For the purpose of carrying out the interview the following materials are needed:
i. a plain notebook for recording information and later transferring to the form
ii. Pens
iii. 3”x5” plain cards with a domain written on each one of them for the
prioritization exercise
3.2 Analysing data gathered from the tool

As the tool gathers both qualitative and quantitative data, mixed methods of analysis
should be used. Quantitative analysis could be done by way of using SPSS (Statistical
Package for Social Science) or similar statistical packages. Qualitative analysis could be
done by way of analysing narratives, case studies, drawing out themes and categories.
Male Sinhala
Female Muslim
Tamil
Other
29
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR ASSESSING PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLBEING (INDIVIDUAL)

A. INFORMATION ON THE INTERVIEW
A1 Respondent ID: ______________________

A2 Date of interview: ______________________
A3 Interviewer ID: ______________________
A4 Location of interview
a. name of town, village, camp ______________________
b. place of interview ______________________
(home, other – pls specify)
B. INFORMATION ON RESPONDENT - CODES
B 1.2 B 1.5 B 1.6 B 1.7

Relationship Marital Status Educational Level Activity
Husband/Wife 1 Unmarried 1 No schooling 1 Employer 1

/Regular partner (cannot read and write)
Son/Daughter 2 Married 2 No schooling 2 Self 2
(can read and write) employed
Brother/Sister 3 Living together 3 Grade 1-5 3 Salaried 3
worker
Brother/Sister 4 Widowed 4 Grade 6 – 10 4 Wage 4
in law worker-Piece rate
Father/Mother 5 Separated 5 Sat for GCE (O/L) 5 Monthly 5
Father/Mother 6 Other 6 Passed GCE (O/L) 6 Weekly 6
in law
Son/Daughter 7 Sat for GCE (A/L) 7 Daily 7
in law
Grand child 8 Passed GCE (A/L) 8 Adhoc 8
Other relation 9 Degree 9 Unpaid family 9
worker- Agriculture
Others (specify) 10 Vocational Training 10 Trade 10
Other 11 Manufacturing 11
Unemployed – 12
B 1.3 Sex B 1.8 Ethnicty B 1.9 Religion seeking employment
Male 1 Sinhala 1 Buddhist 1 Unemployed - not 13
seeking employment
Female 2 Tamil 2 Hindu 2 Engaged in 14
household work
Muslim 3 Christian 3 Student 15
Mixed 4 Catholic 4 Child not attending 16
school
Other 5 Muslim 5 Retired 17
Other 6 Other (specify 18
eg. Physical disability,
mental disability etc)
30
B. INFORMATION ON RESPONDENT - TABLE
B 1 Household Composition: Start with the respondent as (0) followed by the rest of
the household members
Ser. B1.1 Name B 1.2 B 1.3 B 1.4 B 1.5 B 1.6 B 1.7 B 1.8 B 1.9
No. Relation Sex Age Marital Educat Activity Ethnicity Religion
-ship to status -ional
head of Level
household
0 Respondent :
10
11
12
13
14
15
B 2 Economic Condition
B 2.1 What is your average monthly household

income? ..................................................................................
31
B 2.2 Monthly Expenditure? (Prompt for other items)

Seq. no Item Monthly Expenditure
1 Food
2 Transport
3 Rent
4 Education
5 Health care
6 Utilities (water, electricity)
7 Membership dues
8 Loan repayments
10
B 2.3 What are some of the household assets enjoyed and owned by the
respondent? (Prompt for other items)
Seq. Item Quantity of asset Quality of assets (market value)
no
1 House
2 Land
3 Jewellery, Livestock
or Savings
4 Vehicles
32
C. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT

This research is being conducted by the University of Colombo. We are exploring a
new area about people’s lives and experiences that we do not know much about. The
information that you share will help us greatly in this aspect. I am (name of interviewer)
and I am a member of the team who is interviewing different people in different parts
of the country. The research aims to ind out about how people experience psychosocial
wellbeing and how changes in their experience can be captured by those who are
interested to know whether what they are doing contributes to good wellbeing for
individuals, families and communities. There is very little information on knowing
changes to wellbeing. Such knowledge would help to strengthen efforts to improve
people’s lives and help them cope with dificulties. We would be very grateful if you
could share with us some details of your life, your opinions and experiences about those
aspects that affect your sense of wellbeing. We will be recording the interviews. It
should take about an hour and a half. We can set a time that is convenient for you and
I can come back at that time.
The interview is intended to obtain information that will help us and others to understand
what affects people’s sense of wellbeing and how. We are not in a position to offer any
direct assistance to people who might need it, but we hope that the information we
collect will help to strengthen the programs that are intended to help people around
the country. All the information that is shared with us is kept conidential. Also, if you
would like to remove anything from our records after or during speaking to us, please
let me know and I can do so.
C 1 Do you agree to speak to us on your wellbeing? Please remember that you

can stop at any point if you do not want to continue with the interview.
YES NO (Has the reason(s) been provided?)
YES _______________________________
NO (Please tell me why you do not want to be interviewed?)
33
D. MEANING AND DOMAINS OF WELLBEING (elicited from respondent)
D 1 GETTING TO KNOW THE RESPONDENT

Tell me a little bit about yourself, what are the things that have happened to you
– either in a good or bad way, which of these have been most important to you,
which was most signiicant in its impact on how you live your life today? Ask about
childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and now.
34
D 2 What does it mean for you to live well and be happy? (Get the list of
domains / factors / aspects the person thinks of as important for his / her
wellbeing)
35
ACCESS TO MATERIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

D3 You have mentioned many aspects that impact on your wellbeing like (give
examples from domains mentioned). Some people have also talked about other
aspects which affect their life. Now I am going to ask more speciic questions
about these. First I will ask about the resources you have.
D 3.1 What are the different kinds of resources that are needed for you to live well and
be happy?
D 3.2 How satisied are you at this point in your life with your access to resources?
1 Very satisied 2 Satisied 3 No problems 4 Not so satisied 5 Worried 6 Very worried
D 3.3 What are some of the things that enable your access to resources?
D 3.4 What are some of the things that constrain your access to resources?
D 3.5 How do you exert inluence and get the necessary things done to access the
resources you need?
D 3.6 How satisied are you with your ability to exert inluence and get the necessary
things done to access the resources you need?
D 3.7 What services, institutions and infrastructure are required for you to access the
resources that you need?
D 3.8 How satisied are you with the services, institutions and infrastructure that exist
now to help you access the resources that you need?
D 3.9 Who are the people, organisations and agencies which help you access the
resources you need?
36
COMPETENCE
D4 Now we are going to talk about yourself—the roles you fulil and the activities
that you engage in—and discuss how these contribute to living well and being
happy.
D 4.1 What are some of the things that you do in your life that make you feel good
about yourself?
D 4.2 How satisied are you with the roles and activities you fulil now?
D 4.3 What are some of the things that enable how you fulil your roles and engage in
activities?
D 4.4 What are some of the things that constrain how you fulil your roles and engage
in activities?
D 4.5 How do you exert inluence and get the necessary things done to fulil your roles
and engage in activities?
things done to fulil your roles and engage in activities?
D 4.7 What services, institutions and infrastructure are required for you to fulil your
roles and engage in activities?
now that help you fulil your roles and engage in activities?
D 4.9 Who are the people, organisations and agencies which help you fulil your roles
and engage in activities?
37
SELF WORTH
D5 Now we are going to talk in more detail about a person’s characteristics and how
they contribute to living well and being happy.
D 5.1 What are some of the characteristics about yourself that you value at this point
in time?
D 5.2 How satisied are you with these characteristics?
D 5.3 What are some of the things that enable how you able to develop your personal
characteristics?
D 5.4 What are some of the things that constrain how you are able to develop your
personal characteristics?
D 5.5 How do you exert inluence and get the necessary things done to develop your
things done to develop your personal characteristics?
D 5.7 What services, institutions and infrastructure are required for you to develop your
now to help you develop your personal characteristics?
D 5.9 Who are the people, organisations and agencies which help you develop your
38
BUILDING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

D6 We are going to shift from talking about yourself to talking about how relationships
and connections contribute to living well and being happy.
D 6.1 What are the different kinds of relationships and connections that help you to live
your life well and to be happy?
D 6.2 How satisied are you with the relationships and connections you have now?
D 6.3 What are some of the things that enable your ability to develop relationships and
connections?
D 6.4 What are some of the things that constrain your ability to develop relationships
and connections?
D 6.5 How do you exert inluence and get the necessary things done to develop
relationships and connections?
things done to develop relationships and connections?
D 6.7 What services, institutions and infrastructure are required for you to develop
now to help you develop relationships and connections?
D 6.9 Who are the people, organisations and agencies which help you develop
39
PARTICIPATION
D7 Lets now talk about the different activities you engage in within the family and
community.
D 7.1 What kinds of activities do you participate in within the family and community to
live well and be happy?
D 7.2 How satisied are you with your participation in family and community activities
now?
D 7.3 What are some of the things that enable how you participate in family and
community activities?
D 7.4 What are some of the things that constrain how you participate in family and
community activities?
D 7.5 How do you exert inluence and get the necessary things done to participate in
family and community activities?
things done to participate in family and community activities?
D 7.7 What services, institutions and infrastructure are required for you to participate
in family and community activities?
now to help you participate in family and community activities?
D 7.9 Who are the people, organisations and agencies which help you participate in
family and community activities?
40
E POWER
E1 Lets now discuss how having inluence over resources and people contribute to
living well and being happy.
E 1.1 What are some of the things that help you make decisions and get things done
within your family?
within your community?
when dealing with oficial sources?
E 1.4 How satisied are you with the level of inluence you have now?
41
E2 PROCESS MAP
You talked about how certain things enable or constrain your ability to exert power
and inluence Can you please describe how you have tried to handle an important
matter in this area step by step? What were your dificulties? What was easy?
42
F. SOCIAL MAPING
F 1 PRIORITISATION OF DOMAINS (use cards for ranking)

Up to this point, we spoke of many things that are important to live well and be
happy? When you think of all of these things, what are the things that are more
important and what are the things that are less important for you to live well and
have a happy life? I am now going to give you six cards which include the things that
you spoke about (speak about each of the things in the cards, with examples). Can
you please organise these cards in the order of importance?
Code Value (1-6)
F 1.1 Ability to access material and

physical goods
F 1.2 Competence
F 1.3 Self-worth
F 1.4 Relationships and

connections
F 1.5 Participation
F 1.6 Power
F 2 SOCIAL MAP
Who are the people who are most important to you now and have been during
your life? Who have signiicantly inluenced – either in a good or bad way - your
life and how you live your life today? (Social mapping) Who are you responsible
for? Who is responsible for you? What are your roles in relation to these people?
What are their roles for you?
43
G. CLOSING THE INTERVIEW

G 1 What do you do for relaxation or fun? What do you enjoy doing?
G 2 How do you feel about having talked about these things?
G 3 Is there anything else that you would like to add which was not discussed?
G 4 Is there anything you would like to change or remove from what you have said
during the interview?
Thank the respondent for the time they have spent with you and for the information
they have shared.
------------------------------------- END OF INTERVIEW ------------------------------------
H. ABOUT THE INTERVIEW – to be completed after the interview

H 1 Were there other people present during the interview (none, not a lot, often)?
H 2 Who were they and what was their role during the interview?
H 3 Please relect on your experience and observations during the interview and
describe briely before. Is there anything else you think is important to be noted
about the interview?
44
ANALYSING
THE DATA
Chapter 5
1. Overview
The amount of data that is collected from the wellbeing assessment tool is likely to be
considerable. This chapter provides some suggestions on how to approach the analysis
of the collected data, and how to arrive at some conclusive indings that may be useful
in designing a psychosocially sensitive intervention. We approach these questions irst
by exploring the broader uses of the tool. Details of how data was treated and analysed
in the PADHI wellbeing assessment is shared. Finally, a table specifying the potential use
of each question in the tool is provided.
2. Preparing the data for analysis: exploration and description
2.1 Cleaning and cross-checking the data

The irst important step for the PADHI team was to explore the data that we had
collected. This involved subjecting it to conventional cleaning and treating methods,
such as looking at what kinds of information had been collected for each of the questions
in the tool, whether they were suitable, whether some were missing or irrelevant, and
describing the data collected for each of the questions. Furthermore, questions were
cross-checked with similar or corresponding ones to ensure that there was consistency
within the interview. At the same time, the demographic information of the sampled
population was explored in order to determine the background of the inal sample,
and how it corresponded to or differed from the planned sampling. One interesting
observation from the PADHI process at this stage was the small number of unmarried
respondents in the sample. This inding rendered irrelevant many of the questions the
PADHI team had on how wellbeing may differ based on marital status.
2.2 Coding and categorization

The data on wellbeing generated by the tool needs to be categorised with care especially
since a number of questions in the tool are open-ended. The categories are to be
constructed after the collection of data and through grouping similar responses. A simple
but effective mechanism to code the data is to collect a sample of 15-20 completed
interviews and use these to generate codes, adding more codes as you go through
the rest of the interviews. For example, a large number of answers were obtained in
response to the question ‘what factors inluence access to services and institutions’.
The list of responses was grouped, with similar answers such as ‘money needed’ and
‘high expenditure needed’ being grouped as inancial security while answers such as
‘lack of regular services’, ‘ineficient services’ and ‘wasting people’s time’ constituted
the ‘quality of services’ category.
The data may be categorised differently depending on the perspectives of the researchers
involved. However, it is best if there is at least more than one person involved in
the categorising process so that responses and their meanings can be discussed, and
placed within context. Subtle nuances should be captured and sub-categorised where
necessary. For example, answers such as ‘taking care of parents’, ‘doing household
work’ and ‘supporting spouse through income’ were categorised as ‘fulilling family
responsibilities’ while responses such as ‘giving free education to poorer children’,
‘helping youth in the village’ and ‘helping neighbours’ were grouped as ‘being of service/
help to others’. Both categories ‘fulilling family responsibilities’ and ‘being of service/
help to others’ were included in the category ‘personal behaviour and conduct’.
The inal list of categories generated by the PADHI team from the responses to all the
questions in the interview schedule is described below.
 Infrastructure and services

 Economic factors, infrastructure and services
 Employment/Livelihood and Equipments for Livelihood
 Financial Security and Material Resources
 Personal Characteristics
 Personal Behaviour and Conduct
 Capabilities and Skills
 Knowledge and Experience
 Education, Schooling and Training
 Assistance and help from Individuals
 Assistance from State and Institutions
 Family Support
 Advice and Information
 Nature of Social Relationships and Networks
 Social and Political Connections
 Politics, political problems and political system
 Rule of Law and Good Governance
 Migration, Return and Change in Residence
 Physical and Geographical Environment
 Time
 Distance and Proximity
 Peace
 Presence of community organizations
 Resources Essential for the Aspired Lifestyle
 Marriage and Marital Relationship
46
Analysing the Data
 Personal Life Events and History

 Physical and Mental Health
 Age
 Participation in community organisations and activities
 Gender discrimination
 Children, Children’s Needs and Children’s Achievements
 Disaster, Loss and Death
 Workload and Responsibilities
 Status and Position
 Life Philosophy
 Quality of Service
 Media
 Community awareness and knowledge
These main categories appear to be important in constituting as well as mediating
wellbeing. It is important that these categories are exclusive and independent from one
other as much as possible. This will help in carrying out quantitative analyses.
2.3 Describing the sample

It is also important to describe the sample population from which the data has been
collected, pointing out interesting observations. This will help those interested to get
a good understanding of the communities involved in the assessment, and may also
reveal important sub-groups who may need additional help or further monitoring. For
example, although one of the villages included in the sample was a resettled tsunami
village, the PADHI team discovered that there were a small number of families who had
also resettled within the other villages as well, aided by smaller local efforts rather
than larger government and NGO-driven initiatives. These families were experiencing
speciic problems related to their resettlement.
3. Generating research questions

Understanding the nature of wellbeing for a particular group of people and what factors
mediate the experience of wellbeing in this group
Once the stage of exploring and describing the data is complete and a thorough
understanding of the data is obtained, it is then necessary to focus on generating a set of
broad research questions pertaining to wellbeing and the relevant conditions and factors
that impact on wellbeing in the speciic communities of the sampled population.
Broadly, the research questions will aim towards understanding the nature of wellbeing
for a particular group of people and what factors mediate the experience of wellbeing
in this group, and to compare the indings for this with other groups. However, the
speciic questions will differ depending on the speciic issues that the research team
is interested in about the community’s wellbeing. The PADHI team were interested in
three broad questions:
47
i. What elements constituted the different domains which had been identiied in the
PADHI wellbeing conceptual framework
ii. What factors mediated wellbeing and how did these factors differ among sub-groups
in the sample
iii. Which domains appeared to be most important for people, why and for which groups
of people
The PADHI team generated a set of speciic research questions based on these interests.
For example:
i. How do satisfaction scores of different domains vary amongst the different

groups?
ii. How do importance rankings of different domains vary amongst the different
groups?
iii. Which are the main constituents for each of the domains and do these vary amongst
the different groups? If so, how do they differ?
iv. What is the role of power in mediating the experience of wellbeing amongst the
different groups?
Some researchers may be interested in a particular sub-group, and others may
be interested in establishing some priority areas through which to begin their
interventions.
4. Understanding the purpose of each question in the wellbeing assessment tool

The PADHI wellbeing assessment tool examines a number of different facets related to
wellbeing. Within each of these facets, the elements which constitute a particular facet
(be it domain or dimension) are explored: satisfaction levels, how important it is, which
factors mediate it, and how power and access to services within that domain play a key
role in mediating satisfaction.
Table 1: GuidelinZes for Data Entry and Analysis for the Wellbeing Tool
Section Entry Quantitative Analysis
A. Geographical Enter data into separate This will allow data to be analysed
Location columns for municipality at these different levels where
/ village, DS division required
and district
B. Demographic Respondent demographic The demographic details of the

Information details should be entered respondent, including the
into separate columns. It is economic index, are important
not necessary to enter the independent variables for the
demographic details for analysis
each of the household
members.
48
Analysing the Data
1. Household The information is used in If interested, some of the data

Composition the construction of case from the demographic table can
studies for selected be used to tabulate other
respondents. information, such as size of the
household, number of dependents
in proportion to caregivers/unpaid
household workers, number
of dependents in proportion to
income-earners, etc.
2. Economic Economic Condition requires Changes to demographic details,

Condition the construction of an including the economic index, may
economic indicator. Please indicate changes to wellbeing.
see annex for details on It is important to monitor such
creating and using the index changes over time.
for analysis. To understand the economic
status of the sample a composite
economic indicator can be
developed by way of weighted
principle component based factor
analysis. This is important as
income or expenditure based
measures alone do not provide
a comprehensive proile of
economic wellbeing. Please see
annex for details on creating and
using the indicator for analysis.
C. Consent Enter whether consent was Check demographic backgrounds

granted or not into separate of those who consented to/
columns refused interview for variations etc
D. 1. Timeline Categorize the events. If Events can be used as an

some appear meaningful to independent variable to compare
consider in terms of wellbeing status and nature
variations amongst different between groups (e.g. those who
categories of respondents, mentioned the tsunami as an
enter into separate column. event or those who mentioned
being a victim of crime and those
who did not).
The timeline will also be Check frequency of events across

used in the construction of different categories of
case studies for selected respondents and analyze
respondents. accordingly.
49
D 2. Meaning of Categorize the responses. Check frequency of categories

wellbeing across different categories
of respondents and analyze
accordingly.
D. Domains (3 Access to Resources; 4 Competence; 5 Self-Worth; 6 Building Social

Connections; 7 Participation)
Elaboration of Categorize the items and Check frequency of it across items

each domain enter into separate columns across different categories of
(3.1; 4.1; 5.1; for each respondent. respondents and analyze
6.1; 7.1) accordingly
Satisfaction with Enter satisfaction values Analyze across different

each domain for the domains separately categories of respondents and at
(3.2; 4.2; 5.2; for each respondent. different levels of geographical
6.2; 7.2) location to identify satisfaction
levels for constituent groups.
An overall satisfaction value Cross-check with satisfaction with
may be developed by adding a. importance. Interventions may
the satisfaction values for be directed towards areas of low
each respondent. Enter this satisfaction and high importance.
into a separate column. b. prioritization table (see F1).
Interventions may be directed
towards those areas with lower
levels of satisfaction but higher
prioritization.
Factors Categorize the factors Analyze across different categories

inluencing in response to these two of respondents and at different
domains questions (enabling and levels of geographical location to
(3.3, 3.4; 4.3, 4.4; limiting factors). Keep the identify factors affecting wellbeing
5.3, 5.4; 6.3, 6.4; distinction between the two. for constituent groups.
7.3, 7.4) However, one may be inverse
of the other (wealth may be
an enabling factor but
poverty a limiting factor).
How wellbeing is Categorize mechanisms Check frequency of responses

achieved in a mentioned for getting things across different categories of
particular domain done and enter accordingly respondents and analyze
(3.5; 4.5; 5.5; for each respondent accordingly
6.5; 7.5) Particularly informative for
the narrative case-study
50
Analysing the Data
Satisfaction with Enter satisfaction values for Analyze satisfaction with ability to
ability to get the domains separately for get things done in a particular
things done in a each respondent. domain across different categories
particular domain of respondents and at different
(3.6; 4.6; 5.6; levels of geographical location.
6.6; 7.6) Cross-check with satisfaction with
ability to get things done with
satisfaction level with the domain.
Services, Categorize types of services, Check frequency of responses

institutions and institutions and across different categories of
infrastructure infrastructure and enter the respondents and analyze
required for a data accordingly. accordingly
particular domain
(3.7; 4.7; 5.7;
6.7; 7.7)
Satisfaction with Enter satisfaction values for Analyze across different

services, the domains separately for categories of respondents and at
institutions and each respondent. different levels of geographical
infrastructure for location to identify satisfaction
a particular levels for constituent groups.
domain
(3.8; 4.8; 5.8; Cross-check with satisfaction
6.8; 7.8) with services, institutions, and
infrastructure with satisfaction
with ability to get things done with
satisfaction level with the domain.
People, Categorize types of people, Check frequency of responses

organizations organizations and agencies across different categories of
and agencies and enter accordingly. respondents and analyze
supporting the accordingly
achievement of
wellbeing in each
domain
(3.9; 4.9; 5.9;
6.9; 7.9)
E. 1. Power Categorize methods and Check frequency of responses

How power is processes of exerting across different categories of
exerted within inluence and power for each respondents and analyze
family, community of the spheres of inluence accordingly
and with oficial (family, community, oficial
actors (1.1, 1.2, actors). Enter data Analyze people’s level of
51
1.3) accordingly for each satisfaction with their ability to

Importance of respondent. exert inluence and power.
power (1.4)
Satisfaction with Enter importance of power Analyze across different
power (1.5) for each respondent. categories of respondents and
at different levels of
Enter satisfaction with geographical location to identify
power for each respondent. importance of power and
satisfaction with power for
constituent groups.
E. 2. Process Map For qualitative analyses
F. 1. Enter the prioritization Analyze across different

Prioritization values for each of the categories of respondents and
domains into separate at different levels of geographical
columns for each respondent location to identify prioritisation
of different domains for
constituent groups.
Can be used to construct a

weighted score for satisfaction
F. 2. Social Map For qualitative analyses
5. Interpreting and utilising the indings

The variations of data for respondents in the study across different categories
of respondents and at the levels of geographical location may provide important
information about their wellbeing, its current status, its individual aspects and the
inluencing factors.
The questions regarding importance and satisfaction also provide signiicant information
on the status of wellbeing within a community. However, interventionists should not
decide on areas of focus solely on the importance and prioritization data. Rather,
these provide a starting point for dialogue within the agency and with the community
members. Sometimes it may be necessary to decide to focus on one speciic group but to
do so in a way that recognizes the interconnectedness of the community as a whole.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that importance ranking may change with changing
levels of satisfaction, and may not be an accurate indication of the actual importance of
an area to wellbeing. At the same time, the satisfaction with each domain or the overall
satisfaction score cannot be taken as being accurately indicative of wellbeing. It needs
to be cross-checked with the reality of the individual’s wellbeing through information
gathered through this and other tools during the needs assessment phase.
52
Analysing the Data
The data on enabling and limiting factors must be judiciously used for design of
interventions. Not all factors may be under the inluence or control of the interventionists
and their resources. For example, ‘political connections’ is an enabler, but an
interventionist may not be able to or desire to work to improve political connections per
se. They may prefer to work from a script of social justice. Nonetheless, this information
is vital to know the factors inluencing that particular domain.
Furthermore, if there is low satisfaction with how things can be done within a particular
domain of interest to the interventionists, they may need to work on empowering
strategies in that particular domain for the individual or group or community concerned.
Similarly, if there is low satisfaction with services, institutions and infrastructure,
interventionists may need to work on improving these for the individual or group or
community concerned.
6. Qualitative Analysis of Data

The qualitative analysis of data is done through analysing the language used or through
the construction of narrative-like case studies based on the information supplied by
each respondent. Both approaches will provide important information regarding the
conceptualisation of wellbeing, and the complex ways in which wellbeing is affected in
an individual’s life within the context under study.
6.1 Examining the Language and Terminology

The importance of the language and terminology used in everyday conversation to the
construction and perception of lived realities has been adequately demonstrated in the
social sciences. Thus, the analysis of the data needs to pay close attention to how the
respondents use language and the terminology in describing or referring to the topics
under study.
Open-ended questions which elaborate on domains, factors, actors, organisations and

resources are important in that it provides the categories through the respondents
conceptualise and perceive the relevant areas. This enables interventionists not only to
understand and use the same concepts as the potential target groups, but also realise
the nature of the context in which the intervention is to take place (e.g.. what is absent
and what is present).
6.2 Constructing Case Studies for analysis

The construction of case studies allows a close-up look and examination of an individual
case and how wellbeing is affected and inluenced in the larger context within which
s/he operates. The household data, timeline, the process map and the social map are
useful tools to add to further detail to the individual’s life and how wellbeing is achieved
or not in different ways and to different extents.
Taking a suitable number of respondents from a category of interest (e.g. women

who have been tsunami affected etc), a case study of 7-10 pages (or even more) of
the person’s life, their experience and of wellbeing, and their attempts to inluence
and achieve wellbeing can be written up. A detailed or comparative analysis will then
provide interesting and useful information to the potential interventionist.
53
7. Conclusions
The methods of analysis outlined in this chapter attempts to offer some suggestions
for analysis. It draws from the experience of the PADHI research study in order to
highlight how the data was used. In using the data to design psychosocially sensitive
interventions, the analysis maybe more focused given time-lines and time constraints
imposed by the project cycle. The data should not be used, however, only to answer
pre-determined questions. Time should be taken to relect on all of the data collected
in order to understand the multi-dimensional nature of individual and community lives
and also be open to new ideas that emerge from the information collected.
54
OBJECTIVE
SETTING
Chapter 6
ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITIES FOR OBJECTIVE SETTING AND

SERVICE DELIVERY IN PSYCHOSOCIAL PROGRAMMEMES
1. Overview
This chapter addresses the process of setting objectives in development programmes.
We deine ‘objective setting’ as the process through which certain needs or perceived
problems of a community are selected for intervention. It introduces certain principles
that should inform the process of objective setting when designing a psychosocially-
sensitive intervention. The chapter presents methods and tools to assess how programme
objectives contribute to improving wellbeing. It also presents tools to assess the
process of setting programme objectives, speciically examining how such a process
inluences the wellbeing of individuals and groups that are being targeted through the
intervention. The chapter is divided into two main sections:
i. Assessing objectives in line with the psychosocial framework introduced in

chapter 3
ii. Assessing the objective setting process in line with certain principles, namely
participation and lexibility
2. Introduction
The objectives outline the expected outcome of a project and the type of change the
project expects to make in the lives of beneiciaries. The process of setting objectives
directly links with the selection and prioritization of people’s needs. The objectives
and the process of setting them, therefore, determine the type of inluence the project
will have on recipients’ wellbeing. Even though the process of setting objectives—goals,
expected results, outcomes etc.—determines which needs of the people get selected,
prioritized and addressed through the intervention, this process rarely comes under
scrutiny.
Any project has two types of objectives. The overall objective (sometimes referred
to as ‘goal’) of a project refers to the primary goal; the task the project is expected
to achieve at the end of the project time period. This is usually general rather than
speciic, referring to a broad area such as education or health (e.g., to improve the
health conditions of children). The overall objective determines the area of intervention
and can be rigid in that it does not change in response to changes in external or internal
conditions of the project. It is highly inluenced by the funding organization and the
implementing organization’s mission and agenda.
The speciic objectives are the secondary objectives that are developed in order to
achieve the larger, overall objective. Speciic objectives outline the speciic, narrow,
and dynamic targets of a project. Achieving the speciic goals will cumulatively lead to
the achievement of the overall objective (e.g., decrease the mortality rate of children
of 5-10 years of age by 10%).
I. Assessment of Objectives in relation to the Psychosocial Framework

The following section introduces methods and tools through which to assess programme
objectives in relation to the proposed framework of psychosocial wellbeing. The analytical
tool is intended to identify which areas of psychosocial wellbeing are addressed by a
given project’s objectives and activities. The matrix will also help recognize which
needs of the community have been prioritized by the project. It highlights gaps between
areas of psychosocial wellbeing addressed by a project and those that needs to be
addressed.
All the columns and rows of the matrix given below are completed with examples, in
order to clearly illustrate the application of the matrix. However, it is important to
recognize that in a real situation, some of the rows and/or columns of the matrix might
remain empty. Moreover, some of the needs and concerns expressed by a community
may it in to more than one row or column. In such cases, it is advised that planners
check with the community and understand their rationale for expressing such needs
and concerns. For example, a community may be concerned about the absence of an
elected leader for the Pradeshiya Sabha from their village; they may be alarmed by such
an absence because not having a political representative may hinder the community’s
opportunities to get material and inancial state provisions. If that is the reason
behind the community’s concern, then the absence of an elected Pradeshiya Sabha
member will be recorded in the column ‘access to resources.’ On the other hand, if
the community is concerned because the absence of an elected representative will
hinder the community’s opportunities to bring their issues to the attention of political
leaders, then it should be recorded in the column for ‘experiencing participation and
self determination’. In most cases it may be both.
56
Objective Setting
Table 6.1
Assessment of Programme Objectives in relation to the Psychosocial Wellbeing

Framework
Access to Experiencing Exercising Building

Resources competence participation social
and self worth connections
1 Identiied needs No/lack of Lack /poor No elected No community

from the initial roads & public condition of Pradeshiya based clubs,
needs assessment vehicles to go a school Sabha member organizations
that correspond to to the hospital to represent for the women
the village /youth
2 Overall programme Improved infra- Improved Improved Improved

objectives that structure educational capacity for community
correspond to facilities facilities political support
and services participation systems
3 Speciic programme To have a To provide To increase To increase

objectives that motorable physical the the
correspond to road from the resources participation community’s
village to the for the of villagers in networking
nearest town development local facilities and
of new buildings government resources
for the school elections
4 Speciic activities Building a Building a new Facilitation of Establishment

that relate to 25km long computer 10 workshops of a sports
concrete road laboratory with to identify club for the
from A to B 10 computers other key youth
for the village actors and
school state
institutions
and develop
strategies to
build enduring
linkages
Row 1 assesses the identiied and selected needs for the project in comparison with
the domains of the proposed Psychosocial Framework (i.e., each identiied and selected
need will be recorded in the table under the corresponding domain of the framework).
This section will look into what needs arose from the community and which domain of
the framework would correspond to those needs. This will enable the organization to
identify the particular domain of the framework that is of signiicant importance for the
wellbeing of the particular community (e.g., some communities may emphasize more
57
on developing schools and training institutions that will correspond to the domain of
experiencing competence and self worth, while another community may emphasize the
importance of building social networks within the community that addresses the domain
of building social connections).
Row 2 assesses the overall objectives of the speciic project that is under assessment.
Here, the overall objectives are to be recorded according to which domain of the
framework each objective corresponds to.
In the same way, row 3 discusses and explores speciic project objectives. Both these
steps are about mapping the focus and intentions of the project through the Psychosocial
Framework to identify and assess which domains of the framework will be addressed by
which objective of the project. This particular mapping activity will also indicate how
close (or disparate) are the needs expressed by the community and the inal project
objectives (i.e., whether the project objectives match the emphasis and prioritization
of the community’s needs).
Row 4 is for speciic activities. Analysis of activities looks at whether activities are
designed to
i. Meet the needs from the initial needs assessment

ii. Meet the programme’s overall objectives
iii. Meet the speciic objectives of the project
The irst three rows will indicate the prioritization of the community’s needs, and
the objectives of the project. Thus, mapping the project activities according to the
domains will show how the project activities address the overall and speciic objectives
as well as the community needs. It will help recognize the community needs and project
objectives that are addressed or completely ignored in the development of project
activities.
II. Assessment of the Process of Setting Objectives
3. What is an objective setting process?

The objective setting process refers not only to the inalization of an initial set of
objectives for a project, but the long-term, continuous process of discussing, modifying,
and altering the original set of objectives in response to internal (i.e., organizational)
and external (i.e., community-level) circumstances. It refers to the whole process where
selected stakeholders discuss and decide on a set of objectives for a given project based
on the indings from needs assessments, organizational vision and mission, and funding
concerns. Throughout the process, the overall objective of the project often remains
the same, but speciic objectives need to be lexible and responsive enough to address
the contextual changes.
This section discusses two principles of psychosocial work that would bring in a
psychosocial perspective to the process of setting objectives in any development
58
Objective Setting
programme or project. The principles

Box 6.1: Food for Thought are participation and lexibility. Each
principle will be introduced in detail,
Often projects have outwardly valid, followed by a relection on the critical
meaningful objectives, and activities concerns in the application of the
that rationally and logically lead to the principles in real project work. Real case
achievement of the objectives. However, studies will be used in elaborating the
it seems that oftentimes what determines importance of incorporating these two
the real impact of these objectives and values in the organization’s approach to
activities on people is the process not community work. The initial discussion
only of how an intervention is conducted, on the principle will be followed by a
but also equally importantly, how it is separate discussion on tools that can
conceptualized and designed (Refer to be used to assess the extent to which
igure 4.2). the objective setting process has been
informed by the particular principles.
4. Participation
Participation is an important value in development work. Any type of developmental
project involves diverse groups of stakeholders. The different organizations and
groups involved in a project (e.g., funding organizations, consultants, implementing
organizations, community based organizations, individual and group members of a
community etc.) may bring diverse perspectives about the objectives and activities
of the speciic project as well as about values and ethics of developmental work in
general. Maintaining a participatory process of developing the project plan is essential
to allow space for such different views and ideas to be voiced and considered.
Participation is a term often used in a casual manner in development literature. Thus,

there has been little consensus on a deinition for participation (Locke and Schweiger
1979; Vroom and Jago 1988). As Vroom and Jago (1988) notes, a simple deinition for
participation is “taking part” in something. It is important to recognize that this taking
part should involve not only taking part in the actual implementation of projects, but
also in the planning and decision making process of the project.1 Participation can vary
in scope, occurring during one or several stages of the planning process. Participation
should ideally characterize the various stages of problem identiication, evaluation,
solution generation, choice, and implementation. The level of participation allowed
or maintained or encouraged in the process of objective setting can vary depending on
the type of organization(s) involved in a project as well as the particular nature of the
project goal.
1
According to some authors, participation can take a variety of forms (Locke and Schweiger, 1979; Vroom and Jago,
1988):
 Direct – participation through personal action
 Indirect – participation through representation by others
 Formal – using formal groups, teams, meetings, and mechanisms
 Informal – through informal relationships, discussions, and tasks
 Performed alone – activities done by one’s own self
 Performed in group – activities performed with others
59
Box 6.2: Case Study
Some Tsunami-affected isherman communities who participated in the PADHI

research study discussed a particular housing project where houses were built
inland—a considerable distance from the sea. The ishing communities had
dificulties continuing their ishing. There were transport dificulties getting to
and from work, especially in the early mornings, and the communities requested
building temporary halfway shelters for them to spend the night when they
return from the sea, if they were to accept the new houses.
The overall objective of the project was rehabilitation of isher communities

affected by Tsunami, and one of its speciic objectives was to build houses for
the displaced families. However, the process of developing these objectives had
failed to obtain community participation. Moreover, the process had not been
lexible and responsive in its approach to the existing contextual conditions.
The project had built the new houses inland resulting in severe dificulties
for the communities. They had to travel miles from the new settlement to
get to the sea. Moreover, they lacked transport facilities to get to the sea
and specially to return home early morning after ishing. If the organizations
obtained community participation in the process of setting its objectives,
the communities would have informed the organization of their need to stay
close to the sea in order to continue with their livelihood. Moreover, if the
organization was lexible and responsive to external conditions, they could
have changed the selected location for the shelter in response to the changes
in government regulations regarding new housing projects on the coastline. Or
the organization could have extended their work from providing new houses to
include an intervention to address the community’s transport dificulties, such
as building temporary halfway shelters for the isherman to spend the night
when they return from the sea.
There are different types of stakeholders who should participate in the process of
setting project objectives. The types of stake holders differ based on the nature of
the project (e.g., internationally or nationally funded, the area of focus), and context
of the project (e.g., a housing project for the Tsunami survivors will involve different
stake holders from those of an organizational capacity building project). In spite of
such differences, there are four primary types of stakeholders that must participate in
setting and reviewing overall and speciic objectives of a project. The level to which
each of these parties would participate in the process may vary based on the type of
project, the context of project implementation, and the funding and implementing
organizations’ values and mandate.
i. The beneiciary group

ii. The local partners
iii. Experts in the ield
iv. The donor organization
60
Objective Setting
4.1 Issues for Consideration

The full participation of all the above mentioned groups in the objective setting process
is important, but such participation is sometimes not possible. For instance, community
consultations do not assure the participation of all the voices of a community. Often, a
limited number of voices dominate consultation discussions and those who do not have
a powerful voice in a community (e.g., children, women, minority ethnic groups, etc.)
are left out and remain unheard. The psychosocial approach advocates for paying close
attention to power dynamics—whose voice is more powerful? Whose voice ought to be
given priority in order to redress social injustice?
One of the most commonly applied strategies to facilitate participation is to form

collectives through which organizations try to get a community to participate in decision
making. Yet, forming artiicial groups in a community may not necessarily improve or
facilitate participation. For instance, when organizations go into villages and start
their own community groups, it may disturb the prevailing social networks, creating
conlict within the community. Such practices can lead to conlicts between those who
support the organization/project and those who do not support the project. Conlicts
can also arise between those who previously had power in the community and the new
group members who are becoming powerful with their newly acquired status as project
leaders.
4.2 Assessment of Participation

Table 6.2
Assessment of Participation
Donor Implementer Community Field Experts Other
Donor
Implementing Organization
Community
Field Experts
Other
Fill in each empty cell of the table with the most suitable indicator of participation
chosen from the following list.
i. Inform – Merely informing the people about a project, a decision, a plan, etc. is
taken as assuring full participation of the people in the process.
ii. Consult – In addition to informing, people’s views are also sought. Thus, people
are given the information and their feedback on the provided information is
considered.
61
iii. Active involvement – At this level, people are more than passive recipients of any
plan. Their active involvement in the planning process is sought for, even though
the process is still driven by others.
iv. Assuming responsibility – At this level, people are setting agendas and are driving
the process for their own needs rather than just fulilling obligations to external
bodies.
v. Self management – Groups initiating and managing a process that addresses their
needs and concerns.
For example, a donor organization often times only inform the implementing organization
about possible funding opportunities, even though ideally, the donor should consult
the implementing organization and obtain their active involvement in the process;
the implementing organization should also be provided with space for assuming
responsibility and self management. Implementing organizations should consult, and
obtain the active involvement of a community in the designing of objectives. However,
in reality, the communication patterns between each of these parties are often limited
to mere informing and the participation of different stake holders in the process of
designing objectives is minimal.
Box 6.4: Case study
Flexibility
An initial pre-Tsunami
Flexibility refers to the extent to which project
project objective of
objectives address changes in circumstances and
building toilets for a
their capacity to adapt to changes. It discusses the
selected community was
concentration and approach of objectives in maintaining
challenged after the
and practicing lexibility in the face of circumstantial
Tsunami. People’s needs
changes. Community
changed dramatically
development projects
and, understandably,
Box 6.3: Concept Check are often long-term
toilets were not a priority
assignments. Any such
A simple deinition for anymore. Yet, the project
project will encounter
Participation is objectives were too rigid
circumstantial changes
to change accordingly and
............................... during the time period in
thus, the organization
............................... which it is designed and
continued building
implemented. Unless
............................... toilets disregarding the
project objectives are
signiicant circumstantial
Flexibility refers to lexible in nature, the
changes in the external
objectives and the
............................... environment especially
project as a whole will fail
............................... the fact that the
to be responsive to such
community’s basic needs
............................... circumstantial changes
for shelter had not been
(Refer to Figure 6.4).
met.
62
Objective Setting
4.3 Dimensions of Flexibility

A project objective’s lexibility, or the capacity to adapt to changes is assessed along
four dimensions; temporal, range, intention, and focus. These four dimensions identify
target areas where a project can gain lexibility. They are not indicators of lexibility;
rather they are dimensions of lexibility that helps us understand what the concept
means in particular contexts. These dimensions act as a guide to assess the ability of
project objectives to respond to change.
Temporal lexibility
Temporal lexibility is the length of time it takes for a project to respond to environmental
changes in the process of redeining its objectives.
i. Does the project continue to do what it was doing? Or can it change in response to
circumstantial changes?
ii. If the project does respond to the new circumstances by redeining its objectives,
how soon might it be able to adopt these changes within the project?
iii. How soon can the project actually decide that circumstances have changed
suficiently to warrant a change in the project objectives, especially with regard to
the speciic objectives?
Box 6.5: Case study Example

The pre-Tsunami project on toilet building could not recognize the circumstantial
changes that occurred due to the Tsunami as suficient enough to warrant a change in
its objectives. If the overall objective of the project was improving the community’s
health and sanitation, and if the project-implementing and funding organizations
were sensitive to the psychosocial needs of the community, the speciic objective
of building toilets could have been changed to building shelters, as that could
have been justiied as important for sanitation and health care under the changed
circumstances.
iv. What are the mechanisms and capacities in place to assess the match between the
circumstances and project objectives?
Flexibility in Range
Range refers to the spectrum of initiatives that can be adopted by a project. Flexibility
in range is the degree to which a project can adapt its approach to achieve its objectives
in response to foreseeable and unforeseeable changes in order to ensure the project’s
continued viability. This dimension assesses the range of options available in responding
to external changes; it involves both the range of options which has been planned for
foreseeable circumstances, and the range of options available to adapt to events that
were unplanned.
63
Box 6.6: Example

A foreseeable change in capacity building projects for NGO workers in conlict-
affected areas is security risks that may pose practical dificulties for the
project to continue. Unexpected curfews may create dificulty in continuing
work on a regular time schedule; curfews may disable trainers and participants
to travel to the training location. Building a local resource pool may enable
the organizations to continue its training projects in the absence of external
resource people. An unforeseeable circumstance that projects may need to
respond to are internal staff conlicts caused by increased awareness on power
dynamics as a result of discussions around power. The management staff has to
be prepared to address these conlicts in an ethical and principled manner.
Box 6.7: Example

Flexibility in Intention
This dimension assesses whether a project A Post-Tsunami project on building
takes a preventive or a curative approach shelters can modify its speciic
in changing or modifying its objectives. A focus from a preventive approach
preventive approach attempts to enable one by altering the architecture and
to respond to environmental or circumstantial physical plans of the housing
changes in a way that will prevent or minimize project to build disaster-proof
the damage those changes can cause. housing in safer physical locations
which will enable the community to
Those with a curative approach try to respond prevent or minimize the damaging
to the impacts of an environmental change impact of similar disasters in the
once the change has occurred. future.
Box 6.8: Example
A post-Tsunami project that initially

intended to build shelters for a community
may modify its speciic objective from
a curative approach by building houses
with improved sanitary facilities, to
cure the effects of contagious diseases,
by providing the houses with basic irst-
aid facilities, etc.
64
Objective Setting
Flexibility in Focus
Box 6.9: Example This dimension refers to where
the focus of lexibility is created:
An organization has funds to invest on within or outside the organization.
education in a community. If the community Internal lexibility is where a
prioritizes children’s nutritional needs over project maintains lexibility within
education, the organization may change its internal staff and structure to
the project structure and agendas to meet address possible changes in external
those needs. If the organization has internal demands. External lexibility is when
lexibility, then it may look for additional a project is lexible with regard
funds and hire resource personnel to to which community needs it will
meet the community’s priorities. If the prioritize and in choosing the type
organization relies on external lexibility, of intervention in line with internal
then it will look for lexibility within the capacities and structures of the
community needs and conditions. It will project.
interpret the results of the community
needs assessment in a lexible manner,
over-prioritizing and justifying its original
objectives, and continue to respond to the
type of educational facilities needed by
the community and not to the community’s
nutritional needs.
Box 6.10:
Assessment Dimensions of Flexibility
A project’s lexibility can be assessed along 4 dimensions;
1. Temporal lexibility: The length of time it takes for a project to respond to
environmental changes in the process of redeining its objectives.
2. Flexibility in Range: The degree to which a project can adapt its approach to
achieve its objectives in response to foreseeable and unforeseeable changes.
3. Flexibility in Intention: Whether a project takes a preventive or a curative
approach in changing or modifying its objectives (Preventive or Curative).
4. 4. Flexibility in Focus: Where the focus of lexibility is created: within or outside
the organization (Internal or External).
65
Summary of Flexibility
Table 6.3
Dimensions of Flexibility
Dimensions Scope
Temporal Short term / medium term / Long term
Range Foreseen circumstances / Unforeseen circumstances
Intention Preventive / Curative
Focus Internal / External
4.4 Assessment of Flexibility

The proposed tools for the assessment of lexibility is qualitative in nature, where
the person who conducts the assessment will make subjective assessments based on
a qualitative exploration into the lexibility of the process of setting objectives. The
analytical tools will guide this qualitative exploration. There are no speciic, quantitative
measures presented to assess the level to which a project’s objectives are lexible. The
matrices we discuss here are only indicators that can inform a qualitative approach to
assess lexibility.
The assessment of lexibility are based on the four dimensions discussed above—
temporal lexibility, lexibility in range, lexibility in intention and lexibility in focus.
Assessment of temporal lexibility and lexibility in range can use four matrices, namely
eficiency, responsiveness, versatility and robustness. Eficiency is about preparedness;
responsiveness is about speed; versatility is about the extent to which a project has
planned for and can respond to foreseeable environmental changes, and robustness
assesses the ability of a project and its objectives to respond to unforeseeable
environmental changes.
The assessment of lexibility in intention and focus is again based on qualitative

exploration with different stake holders involved with the objective setting process.
Figure 6.1: Assessment of Flexibility

Assessment of Flexibility
Temporal Flexibility in Flexibility in Flexibility in
Flexibility Range Intention Focus
Eficiency Versatility Qualitative Qualitative
Responsiveness Robustness Exploration Exploration
66
Objective Setting
Eficiency
Eficiency refers to the ability of a project to maintain at least minimal performance
or functioning while accommodating external or internal changes; the ability of an
organization to accommodate change with the minimal damage or disruption caused to
the functioning of the organization.
Example: An organization working on women empowerment through providing loans;

it has to secure a minimum of 70 women members per month. The organization is
challenged externally, since the women fail to pay the interest. Temporal lexibility
can be assessed by looking into the ability of the project and its objectives to maintain
its minimum membership in the face of the challenges; how able the organization is to
collect the interest due without creating conlicts in the community that will risk losing
its membership.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness is the ability to respond to changes within an appropriate time frame.
Responsiveness is thus assessed in relation to the time it takes for an organization to
adapt to new changes.
i. Internal responsiveness - The project’s capacity to change objectives in response to

possible challenges that can occur internally (e.g., staff turnover, funding problems,
unrealistic time-line) within the time frame of the project. A project with internal
responsiveness will also have considered possible challenges at the planning stage
and has allowed space within its objectives to be responsive to the challenges, in
case they occur.
ii. External responsiveness – the extent to which objectives change in correspondence
to an external reference point; the reference point can be a community issue, a
community need, or an environmental change.
Example: An organization conducting research: internal responsiveness can be
demonstrated through changes in number of activities conducted within the speciied
time-line. During the data collection phase the team realized that the initially set
objectives were unrealistic for the time allocated for the project. Since the objectives
of the project were deined broadly, it allowed certain modiications in the activity plan
and time-line. The number of research sites was reduced and the time-line modiied
to accommodate these changes. External responsiveness is demonstrated through the
project’s response to escalating conlict in the selected research sites. Conducting
research in communities facing distress was considered unethical. Moreover, the
security could not be guaranteed to the ield researchers. The activity plan and time-
line was changed resulting in the modiication of the project’s objectives.
Versatility
Versatility is a measure of the range of objectives and activities a project has planned
for or formulated on the basis of foreseeable changes. It measures the lexibility of a
project’s objectives to react to changes in the environment which it could envisage
happening. The formulation of the objectives and the structures of a lexible project
67
take into account the changes that are likely to occur. In this way, the project and
objectives develops a certain degree of versatility. The capacity of the project
objectives and structures to yield to pressure, capacity to address new situations, and
susceptibility to modiication (the ability to modify itself to cope with changes) are
indicators of versatility.
Example: A project on peace building in the conlict affected areas: one of the speciic
objectives is to build peace through education. A foreseeable change in the project
context is the escalating violence in conlict affected areas. The project, having high
versatility, has a range of objectives that includes both providing ield level training
and institutional training, so that during times of violent outbursts, the trainings could
take place outside the immediate conlict zone in a safer location. Another speciic
objective is to build peace through networking among stakeholders. Some of these
stakeholders are capable resource personnel who can continue educational programmes
in the absence of external resource persons due to failing security conditions.
Robustness
Robustness assesses the ability of a project and its objectives to respond to unforeseeable
environmental changes. It is the ability and willingness of the objectives and project
structures to maintain functionality in the face of unforeseeable future changes, for
which a project has not been planned for.
Example: A research project: the funding organization has allocated funds for the
project through a Tsunami-related emergency funding source. Due to a government
decree the funding organization has to close all the budgets related to Tsunami funds
within 6 months. They demand the research institution to complete their research
project and submit the inal report 4 months prior to the initially set project time line.
Robustness within the project objectives and activities enable the research institution
to ind funds from other funding organizations. The objectives and activities also allow
the institution to modify the project structure and plan by separating the larger project
into different, smaller phases, which enables the organization to provide their initial
funding organization with a inal report.
Table 6.4
Four aspects of Assessing Flexibility
Eficiency Fit between timeframe and change Temporal
Responsiveness Length time taken/needed to respond to change
Versatility Responsive capacity to foreseeable change Range
Robustness Responsive capacity to unforeseeable change
68
Objective Setting
4.5 Issues for Consideration

It is important to be concerned about the extent to which external, circumstantial
changes can inluence the project objectives, since too much lexibility can damage
the reliability of the project plan and project continuation. Flexibility of the partner
organization and the implementation of the project depend on how much lexibility is
allowed by the donor, the terms of contract and the time-line of the project as well as
availability of resources. The beneiciary community’s lexibility is another important
concern. The project staff and organization need to understand that if the community
is solely focused on their immediate needs, their willingness to address long-term
strategic needs may be compromised.
Lack of responsiveness, in both internal and external dimensions, can make projects
ineffective. A good example is the case of post-Tsunami projects that continued with
their previous agenda and plans without making the necessary alterations to respond to
the more immediate needs of the community. Another concern about the responsiveness
dimension is the project’s capacity to respond to isolated needs. Projects often prioritize
majority needs over minority needs to assure the greater good. However, such patterns
of responding to community needs will not only continue to neglect minority needs,
but will continue and strengthen the discriminatory practices and hierarchies of the
community. Cases where projects address isolated needs missing the larger picture
may not address the needs in an effective manner either. For instance, a project may
respond to the community’s need for livelihoods by helping them with agriculture,
but the project may miss the fact that the community lacks transport infrastructure
and facilities, which are essential for the people to sell their agricultural produce.
Sometimes, projects highlight minority issues and isolated needs in a way that can
negatively impact community support systems. For instance, some of the post-Tsunami
projects isolated the Tsunami affected widows’ needs for shelter, while ignoring other
widows in the community; widows whose husbands’ death could not be attributed
to the Tsunami were refused services. This created so much anger and resentment
amongst these widows of the community that it damaged the social support networks
that existed within the community.
69
70
IDENTIFYING
APPROPRIATE
INTERVENTIONS
Chapter 7
1. Overview
This chapter is intended to help development planners to use the information gathered
from the wellbeing assessment and analysis tools to identify appropriate interventions
to improve people’s wellbeing. A series of questions have been formulated to assist
in the planning process. The questions are also intended to draw out the underlying
principles and rationale for intervention.
2. Identifying Appropriate Interventions – some Key Questions
I. Identifying the issues and priorities of the community

i. What are the main priorities of this community?
ii. What domains and dimensions do they identify as most important?
iii. How satisied are they with each of the areas (domains and dimensions)?
iv. What are the frequently mentioned issues for each of these areas?
II. Identifying potential beneiciaries

i. What speciic groups in the community are experiencing these issues as
problems? (e.g.; older women; young men; widows; families with less
income)
ii. What are your reasons for choosing one particular group or focusing on one set
of issues?
iii. Consider the possible alternative groups and issues you could be working with.
Are there speciic reasons for not choosing them?
iv. What are you going to do with equally vulnerable groups that your intervention
will not target?
v. Consider the consequences of including or excluding these groups to: (a) the
community? (b) the organization?
III. Describing speciic issues and priorities

i. What are the main issues your intervention is going to address?
ii. What are the enabling and disabling factors identiied by the beneiciary
group?
iii. What institutions and services already exist in the community that address
these issues?
iv. What community-based organizations address these speciic issues in the
community?
v. Who appear to be the most important people in the community who provide
support and assistance?
vi. What are the gaps? In relation to the entire community, what systems and
institutions seem to be missing for this particular group?
IV. Identifying Strategies

i. What is the community/beneiciary group currently doing to reduce or
overcome the disabling or inhibiting factors?
ii. How satisied are people with the level of power and inluence they have?
iii. What strategies do people use to gain inluence?
iv. What can you do to strengthen the institutions and services helpful to the
community/beneiciary group?
v. What can be done to strengthen existing relationships?
vi. What can you do to reduce or overcome the disabling or inhibiting factors
identiied by the community/beneiciary group?
vii. How do these strategies relate to the core principles of wellbeing?
viii. How do these existing strategies and the intended strategies mesh together?
Are there any similarities or differences or even contradictions?
V. Revisiting Objectives
i. What outcomes are your strategies aiming to achieve?
ii. Consider the psychosocial framework. Where does your intervention it in?
(a) Domains of wellbeing? Which particular domains does the intervention
address?
(b) Power and identity
(c) Systems and institutions
iii. Are your objectives in line with the principles of intervention described in
chapter 4?
VI. Identifying Principles

i. Which strategies do you value? Why?
ii. Do any of them promote the principles of wellbeing? How?
iii. Do any of them undermine the principles of wellbeing? How?
72
CONCLUSION
Chapter 8
1. Overview
The close examination of the concept of wellbeing in this publication reveals the need
for development practitioners and policy-makers to reconsider the way their work
may intentionally or unintentionally impact on the wellbeing of individuals, families
and communities within the selected target groups. The publication draws attention
to areas and issues, the true values of which, while recognised beforehand, were
under-emphasised in their contributory potential for the achievement of wellbeing.
Moreover, the exact roles they played in bringing about an outcome of improved
wellbeing were also less well-understood. The concluding chapter of this publication
intends to highlight some of the issues seen to be particularly pertinent to development
practitioners and policy-makers who are concerned that their efforts positively affect
people’s wellbeing.
2. Power, development and transformation

The wellbeing framework emphasises the importance of power relations and dynamics.
It recognises the way that development initiatives transform contexts and relationships,
challenging the existing status quo of power. The recognition of this fact makes it dificult
to relegate any development or policy initiative to the realm of the non-political.
Accordingly, the framework points out the importance of responding (in ways that are
appropriate) to this aspect so that an outcome of wellbeing in line with principles of
social justice is assured. Given that power is powerful mediator of wellbeing,
• development practitioners and policy-makers must actively recognise the way

that their work seeks (either explicitly or implicitly) to re-align power within their
targeted areas.
3. Agency and Opportunity

Another aspect highlighted by the wellbeing framework is the way that agency and
opportunity play a mutually reinforcing role in efforts to bring about and produce
wellbeing. Agency, as pointed out by in this publication, indicates action, i.e. an active
effort by the individual to engage resources, personal capacities, social connections
and community facilities in the service of her or his wellbeing. At the same time, the
unmistakable importance of opportunity is recognised, i.e. the existence of resources,
networks, systems and institutions located outside the individual. In order to ensure
that wellbeing is achieved,
• development practitioners and policy-makers must recognise the mutually

reinforcing role of individual agency and external opportunity and take steps to
connect the two within the development and policy initiatives wherever possible.
4. Parallel Viewpoints: micro-meso-macro

Closely linked to the issue of agency and opportunity is that of the multiple levels at
which the achievement of wellbeing is hindered and helped. In this case, development
work may be accused of having myopic vision, in that they take a narrow and close-up
view of the particular activities with which they are concerned. However, this wellbeing
framework highlights the importance of simultaneous, i.e. parallel, recognition and
action on issues at micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. This means a concern with structural
issues such as injustice, corruption, armed conlict and insecurity, the broader economic
framework and issues of governance for those who work at micro- and meso-levels.
Conversely, those who work at macro-levels need to consider issues of individual and
community capacities, subjectivities and identities as well as existing opportunities at
a community level. Thus,
• development practitioners and policy makers are called on to factor in multilevel

issues in the way they plan and execute their work.
5. Avoiding the Potential Pitfalls of the Objective Setting Process

One key issue identiied in this publication is the potential misit between the intended
objectives of a program and the realities of a context. It calls for a clearer and more
coherent link between identiied needs and the outlined objectives of a program or
intervention. The changing and complex nature of contexts is emphasised. As a result,
as pointed out in the publication, development objectives run the risk of being out-
of-sync with real-time needs and priorities of families and communities. A large gap
between objectives and needs is likely to reduce the positive wellbeing outcomes. In
order to ensure a close and coherent it between objectives and needs,
• development practitioners and policy makers need to periodically re-examine the

validity of speciied objectives of development programming and existent policies in
a changing context and be willing to adjust the speciied objectives as required.
While the framework on wellbeing is a useful tool to map out wellbeing, what is important
in the wellbeing assessment tool and framework is that it is non prescriptive. Rather
it has a methodology that gives us as development practitioners and policy makers the
room to scope out and design for the varying and dynamic nature of wellbeing, so as
to ensure its achievement. Therefore in conclusion, this publication can be used by
practitioners, policy makers and academics engaged in development work as a guide in
planning, implementing and evaluating development interventions in a psychosocially
sensitive manner.
Gameela Samarasinghe,
Department of Sociology
74
AFTERWORD:
CONDUCTING
RESEARCH
When the Psychosocial Assessment of Development and Humanitarian Interventions

Programme (PADHI) took up the challenge of developing a conceptual framework and
tools to assess wellbeing, we recognised the need to ensure cultural sensitivity and
identify principles and values that promote psychosocial sensitivity in the theories and
methodologies that we were proposing. This challenge was particularly signiicant given
the background of the psychosocial sector within Sri Lanka, which was suggesting a
‘psychosocial approach’ within development and humanitarian interventions rather
than speciic psychosocial interventions. Thus, making our work meaningful within local
contexts as well as suggesting ways of understanding what was meant by a psychosocial
approach was important.
Given the extremely subjective nature of the issues being examined, the tool that
has been described in this book was designed incorporating both quantitative as well
as qualitative data collection methodology. Using a mixed method of qualitative and
quantitative data while presenting challenges in designing, implementing and analysing
data, was also extremely useful in enabling us to gather information that could be
used for more in-depth research as well as to guide development interventions. At
the stage of designing the tool, we consulted with people who were knowledgeable
and experienced in both qualitative and quantitative methodology to help us. Both
quantitative and qualitative methods were used for analysis using the Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) for quantitative data analysis and case studies and narrative
analysis methods for qualitative data analysis. Subsequently, the tool underwent many
changes based on our own experiences to make it more ‘practitioner friendly’.
Data collected and analysed through the wellbeing assessment tool provided a holistic
understanding of wellbeing providing what we hope would be useful information
for designing, implementing and assessing psychosocially sensitive development or
humanitarian initiatives. The modiied tool presented in this book we hope will be useful
for both researchers and practitioners to generate more information to help expand
knowledge in this area of work and ultimately lead to more responsive interventions
in the development sector. Thus this book ‘a Tool, a Guide and a Framework’ has been
put together with the intention of presenting practitioners with a means of gathering
and analysing data not only for monitoring and evaluating their interventions, but also
planning projects in keeping with important psychosocial principles and values.
K.A.P. Siddhisena
Department of Demography
GLOSSARY
This glossary has been put together to explain the ways in which certain terms have
been used in this book. While some of the terms here are used and known regularly, we
hope the explanations provided here will make it easier for readers to understand the
ways in which they have been speciically used in the book.
Term Meaning
Agency Refers to autonomy--the control a person has over his/her

life and destiny. Agency can also mean the ability to inluence
the decisions that affects one’s life.
Beneiciaries Those who are the intended target group to beneit from a
development or humanitarian intervention
Capabilities Is a complex term introduced by Amartya Sen into development

discourse and is dificult to simplify. In this book we draw
from his idea of capability as a person’s freedom to achieve
valuable doings and being.
Conceptual framework Attempts to outline a set of ideas in a coherent manner to

help deine a complex concept. It also attempts to present a
particular approach to understanding an idea or concept.
Constituents An essential part or component
Development Process of achieving long-term goal towards lourishing

or achieving human potential
Dimension Is used to refer to the different aspects that must be

considered when thinking about individual or collective
wellbeing. The word dimension is deliberately used to
suggest that wellbeing is complex and not a ‘lat’ concept;
it cannot be thought of as one-dimensional (relating to
a person’s feelings of happiness or satisfaction), but is
three dimensional (has other aspects that directly affect a
person’s feelings of wellbeing).
Discrimination (often exclusionary) treatment based on prejudiced

notions of race, ethnicity, class, sex or other afiliation or
group identity rather than on individual merit
Disempowerment The process or experience of being deprived of power,

authority or inluence
76
Domain Is used to refer to the different but interconnected parts

that make up the concept of wellbeing. These parts are
said to all contribute in some way to the overall experience
of satisfaction or happiness.
Emotional realm The province of emotions relating to range of emotions or

the experience of any emotion
Enabling environment Refers to the external factors that signiicantly contribute

to a person’s experience of wellbeing.
Hegemonic Is a concept that has been used to describe and explain the
dominance of one social group over another, such that the
ruling group or hegemon acquires some degree of consent
from the subordinate, as opposed to dominance purely by
force
Human lourishing Is used to suggest a person who is thriving in his/her

environment. It is used to contrast with ‘survival’ (merely
existing) and suggests that a person has been able to reach
his/her potential.
Humanitarian
interventions Short-term interventions in disaster and conlict
situations for purposes of protecting life and minimizing
harm/injury
Instrumental value Valueing a person’s worth by how much he/she can
contribute to the collective, i.e., family, community,
economy, country etc.
Interventions Interventions can be classiied in the following manner
:psychosocial interventions, therapeutic interventions
and counseling interventions
Intrinsic value The inherent value of a person. In development
this means recognizing that people are valuable in
themselves, not because of what they can do or
contribute to their family or community or economy or
country.
Marginalization The process or experience of being excluded from
participation in social life and events of a society,
community or family
77
Social justice approach A social justice approach calls attention to issues of

discrimination, marginalization and disempowerment.
Its focus is on equity especially when it comes to the
distribution of resources, whether they are material,
political, social or cultural.
Stakeholders Those who have an interest or share in the operations
and outcomes of an intervention, service, policy or other
such initiative
Suffering Is an individual’s basic affective experience of
unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or
threat of harm. Suffering may be qualiied as physical or
mental
Transformative potential Facilitating positive transfer, modiication or change in
the form of something
Vulnerability Susceptible to harm, at higher risk of adverse or negative
experience or event (such as poverty, discrimination,
exploitation, injury, etc)
Wellbeing A person’s overall sense of health and wellness. A
person’s feelings of happiness or general satisfaction
with his/her quality of life. It can also refer to the
feeling of contentment and fulillment with one’s life
circumstances.
78
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abeyasekera, Asha (2007) From Public Agendas to Personal Transformation: Assessing
Women’s Empowerment in the NGO sector in Sri Lanka. Unpublished Thesis,
University of Colombo.
Abeyasekera, Asha (2006) Conceptualizing Women’s Psychosocial Wellbeing: Locating

Women’s Place within Development Discourses. Unpublished Paper written for the
PADHI Research Project, Phase 1
Ager, A., (2001) “Programming and evaluation for psychosocial programmes.” In Refugee
Experience. Oxford: Refugee studies center .
Amarasuriya, Harini (2006) Changing Trends in Overseas Aid. Unpublished Paper written
for the PADHI Research Project, Phase 1.
Amarasuriya, Harini, Re thinking the nexus between youth, unemployment, conlict.

Forthcoming, International Alert, Sri Lanka, 2008
Armstrong, M., Boyden, J., Galappatti, & A. Hart, J. (2004) Piloting methods for the
evaluation of psychosocial programme impact in eastern Sri Lanka. USAID
Assessing Afghan children’s psychosocial wellbeing: a multimodal of intervention

outcomes (2004). Christian Children’s Fund, Oxford University, & Queen Margaret
University College, Edingburgh.
Batliwala, Srilatha (1995). “Deining Women’s Empowerment: A Conceptual Framework”.

Position Paper for the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing. Asia-South
Paciic Bureau of Adult Education, New Delhi,.September 1995.
CHA (2004) Report of the Workshops on “Challenges of Integrating a Psychosocial

Perspective” organised by the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies and the
Psychosocial Support Programme, Sri Lanka, 2004
Datta, Rekha and Judith Kornberg (2002). “Introduction: Empowerment and

Disempowerment” in Women in Developing Countries. Assessing Strategies for
Empowerment edited by Rekha Datta and Judith Kornberg. Colorado: Lynne Rienner
Publishers
Dufield, Mark (2001). “Governing the Borderland: Decoding the power of Aid”. Paper
presented at seminar on “Politics and Humanitarian Aid: Debates, Dilemmas and
Dissension”, London: Commonwealth Institute
Friere, Paulo (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum International
Publishing Group
79
Galappatti, Ananda (2003) “What is a Psychosocial Intervention? Mapping the ield in Sri
Lanka” in Interventions 2003, Volume 1, No. 2 pp 3-17
Galappatti, Ananda and Maleeka Salih (2006) “Integrating a Psychosocial Perspective

into Poverty Reduction: the Case of a Re-settlement Project in Northern Sri Lanka”
in Intervention. Vol 4, Number 2. pp 127-145
Hart, J., Galappatti, A., & Armstrong, M. (2007) Participatory tools for evaluating
psychosocial work with children in areas of armed conlcit: A pilot in eastern Sri
Lanka. Intervention, 5, 1, pp. 41-60
Herat, Shamindra (2006), From the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and States to the
Value of Community. Unpublished Paper written for the PADHI project, Phase 1
Hettige, S T, Markus Mayer, Maleeka Salih (eds) (2005). School-to-work transition of

youth in Sri Lanka. Geneva: ILO, Employment Policies Unit, Employment Strategy
Paper, 2004/19
Hettige S.T. (2002). “Sri Lankan Youth: Proiles and Perspectives” in S T Hettige and
Markus Mayer (eds), Sri Lankan Youth: Challenges and Responses. Colombo:Friedrich
Ebert Stiftung
Hettige S. T (2002). “Sri Lankan Youth: Proiles and Perspectives” in S T Hettige, Markus
Mayer (eds), Sri Lankan Youth: Challenges and Responses, 2002, Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung Colombo Ofice
Jayawardene Kumar and Darshi Thoradeniya (2006). Local Understandings of Wellbeing.

Unpublished Paper written for the PADHI project, Phase 1
Kottegoda, Sepali (2004). Negotiating Household Politics. Women’s Strategies in Urban

Sri Lanka. Colombo: Social Scientists Association.
Menon, Nivedita (2004). Recovering Subversion. Feminist Politics Beyond the Law. New
Delhi: Permanent Black
Moore, Mick (1990). “Economic Liberalisation vs. Political Pluralism in Sri Lanka?” in
Modern Asian Studies, 1990, Vol. 24, No. 2 pp. 341-383
Nussbaum, Martha (2000). Women and Human Development. The Capabilities Approach.
New Delhi: Kali for Women.
Prilleltensky, Isaac, Jeffery Nelson, Leslea Pierson (2001). “The Role of Power and
Control in Children’s Lives: an Ecological Analysis of Pathways towards Wellness,
Resilience, and Problems”. Journal of Community and Applied Psychology. John
Wiley and Company. Vol. II. pp. 143-158.
Sen, Amartya (2001). Development and Freedom. Oxford University Press.
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liberal institutions in Sri Lanka”. Third World Quarterly, 29:3, pp.611-629
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Bibliography
The Psychosocial Working Group (2003) Psychosocial Interventions in Complex

Emergencies: A Framework for Practice. Working Paper.
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and Demobilization and Social Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Africa, organized
by UNICEF in cooperation with the NGO Sub-group of the NGO Working Group on the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, Cape Town, 30 April 1997 (UNICEF, 1997)
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Books
81
ANNEXURE
i. ECONOMIC INDICATOR
MEASUREMENT OF COMPOSITE ECONOMIC INDICATOR

The composite economic indicator was constructed to understand the economic wellbeing
of the people in four surveyed areas. In addition to household average monthly income,
the expenditures on food, transport, education, health care, utilities such as water
and electricity, loan repayments, ownership of house and ownership of land dimensions
were considered for the measurement of the composite economic indicator.
In order to develop this indicator the study used the Principal Component (PC) based
Factor Analysis, which is more eficient in sequentially capturing the signiicant factors
out of the above multiple variables that directly or indirectly indicate the correlation
of the economic status.
The following methodological procedure is used to develop the composite economic

indicator by using PC based Factor Analysis. Firstly, the Factor Analysis is used for the
above 10 variables (xi) to identify the signiicant factors which indicate an Eigen value
(฀) greater than 1 and covariance matrix ( ฀ ) are rescaled by dividing by their respective
standard deviations (฀i ).
Xi * = Xi
฀i
Where:
Xi * = rescale variable
฀k = 1/฀฀ 1k
(k = 1,2,…..p)
Thirdly, Factor Analysis is used for rescaled variables and extracted factor scores.
Finally, based on these factor scores and the relevant Eigen values (all greater than 1)
the factors are inally identiied and weighted according to the variance captured each
factor. The inal weighted factor scores are used as the inal measure of the composite
indicator of the economic status.
According to the factor scores (composite indicator), the surveyed population was
divided into three groups as 1) low economic status 2) medium economic status and 3)
high economic status.
82

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a Tool a Guide and a Framework

The development of a conceptual framework to understand wellbeing was much

• UNFPA for consolidating and strengthening the PADHI programme

• Prof Jeanne Maracek (Swarthmore University, Pennsylvania) and Dr Alison Strang

• Mr Sagara Chandrasekera (Programme Coordinator, Research and Survey Unit of

• Our dedicated team of ield researchers during Phase 1 and Phase 2

We would also like to express our gratitude to

• Dr Gameela Samarasinghe, Prof Ramanie Jayathilaka, Prof Siddhisena and

PADHI PROGRAMME TEAM

3. Understanding Wellbeing in Sri Lanka: a Psychosocial Framework 11

4. The Wellbeing Assessment Tool 23

5. Analysing the Data 45

6. Objective Setting - Assessing Organizational Capacities for 55

7. Identifying Appropriate Interventions 71

Afterword: Conducting Research 75

2.1 What is PADHI?

i. To develop a conceptual framework for understanding the determinants of wellbeing

2.2 Development, wellbeing and the psychosocial approach

Wellbeing, however, is a broad concept and has diverse meanings. If development

If development interventions are concerned with broader questions regarding the

2.3 Developing a framework for wellbeing

To identify these dimensions of wellbeing, the PADHI programme undertook a literature

of wellbeing, wellness, and quality of life especially within a development context.3

3. The Book – ‘a Tool, a Guide, and a Framework’

2. Why a ‘Social Justice’ approach to Wellbeing?

A social justice approach calls attention to issues of discrimination, marginalisation and

3. The Core Principles

i. How can we understand wellbeing from a psychosocial perspective?

The experience, or a feeling, of wellbeing cannot be understood only within the

3. The Framework – an Overview

i. The irst dimension attempts to deine what constitutes wellbeing. It identiies

4. Deining Psychosocial Wellbeing – the Domains

(i) access physical, material, and intellectual resources;

4.1 Access valued Physical, Material, and Intellectual Resources

Access to resources usually dominates discussions around wellbeing in Sri Lanka. In

4.2 Experience Competence and Self Worth

In the ield work conducted, the different communities described experiencing

i. personal achievements like educational attainment and employment;

4.3 Exercise Participation

4.4 Build Social Connections

4.5 Enhance Physical and Psychological Wellness

5. Power as Mediator – the Role of Power, Inluence, and Identity in Mediating

6. Systems and Institutions – the Enabling Environment

worth through engaging in productive livelihoods. Physical and psychological wellness

i. Level 1 (Micro level) – Family; informal community groups

Level 1 – Micro-level Institutions

to take care of elderly parents, it is described as a negative sense of wellbeing for

Level 2 – Meso-level Institutions

Level 3 – Macro-level Institutions and Systems

In non-conlict areas injustice and corruption characterized the prevailing political

i. The structure and main elements of the tool

2. What is the wellbeing assessment tool?

i. the individual level

2.1 Structure of the tool

G. Closing the interview

2.2 Objectives of the tool

Section Objective Importance

A. Geographical Obtain community speciic Useful as a quick method of

B. Demographic Demographic background Useful to identify the average