Sitara M Weerakoon, PhD, MPH
Associate Research Scientist in Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences)Cards
About
Research
Publications
2026
Qualitative Exploration of Neighborhoods, Youth Substance Misuse, and Mental Health in an Urban Community
Opara I, Weerakoon S, Saeed G, Duran-Becerra B, Pagan C. Qualitative Exploration of Neighborhoods, Youth Substance Misuse, and Mental Health in an Urban Community. Journal Of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology 2026, ahead-of-print: 1-16. PMID: 41719485, DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2026.2617211.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFocus groupsMental healthSchool-based mental health programsCulturally responsive mental health servicesResponsive mental health servicesRetailers near schoolsUrban youthQualitative explorationMental health programsYouth substance misuseMental health interventionsMental health servicesSubstance misuseVenue-based samplingCommunity-level riskSubstance useHealthy developmental trajectoriesTrauma frameworkMultilevel interventionsNeighborhood safetyHealth interventionsHealth programsHealth servicesYouth of colorEconomic environmentNeighborhood Violence Impacts on HIV and STI Testing Among Sexual Minority Youth in the United States.
Takenaka B, Weerakoon S, Sobrino M, Bustamante M, Nwaozuru U, Herrera C, Sesenu F, Ansarizadeh K, Flores J, Johnson R, Opara I. Neighborhood Violence Impacts on HIV and STI Testing Among Sexual Minority Youth in the United States. AIDS Education And Prevention 2026, 38: 29-46. PMID: 41746610, DOI: 10.1521/aeap.2026.38.1.29.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSexual minority youthExposure to neighborhood violenceNeighborhood violenceSexually transmitted infection testingSexually transmitted infectionsMinority youthOdds of testingSample of sexual minority youthYouth Risk Behavior Surveillance SystemSocial structural factorsMultilevel logistic regressionUnited StatesViolence impactViolence predictorsBehavior Surveillance SystemViolenceNon-whiteU.S. DataWeighted bivariateNeighborhoodYouthLogistic regressionSurveillance systemSchool propertySexuality
2025
The role of sleep in the relationship between racial discrimination and suicide ideation among black girls: A path analysis
Opara I, Sissoko G, Wan X, Weerakoon S. The role of sleep in the relationship between racial discrimination and suicide ideation among black girls: A path analysis. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2025, 398: 120896. PMID: 41422961, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120896.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSuicidal ideationIndirect effect of racial discriminationInsufficient sleepRacial discriminationAssociated with suicidal ideationLikelihood of suicidal ideationEffects of racial discriminationPath analysisSelf-reported racial discriminationFemale high school studentsMental health researchEffects of discriminationIndirect effectsCulturally responsive interventionsSleep's roleSuicide riskSuicidal thoughtsHigh school studentsModeration modelIdeationAdolescent girlsSystemic stressorsSuicideNo significant interactionSuicide ratesAdolescent Substance Use Among High School Students Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study of Peer Exposure and Risk
Weerakoon S, Simmons S, Connors E, Genovese M, Clark K, Awad M, Tebes J. Adolescent Substance Use Among High School Students Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study of Peer Exposure and Risk. Substance Use & Misuse 2025, 61: 890-898. PMID: 41355084, DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2025.2583462.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRepeated cross-sectional studySubstance use patternsPeer exposureAlcohol useLifetime marijuana useLifetime alcohol useE-cigarette useSubstance useCross-sectional studyInitiation of substance useExposure to peersIn-schoolAdolescent substance usePre-pandemic samplesSubstance use prevalenceEarly intervention strategiesE-cigarettesMarijuana useCOVID-19 pandemicSubstance use trajectoriesTargeted preventionUS high schoolsSubstance availabilityBoysCOVID-19Racial Self-Efficacy and Ethnic Identity in the Context of Neighborhood Violence and Internalizing Symptoms Among Black and Latinx youth: An Application of the Minority Stress Theory.
Weerakoon S, Henson-Garcia M, Rose R, Lindsay J, Srikanth N, Opara I. Racial Self-Efficacy and Ethnic Identity in the Context of Neighborhood Violence and Internalizing Symptoms Among Black and Latinx youth: An Application of the Minority Stress Theory. Community Health Equity Research & Policy 2025, 2752535x251406670. PMID: 41337681, DOI: 10.1177/2752535x251406670.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchEthnic identity explorationInternalizing symptomsSelf-EfficacyMental health experiencesNeighborhood violenceIdentity explorationAssociated with internalizing symptomsLatinx youthSymptoms of anxietyMinority stress theoryExposure to neighborhood violenceMental health challengesStructural equation modelingLatinx adolescentsMethodsUsing cross-sectional dataEquation modelingConclusionsThese findingsCross-sectional dataMinoritized youthAdolescentsSymptomsEthnic identityYouthLatinxHealth challengesExamining longitudinal associations between polysubstance use and firearm-related risk behaviors from adolescence into emerging adulthood: a group-based multi-trajectory modeling approach
Henson-Garcia M, Weerakoon S, Peskin M, Baumler E, Testa A, Malthaner L, Lu Y, Temple J. Examining longitudinal associations between polysubstance use and firearm-related risk behaviors from adolescence into emerging adulthood: a group-based multi-trajectory modeling approach. Injury Epidemiology 2025, 12: 74. PMID: 41189027, PMCID: PMC12584197, DOI: 10.1186/s40621-025-00627-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRisk behaviorsEmerging adulthoodPolysubstance useYears of annual dataRisk of firearm-related injuryFirearm-related risksFirearm-related behaviorsStorage of firearmsFirearm-related injuriesPolysubstance use patternsImpact of polysubstance useFirearm accessSubstance useMultivariate logistic regressionNo significant associationRisk trajectoriesFirearm storageTrajectory groupsYoung adulthoodAnnual dataPolysubstance usersAlcohol usersRisk factorsUse patternsFirearmCATAcode: A Principled Approach for Coding Check-All-That-Apply Demographic Items
Merrin G, Nickodem K, Grant N, Weerakoon S, Holt M, Espelage D. CATAcode: A Principled Approach for Coding Check-All-That-Apply Demographic Items. Advances In Methods And Practices In Psychological Science 2025, 8: 25152459251401184. DOI: 10.1177/25152459251401184.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchExamining Pathways Among Teen Dating Violence, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation Among Black Girls: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Opara I, Weerakoon S, Srikanth N, Brooks Stephens J, Wan X, Willie T. Examining Pathways Among Teen Dating Violence, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation Among Black Girls: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal Of Interpersonal Violence 2025, 8862605251353484. PMID: 40741816, DOI: 10.1177/08862605251353484.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTeen dating violenceSubstance useBlack adolescent girlsOdds ratioRates of teen dating violenceOdds of substance useAdolescent girlsBlack girlsConfidence intervalsAssociated with substance usePoor mental health outcomesYouth Risk Behavior Surveillance SystemBehavior Surveillance SystemA cross-sectional studyOdds of suicidal ideationSuicidal ideationBlack female adolescentsMental health challengesMental health outcomesDating violenceRisk factorsPublic health initiativesIndirect pathwaysFemale adolescentsViolenceSpatial Associations of Alcohol Outlet Density with Neighborhood Crime and Child Opportunity: A Hierarchical Bayesian Ecological Study
Weerakoon S, Takenaka B, Srikanth N, Warren J, Opara I. Spatial Associations of Alcohol Outlet Density with Neighborhood Crime and Child Opportunity: A Hierarchical Bayesian Ecological Study. Substance Use & Misuse 2025, 60: 1319-1327. PMID: 40289361, PMCID: PMC12794613, DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2025.2496932.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol outlet densityAlcohol outletsChild Opportunity IndexCensus tractsOutlet densityRates of property crimeExposure to crimePassaic CountyChildren’s opportunitiesDiverse racial compositionCensus tract levelHigh-risk neighborhoodsMitigate crimeProperty crimeCrime ratesImprove community healthHealth insuranceRacial compositionNew JerseyReduce alcohol outlet densityOpportunity IndexCrimeSignificant socioeconomic disparitiesPolicy interventionsTract levelTeen Dating Violence Among Asian American Adolescents: Insights from a National Survey (2015–2021)
Weerakoon S, Srikanth N, Hansoti E, Takenaka B, Wan X, Opara I, Markham C, Lau M. Teen Dating Violence Among Asian American Adolescents: Insights from a National Survey (2015–2021). Journal Of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma 2025, 34: 331-347. PMID: 40496760, PMCID: PMC12148240, DOI: 10.1080/10926771.2025.2471348.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTeen dating violenceSexual dating violenceDating violenceSchool violenceBullying victimizationAmerican adolescentsPhysical dating violenceSubstance useAsian American adolescentsU.S. high school studentsOdds ratioViolenceAssociated with increased oddsLogistic regression analysisCluster sampling studyVictimsBullyingSexual behaviorPublic health problemDepressive symptomsAdolescent malesUnited StatesAdolescent femalesHigh school studentsNational survey