There has been growing interest in understanding the psychological and social-environmental factors that facilitate adaptive functioning in populations affected by ethnopolitical warfare. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that a brief measure incorporating local idioms of positive need fulfilment would predict functioning in a war-affected Sri Lankan population above and beyond psychopathology when controlling for demographic variables and current life stressors. A brief measure of positive need fulfillment was derived from qualitative data and administered to a sample of 163 Sri Lankans affected by the civil war. Positive need fulfillment was found to uniquely predict functioning after controlling for age, war-related life problems, and psychopathology as assessed by the Penn-RESIST-Peradeniya War Problems Questionnaire. These findings highlight the importance of both basic need support and the fostering of agency in addition to addressing mental health needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).