Managing adolescents with externalizing disorders during COVID-19 pandemic; caregiving experiences

COVID-19 pandemic disrupted societal and health systems globally, presenting unique challenges for families to manage children and adolescents with mental health disorders. This paper explores the care giving experiences in managing adolescents with externalizing disorders amidst interrupted interventions during the pandemic in the Indian context. The data for the study were extracted from retrospective files, pre-pandemic, from August 2019 to March 2020 to identify participants for the study and fifteen participants were purposively recruited for data collection. Data was collected using semi-structured tools through interviews. Transcripts were thematically analyzed, guided by Braun and Clarke’s framework. Caregivers predominantly used permissive parenting styles and experienced severe stress and burnout, compounded by limited access to professional support. There were reduced external triggers and shifts to joint family setups which provided short-term relief but failed to address long-term issues. While restrictions reduced access to substances and social triggers, leading to improvements like reduced defiance and substance use, new challenges emerged, such as excessive screen time, online gaming, and shopping. Post-pandemic, the return to normalcy revealed persistent and escalating nature of behavioral challenges and resulted in new familial and social challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant, although temporary changes to adolescent behaviors, which is influenced largely by external controls and altered routines. These findings emphasize the need for sustained strategies to manage adolescent behavioral challenges beyond external controls, focusing on long-term support and family-based interventions especially during a crisis situation.