Psycho - Social profile and outcome of adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders

Background: An adolescent required to be provided with the environment which is conducive for his/her global development. Literature has suggested that many of the unfavorable psycho-social factors surrounding the adolescents... [ view full abstract ]

Background: An adolescent required to be provided with the environment which is conducive for his/her global development. Literature has suggested that many of the unfavorable psycho-social factors surrounding the adolescents during this period make them vulnerable for Emotional and behavioural disorders.
Objective: To describe psycho-social adversities of adolescents who developed Emotional and behavioural disorders.
Method: This study used a descriptive case-series analysis that targeted 21 adolescents, diagnosed with Emotional and behavioural disorders, and referred for psycho-social interventions. These adolescents belonged to the age group of 11-16 years. They were under the care of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in-patient ward and out-patient department from December 2014 to December 2015. Parent Interview Schedule (WHO, 1990) was used to code the psychosocial adversities, Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) were used to assess the functionality of adolescents.
Results: It was found that many of the adolescents had significant psycho-social adversities in the areas of parenting, pathologies in family, societal stressors, abuse and neglect, stressful events/situations resulting from the child’s own disorder or disability.
The interventions were provided in different levels to these cases such as individual intervention which included supportive work, anger management, graded exposure, safety and relationship issues; family intervention which included parent management training, supportive work, enhancing interpersonal relationship among the family members; school intervention; placement to institutions. Despite intense case management, significant number of adolescents continued to have dysfunctions due to prevailing psychosocial adversities.
Conclusion: The results of the study give implications to conduct scientific study in the area of adolescents with emotional disorders. This empirical study emphasizes on development of appropriate tailor made psychosocial interventions for the adolescents as the psychosocial concerns vary from adolescent to adolescent.