From Risk to Resilience: The Impact of Psychological Interventions in Addressing Mental Health Disorders among Indian Children and Adolescents

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18482066

Pratibha Swami and Dalbir Singh Saini (Department of Psychology, School of Social Science and Humanities, Om Sterling Global University, Hisar, Haryana

Adolescent mental health disorders significantly impair emotional regulation, decision-making, and academic functioning, often resulting in greater disability than many physical conditions. While psychotherapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based approaches, and behavioral therapies are well supported in Western contexts, evidence of their real-world effectiveness among Indian adolescents remains limited. This study used a dual-method design, combining a systematic review of studies published between 2000 and 2025 with a pre-post analysis of de-identified clinical data from 50 adolescents aged 11-18 years who received psychotherapy. Interventions included CBT and its variants (54%), behavior therapy (10%), dialectical behavior therapy (10%), and mindfulness-based techniques (12%). Standardized pre- and post-treatment T-scores were available for 18 participants, while clinician-rated global improvement was assessed for the full sample. Findings revealed notable regional variation in prevalence, with higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems reported in studies from Haryana and Delhi. Clinically, 68% of adolescents showed meaningful improvement, with a significant reduction in symptom severity (t = 8.74, p < .001).