Side by side in COVID-19: understanding family lockdown experiences through mother’s lens

Background. With the advent of COVID-19, lockdowns have emerged as effective measures to control the spread of the virus. The present paper analyses the psychological impacts of lockdowns on families by studying the experiences of Indian mothers using the draw and tell method. Method. Twenty-seven mothers from all over India drew ‘Good days’ and ‘Bad days,’ which they experienced during the countrywide lockdown and explained them through an open-ended questionnaire. Results. The drawings were analyzed thematically, resulting in five themes. Mothers’ ‘Good days’ were characterized by positive emotions, family support and bonding, the connective role of technology, and pleasurable activities, while ‘Bad Days’ consisted of high workload, family disputes, lack of communication, and negative media reporting. Findings also revealed that the participants engaged in pandemic-related preventive behaviors and perceived it both as a challenge to be overcome and an opportunity to bond with their families.