Table A3.

Emerged themes, subthemes and codes of the study

Theme	Subtheme	Codes	References, n (%)
Theme 1: medication adherence challenges	Medicine side effects	Emotional	6 (23.1)
		Physical	16 (61.5)
		Cognitive	1 (3.9)
		No effect towards existing symptoms	3 (11.5)
	Forgetfulness	-	6 (100.0)
	Procrastination behaviour	-	2 (100.0)
	Too busy or tired to take medicine	-	2 (100.0)
	Non-adherent behaviour	-	3 (100.0)
	Lack of knowledge about the importance of taking medication and medication adherence	-	7 (100.0)
	Negative thinking towards medication	Fear of medication dependence	4 (44.4)
		Fear that medicine will harm health in the future	3 (33.3)
		Dislike medication	2 (22.2)
	Stigma regarding psychiatric medication	Adolescent’s experience with family members and significant others	9 (39.1)
		Adolescents’ perception	14 (60.9)
	Adolescent’s negative feelings	Denial	3 (27.3)
		Annoyed	1 (9.1)
		Ignorance	3 (27.3)
		Ashamed	3 (27.3)
		Depression	1 (9.1)
	COVID–19 situation	Infected with COVID–19	1 (50.0)
		Movement Control Order	1 (50.0)
	Familial factors	Negative family relationships	5 (38.4)
		Lack of family involvement	4 (30.8)
		Lack of family support	4 (30.8)
	Social factors	Poor social relations	7 (43.75)
		Lack of social support	9 (56.25)
	Healthcare system factors	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services system shortcomings	3 (50.0)
		Patient dissatisfaction with psychiatrists	3 (50.0)
Theme 2: medication adherence coping strategies	Emotion-focused strategies	Positive reframing	8 (44.4)
		Acceptance	9 (50.0)
		Humour	1 (5.6)
	Problem-focused strategies	Active coping	9 (29.0)
		Social support from family, friends and psychiatrists	16 (51.6)
		Instrumental support	6 (19.4)
	Maladaptive coping strategies	Use of food and beverages	1 (14.3)
		Behavioural disengagement	4 (57.1)
		Self-distraction	1 (14.3)
		Self-blame	1 (14.3)
Theme 3: medication adherence protective factors	Social support	—	11 (100.0)
	Feeling better because of the medicine	—	16 (100.0)