Defining Quality of Life in the Children of Parents with Severe Mental Illness: A Preliminary Stakeholder-Led Model

Severe parental mental illness poses a challenge to quality of life (QoL) in a substantial number of children and adolescents, and improving the lives of these children is of urgent political and public health concern. This study used a bottom-up qualitative approach to develop a new stakeholder-led model of quality of life relevant to this population. Qualitative data were collected from 19 individuals participating in focus groups or individual interviews. Participants comprised 8 clinical academics, health and social care professionals or voluntary agency representatives; 5 parents and 6 young people (aged 13–18 yrs) with lived experience of severe parental mental illness. Data underwent inductive thematic analysis for the purposes of informing a population-specific quality of life model. Fifty nine individual themes were identified and grouped into 11 key ‘meta-themes’. Mapping each meta-theme against existing child-centred quality of life concepts revealed a multi-dimensional model that endorsed, to a greater or lesser degree, the core domains of generic quality of life models. Three new population-specific priorities were also observed: i) the alleviation of parental mental health symptoms, ii) improved problem-based coping skills and iii) increased mental health literacy. The identification of these priorities raises questions regarding the validity of generic quality of life measures to monitor the effectiveness of services for families and children affected by severe mental illness. New, age-appropriate instruments that better reflect the life priorities and unique challenges faced by the children of parents with severe mental illness may need to be developed. Challenges then remain in augmenting and adapting service design and delivery mechanisms better to meet these needs. Future child and adult mental health services need to work seamlessly alongside statutory education and social care services and a growing number of relevant third sector providers to address fully the quality of life priorities of these vulnerable families

Net Adsorption of Gas/Vapor Mixtures in Microporous Solids

Adsorption thermodynamics is based on Gibbs definition, which transforms the nonuniform interfacial region to a uniform three-phase system including a two-dimensional adsorbed phase on a hyper-surface. Gibbs definition is a pure mathematical construct applicable wherever the hyper-surface is located. On the other hand, physical quantification of adsorption and hence its applications require that the hyper-surface be located. Conceptually, the location of hyper-surface differentiates between so-called absolute, excess, and the recently introduced (Gumma and Talu, Langmuir 2010, 26 (22), 17013-17023) net adsorption thermodynamic frameworks. This article details net adsorption thermodynamic framework for mixtures. In addition, a thermodynamic inconsistency is recognized in the calculation of grand potential (or solid chemical potential) with commonly used implementation of excess adsorption in literature. The inconsistency is shown to have a substantial impact on further thermodynamic calculations such as mixture adsorption predictions for even a simple typical example as oxygen-nitrogen-zeolite SA system at 22 C and moderate pressures. Historically, this inconsistency seems to originate from adopting intuitive concepts for planar surfaces to microporous systems without regard to the differences in the physical nature of these two types of interfaces. Net adsorption framework Circumvents. the inconsistency as well as providing an unequivocal description of adsorption in micropores