Identity in Personal Recovery for Mothers With a Mental Illness

Developing a “positive identity” is considered a core component of personal recovery, and mothering offers meaning in life and a valued identity. Few studies have highlighted the factors influencing identity within a personal recovery paradigm for mothers with mental illness. This study explores how mothers describe their identity in relation to recovery, including the factors that influence identity. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 women who were mothers and experienced mental illness. Women defined their self-concept broadly, accentuating motherhood, but also including vocational, community and social roles. Analysis revealed six categories: defining self, becoming a mother, being a “good” mum, feeling different, doing it my way and speaking out. Valuing identity in parenting was found to be linked to recovery. Services may facilitate personal recovery by supporting mothers to enhance a self-concept associated with mothering, as well as other diverse attributes and roles

Hyperosmotic stress and osmo-gene adaptation during early induction of refractive errors

Abstract Purpose: Why is myopia a common risk factor for most sight threatening disorders? Our earlier biometric, ultrastructural and elemental analyses of the chick form deprivation model have provided evidence of severe physiological, oxidative and hyperosmotic stress. More recently prolonged hyperosmotic stress has been shown to lead to chronic inflammation in a number of diseases (Brocker etal 2013). We hypothesized that perturbation of axial growth during induction of refractive errors would also be accompanied by hyperosmosis and osmoadaptative gene changes, that should be demonstratable with elemental microanalysis (EDX) and RNA seq respectively. Methods: Chicks were raised with ±10D lenses, or no lens. Following biometric measurements at 1, 2, and 3 days, 8 chicks per lens group were euthanized. RNA was extracted from the retina/RPE/choroid of 4. Four were used for scanning electron-microscopy and EDX. Libraries were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq1500. Counts per million were imported into GSEA and expression of KEGG and Reactome pathways during myopia/hyperopia induction compared to age-matched no lens chicks (FDR cut-off <.25). Results: Refractive compensation (RC) to -10D defocus continued for 72hrs whereas RC to +10D was in near completion after 24hours. EDX shows sodium and chloride ion distributions were greatly upregulated in outer retina by -10D over the 72hrs but only at the retino-vitreal border in +10D at 72hrs. Potassium profiles in RC to +10D remained upregulated across the retina for 72 hrs with concurrent up-regulation of reactome potassium channel pathways at 72hrs in RNAseq data. Consistent with altered osmotic and oxidative stress, implicated pathways during refractive compensation included those related to synthesis of small molecule osmolytes, structural remodelling, inflammation, and metabolism. Conclusions: The EDX results demonstrate that RC to optical defocus is accompanied by hyperosmotic shifts in ion distribution profiles across the entire posterior eye, while concurrent changes in gene expression profiles were seen in metabolic and ion solute processes. These pathways have previously been associated with osmoadaptation and more severe disease states such as ARM and diabetes. The findings suggest the need for further experimental considerations of hyperosmotic changes as risk factors for severe visual impairments and for development of therapeutics

Developing an Australian-first recovery model for parents in Victorian mental health and family services:A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: A considerable number of people with a mental illness are parents caring for dependent children. For those with a mental illness, parenting can provide a sense of competence, belonging, identity and hope and hence is well aligned to the concept of personal recovery. However, little research has focused on the recovery journey of those who are parents and have a mental illness. This randomised controlled trial aims to (i) evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention model of recovery for parents (Let\u27s Talk about Children) in three different mental health service sectors and (ii) examine the economic value of a larger roll out (longer term) of the parent recovery model. METHODS: A two arm parallel randomised controlled trial will be used with participants, who are being treated for their mental illness in adult mental health, non-government community mental health or family welfare services. The study will involve 192 parents, who are considered by their treating practitioner to be sufficiently well to provide informed consent and participate in an intervention (Let\u27s Talk about Children) or control group (treatment as usual). Participant randomisation will occur at the level of the treating practitioner and will be based on whether the randomised practitioner is trained in the intervention. Outcomes are compared at pre, post intervention and six-month follow-up. Recovery, parenting and family functioning, and quality of life questionnaires will be used to measure parent wellbeing and the economic benefits of the intervention. DISCUSSION: This is the first randomised controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a parenting intervention on recovery outcomes and the first to provide an economic evaluation of an intervention for parents with a mental illness. An implementation model is required to embed the intervention in different sectors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was retrospectively registered: ACTRN12616000460404 on the 8/4/2016