PSYC 2314 Lifespan Development

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PSYC 2314Lifespan Development

• Chapter 20
• Middle Adulthood
• Biosocial Development

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Physical Changes in Middle Adulthood

• Graying and thinning of the hair
• Drying and wrinkling of the skin
• Change in body shape
• Loss in height

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Sense Organs

• Hearing
• Environmentally caused
• Men are more likely to developed hearing loss
• Genetic
• Age

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Sense Organs

• Vision
• Farsightedness and astigmatism
• Depth perception, eye-muscle resilience, color
  sensitivity and adaptation to darkness
• Glaucoma

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Vital Body Systems

• Immune system is actually stronger. However,
  recovery takes longer.
• Autoimmune diseasewhen the immune system
  mistakes the persons own body cells for foreign
  invaders and attacks them (rheumatoid arthritis
  or lupus).

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Health Habits

• Smoking
• A risk factor for many diseases.
• Nonsmokers have a 30 higher risk of lung cancer
  if they are married to smokers than if they are
  married to nonsmokers.
• All smoking diseases are dose- and
  duration-sensitive.

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Health Habits

• Alcohol
• Moderate use may lower the risk of heart disease
• Heavy use is the main cause of cirrhosis of the
  liver
• Puts stress on the heart and stomach
• Destroys brain cell
• Hastens calcium loss associated with osteoporosis
• A risk factor in many forms of cancer

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Health Habits

• Nutrition
• Strongly related to the onset and progress of
  heart disease and cancer.
• A high-fat, low-fiber diet promotes the
  development of heart disease and several types of
  cancer.

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Health Habits

• Weight
• Overweight is present in 2 out of every 3
  middle-aged residents of the US.
• Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease,
  diabetes, and stroke. It is also a contributing
  factor for arthritis.

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Health Habits

• Vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes daily
• Increases heart and lung capacity and metabolism
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces the ratio of body fat to body weight
• Enhances cognitive functioning through improved
  blood circulation
• Improves self-image and general sense of
  well-being

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Variations in Health

• Four distinct measures of health
• Mortality
• Morbidity
• Disability
• Vitality
• Quality-adjusted life years (QUALYs) calculates
  how many years of full vitality are lost as a
  result of a particular disease or disability.

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Ethnicity and Health

• Mortality
• African Americans die at twice the rate of
  European Americans, who themselves die at twice
  the rate of Asian Americans.
• Native Americans have about 20 higher death rate
  and Hispanic Americans a 20 lower rate than the
  overall average
• Morbidity and disability follow the same ethnic
  patterns.

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Beyond Black and White

• Group differences in health are often
  misattributed to genes and ancestry
• Current education
• SES
• Pressures and opportunities provided by the
  larger society

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Gender Differences

• Mortality
• Middle-aged men are twice as likely to die of any
  cause and three times as likely to die of heart
  disease.
• Men are more likely to smoke, drink, be
  overweight, repress emotions, and ignore their
  medical symptoms.
• Morbidity and disability
• Women have higher rates than men.

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Sexual Reproductive System

• Sexual responses gradually become slower and less
  distinct
• Reproduction less likely
• Attitudes are more important than biology in
  assessing the impact of these changes.

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The Climacteric

• Climacteric various biological and
  psychological changes that accompany menopause
• Variations in the timing of a womans menstrual
  cycle
• Hot flashes and cold sweats
• Drier skin
• Loss of breast tissue, bone calcium

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HRT

• Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease,
  Alzheimers disease, tooth loss, and hip
  fractures.
• Long-term consequences are not yet known,
  however, may increase the risk of some forms of
  cancer, particularly breast cancer.

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Psychological Impact of Menopause

• Historical changes have meant that the end of
  childbearing is now determined less by age than
  by personal factors, such as the number of
  children a couple already has or the couples
  financial status. The end of childbearing thus
  represents a conscious decision and makes
  menopausethe time when sexual activity is no
  longer accompanied by fear of pregnancya
  liberating and welcomed event.

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Sexual Expression

• Sexual activities usually declines in terms of
  frequency of intercourse and orgasm.
• Sexual stimulation, esp. in men, takes longer and
  needs to be more direct
• A reduction in the intensity of orgasmic
  reactions and less vigorous contractions and
  ejaculations.