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PSYC 2618 Gender and Health

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Women are at risk of ovarian cancer; men are at risk of prostate cancer ... look more mature and sophisticated. More difficult for women to quit than men. Why? ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: PSYC 2618 Gender and Health


1
PSYC 2618 Gender and Health
  • Gender makes a difference in the kinds of illness
    that people experience.
  • Women are at risk of ovarian cancer men are at
    risk of prostate cancer
  • The female body has more fat and less fluid than
    the male body resulting in differences in
    metabolism of toxic substances or chemical
    substances such as alcohol.

2
  • Health Psychology
  • attempts to understand how people stay healthy,
    why they engage in risky behavior, why they
    develop illnesses, and how they respond to
    illnesses.

3
Bias against women
  • Women are often neglected in medicine and medical
    research.
  • Gender stereotypes thrive in medicine.
  • Medical care provided to women is often
    inadequate or irresponsible.
  • Women often receive too much health care or too
    little ie., C-section, hysterectomies.
  • Women are less likely to have insurance.

4
Health issues in developing countries
  • Female genital mutilation
  • involves cutting or removing the female genitals
    part or all of the clitoris is removed.
  • Not the equivalent of female circumcision

5
Gender differences in life expectancies
  • The average life span for women in the US is 80
    for men it is 73.
  • Men have a higher mortality (death) rate.
  • Men are more likely to die from suicide,
    homicide, and motor vehicle accidents. More men
    are exposed to dangerous substances at work.
  • Women seek medical attention more often

6
Morbidity illness
  • Women have higher morbidity rate than men.
  • Women are more likely than men to have problems
    such as obesity, anemia, and respiratory illness.
  • Women are more likely to experience chronic,
    lifelong illnesses, headaches, and general
    fatigue.

7
Heart disease
  • Most common cause of death in women.
  • To prevent heart disease, diet, maintain
    appropriate body weight, exercise.
  • Women who work outside the home are no more
    likely than other women to experience heart
    disease.

8
Breast Cancer
  • 180,000 women in the US are diagnosed with breast
    cancer each year.
  • Early detection leads to better prognosis.
  • Self-examination and mammogram help with
    detection.
  • Women 50 years and older should have a mammogram
    every year.

9
Cont.
  • When breast cancer is detected the most common
    procedure is a lumpectomy.
  • Breast surgery causes fear.
  • Some women with strong family history of breast
    cancer have chosen to have both breasts
    surgically removed in their 30s and 40s, to avoid
    developing breast cancer.

10
Reproductive system cancer and hysterectomies
  • Types of reproductive system cancer
  • cervical cancer
  • ovarian cancer
  • cancer of the endometrium
  • Test for cervical cancer with a Pap Smear
  • Treatment of reproductive system cancers
    sometimes involves hysterectomies.

11
Osteoporosis
  • Bones become increasingly porous and brittle.
  • Most common cause is the loss of bone mass
    following menopause. Fractures are more likely.

12
Women with disabilities
  • Disability is defined as a restriction or lack of
    ability to perform an activity in the manner
    considered normal.
  • Ableism
  • Discrimination on the basis of disability.
  • White men are nearly twice as likely as white
    women to participate in the labor force.

13
Cont.
  • Women with disabilities often complain that they
    do not receive adequate counseling on sexuality.
  • Womens sexual desires are likely to be ignored.

14
AIDS and other STDs
  • AIDS
  • The incidence of AIDS is relatively high among
    Black women, somewhat lower among Latinas, and
    equally low among As-Am, Native Am, and Eu-Am.
  • HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus
    that destroys part of the immune system.

15
Cont.
  • AIDS is actually the end stage of the HIV
    infection.
  • AIDS is the illness that occurs when the
    individual becomes seriously ill because other
    infections have taken advantage of a severely
    weakened immune system.
  • People with HIV are likely to experience
    depression, anxiety, anger, guilt and fear

16
Cont.
  • If a woman decides to have sex, her sexual
    partner is not only that individual, but all of
    that individuals former partners, and their
    partners.

17
Other Sexually transmitted diseases (See Table
11.1)
  • Chlamydia
  • Genital Herpes
  • Genital Warts
  • Gonorrhea
  • Syphilis

18
Women and Substance Abuse
  • Smoking
  • cigarette smoking is the largest preventable
    cause of death in the US
  • Reasons to start smoking
  • control weight and keep slim
  • look more mature and sophisticated
  • More difficult for women to quit than men. Why?
    Associated with depression, more physiologically
    addicted,concern about weight

19
Cont.
  • Alcohol abuse
  • a pattern of alcohol use that leads to
    significant distress or impairment.
  • One symptom is blackouts
  • Women who drink 2 drinks a day seem to double
    their chances of breast cancer.
  • May also lead to liver problems, ulcers, brain
    damage, high blood pressure, and various cancers.
    Pregnant women ? FAS

20
  • Cont. Alcohol abuse
  • Men are 3 X more likely to abuse alcohol than
    women.
  • Among college students, a large percentage engage
    in binge drinking (4 drinks in a row for
    females/5 drinks in a row for males during the
    preceding 2 weeks.)

21
  • Cont. Alcohol
  • When a male and female with the same body weight
    consume the same amount of alcohol, the woman
    will have a significantly higher blood alcohol
    level.
  • Society disapproves if a woman gets drunk at a
    party women may therefore be more reluctant to
    admit they have a drinking problem

22
Other substance-abuse problems
  • Women more likely to use sedatives and
    tranquilizers these are more socially acceptable
    because they are prescribed by a physician.
  • Men are more likely to use illicit drugs however
    the report by the National Center on Addiction
    and Substance Abuse (1996) concluded that females
    between the ages of 12 and 18 are just as likely
    as males to use illegal drugs.
  • Eu-Am women are morel likely than Black or Latina
    women to have tried illegal drugs at some point
    in their lives.
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