Chapter 7: Middle Adulthood

1. Chapter 7: Middle Adulthood Module 7.1Physical Developmentin Middle Adulthood

2. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

3. Age Changes • What stays the same as we age? • What changes with age? 374

4. Changes with age = Aging “Layers of Aging” • Socioeconomic • Cognitive • Spiritual • Biological functions

5. How is aging like or NOT like other social categories? • What are the “isms”? • Does ageism exist?

6. Physical Transitions in Middle Adulthood • Gradual psychological and emotional changes in body’s capabilities • Depends in part on self-concept and lifestyle 374

7. Height, Weight, and Strength: Benchmarks of Change • After age 55, bones become less dense • Ultimately women lose 2 inches and men lose 1 inch in height • Women are more prone to declining height due to OSTEOPOROSIS • Both men and women continue to gain weight in middle adulthood 375

8. There was an old lady…. • Society applies a double standard to men and women in terms of appearance • Older women tend to be viewed in unflattering terms • Aging men more frequently perceived as displaying a maturity that enhances status 375

9. Sights and Sounds of Middle Age • Starting at age 40, visual acuity declines • Changing eye's lenses in shape and elasticity results in loss of near vision, called PRESBYOPIA • Declining depth perception and night vision • GLAUCOMA 375

10. Do you hear what I hear? • PRESBYCUSIS • About 12 percent of people between 45 and 65 suffer from presbycusis • Men more prone to hearing loss • Sound localization is diminished 375

11. Reaction time: Not-so-slowing Down • Decreases slightly in middle adulthood • Improves or compensated for by being more careful and practicing the skill • Exercise can slow this loss 376

12. “Use It or Lose It” 377

13. Review and Apply REVIEW • People in middle adulthood experience gradual changes in physical characteristics and appearance. • The acuity of the senses, particularly vision and hearing, and speed of reaction declines slightly during middle age. • Weight gain—commonly referred to as “middle age spread” —can be controlled through regular exercise and a healthy diet. 377

14. Review and Apply APPLY • Would you rather fly on an airplane with a middle-aged pilot or a young one? Why? 377

15. Sexuality During Middle Age • Frequency of sexual intercourse decreases with age • Sexual activities remain a vital part of most middle-aged adults’ lives • Adults have more freedom • Women no longer need to practice birth control 378

16. Sexual Intercourse • Men typically need more time to get an erection • Volume of fluid in ejaculation declines • Production of testosterone also declines • In women, walls of the vagina become less elastic and thinner • Vagina shrinks, potentially making intercourse painful 378

17. Female Climateric • Starting about age 45, transition from being able to bear children to being unable to do so • Lasting about 15 to 20 years • MENOPAUSE 378

18. Menopause • Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) • Women's expectations about menopause relate to their experience of menopause • Variations by race and culture 378

19. The Dilemma of Hormone Therapy Estrogen and progesterone administered to alleviate menopausal symptoms CON Increases risk of breast cancer and blood clots higher risk for pulmonary embolism and heart disease From Research to Practice • PRO • Changes ratio of “good” cholesterol to “bad” cholesterol • Decreases thinning of bones • Associated with reduced risks of stroke and colon cancer • Cognitive advantages • Enhances sex drive 380

20. What do you think? • How might the fact that the medical advice of experts on hormone therapy has changed frequently over the last decade affect women’s decisions about what course of action to follow? • What are the most important factors a woman should take into account in deciding whether or not to embark on a course of hormone therapy?

21. The Psychological Consequences of Menopause • Early research • Menopause was linked directly to depression, anxiety, crying spells, lack of concentration, and irritability • Current research • Normal part of aging that does not, by itself, produce psychological symptoms • Effects influenced by personal and cultural expectations of menopause 381

22. Do men experience the equivalent of menopause?

23. Male Climacteric • Male changes during middle age • Period of physical and psychological change relating to male reproductive system that occurs during late middle age. • Enlargement of the prostate gland • Problems with urination, including difficulty starting to urinate and frequent need to urinate during night • Men still produce sperm and can father children through middle age 381

24. Review and Apply REPLY • Sexuality in middle adulthood changes slightly, but middle-aged couples, freed from concerns about children, can enjoy a new level of intimacy and enjoyment. • Physical changes affecting sexuality occur in both genders. Both the female climacteric, which includes menopause, and the male climacteric seem to have physical and perhaps psychological symptoms. • Controversy attends the use of estrogen replacement therapy and the implanting of eggs in postmenopausal women to induce pregnancy. 382

25. Review and Apply APPLY • How do you think society’s view of women as losing their sexual allure in middle age affects women’s physical and psychological experience of menopause? 382

26. HEALTH

27. Health and Wellness • American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity daily: • Reduces risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, weight gain, and hypertension • Provides psychological benefits of sense of control and well-being 382

28. Did you know? • Vast majority of people in middle age • Face no chronic health difficulties • Fewer accidents and infections

29. Chronic Diseases in Middle Adulthood • Arthritis typically begins after age 40 • Diabetes is most likely to occur in people between the ages of 50 and 60 • Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the most frequent chronic disorders found in middle age 383

30. Recommended Diagnostic Tests • See Table 7-1 for adult preventative health care screening recommendations 384

32. Table 7-1, continued

33. Developmental Diversity: Individual Variation in Health • Ethnic differences • African Americans death rate is twice rate for Caucasians • Lower family’s incomehigher likelihood of disabling illness, more dangerous occupations, inferior health coverage 385

34. Gender Differences • During middle age, women experience more non-life threatening illnesses than men but men experience more serious illnesses • Women smoke less; drink less alcohol; have less dangerous jobs • Medical research has typically studied diseases of men with all male samples; the medical community is only now beginning to study women's health issues 385

35. What are the consequences of stress in middle adulthood? 387

36. Stress in Middle Adulthood • Stress continues to have a significant impact on health in middle age • According to psychoneuroimmunologists, who study the relationship between the brain, the immune system, and psychological factors, stress produces three main consequences • Leads to unhealthy behaviors 386

37. True or False?Heart and circulatory disease in middle age are responsible for more loss of work and disability days due to hospitalization than any other cause.

38. Coronary Heart Disease • More men die in middle age of diseases of the heart and circulatory system than any other cause. • Both genetic and experiential characteristics are involved • Heart disease runs in families • Men are more likely to suffer than women, and risks increase with age 386

39. TYPE A BEHAVIOR PATTERN • Characterized by • Competitiveness, impatience, and a tendency toward frustration and hostility, are more susceptible to heart disease • Evidence is only correlational so cannot say Type A behavior causes heart disease 387

40. TYPE B BEHAVIOR PATTERN • Characterized by • Non-competitiveness, patience, and a lack of aggression • Evidence that Type B people have less than half the risk of coronary disease that Type A people have 387

41. The Threat of Cancer • Cancer is associated with genetic and environmental risks • Poor nutrition, smoking, alcohol use, exposure to sunlight, exposure to radiation, and particular occupational hazards • Early treatment is related to higher survival rate 388

42. Cancer Treatment • Takes a variety of forms • Radiation therapy involves the use of radiation to destroy a tumor • Chemotherapy involves the controlled ingestion of toxic substances meant to poison the tumor • Surgery may be used to remove the tumor • Early diagnosis is crucial 388

43. Breast Cancer • Mammography, a weak X-ray, is used to detect breast cancer • Death rate lower for those who had a "fighting spirit" or those who denied they had the disease • A positive psychological outlook may boost the body's immune system 388

44. Review and Apply REVIEW • In general, middle adulthood is a period of good health, although susceptibility to chronic diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension, increases. • Heart disease is a risk for middle-aged adults. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to heart disease, including the Type A behavior pattern. 389

45. Review and Apply REVIEW • Therapies such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery can successfully treat cancer, and psychological factors. 389

46. Review and Apply APPLY • What social policies might be developed to lower the incidence of disabling illness among members of lower-socioeconomic groups? 389