CHAP:13 Making it in Midlife; The
Biopsychosocial Challenges of Middle Adulthood
Objectives
Discuss the Physical Changes and health
-Changes in appearance, bones, joints, reproductive, stress and health
Discuss Cognitive Development
-Practical Intelligence, becoming and expert and lifelong learning
Discuss Personality
-5 factor Model and Changing Priorities in Midlife
Discuss Family Dynamics and Middle Age
-Their children and aging parents
Changes in Appearance
Wrinkles
Gray Hair
Male pattern baldness
“Middle-aged bulge”
Bones and Joints
Skeleton maturity
Bone mass stays the same until menopause for women and late life for men
Osteoporosis
- can cause spinal vertebrae to collapse
-Non-Latina white women and Asian women have the highest risk
-More common in woman then men
-leading cause of broken bones in older women
Things that increase osteoporosis -Vitamin D, - Calcium, estrogen depletion, lack of weigh bearing exercise, smoking, high protein diets, alcohol intake, caffeine, sodium, and women getting treatment for asthma, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid problems & epilepsy
Eating healthy helps decrease the chances
Bones and Joints Cont.
Women over 65 are encouraged to get a
DXA
T- score
Bisphosphonates
help slow down bone breakdown
SERM are taken to help prevent bone loss and reduced spinal fractures
Osteoarthritis
-considered the wear and tear disease
-from early 20’s joints start thinning cracking and fraying -affects the hands, hips, spine, hips, knees and etc
Rheumatoid arthritis
-morning stiffness aches in fingers, wrist and ankles on both side, joint are swollen and there is no cure
Climacteric
Menopause
Perimenopause
Symptom: “hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, mod changes, difficulty concentrating, vaginal dryness, changing cholesterol levels and varies aches and pains” Menopause Cultural different
Chinese woman: +sleep disturbance and fatigue
European American: - physical symptoms after climacteric African American: +physical symptom after climacteric Japanese: - hot flash but + in headache, ear ringing, & dizziness, called it “menopause syndrome” Sociocultural factors are critical to understanding how women will be affected by menopause What happens to the vagina?
Vaginal walls shrink, thin, the size -, lubrication – and delay
Sex may become painful, orgasms may take longer and need more stimulation or may be failed to achieve
In vitro and child-bearing can be achieve postmenopausal Estrogen treatment can – some symptoms like MHT
Men Reproductive Change
- Testosterone level
They can still father children
With + in age prostate enlarge and become stiff
Prostate cancer become a + risk around
50
- ejaculation, erection, & orgasm
Viagra and other medication treatment
Stress
Stress disorders take time to manifest
Loss Physical capacity take a toll
Blue collar worker have a higher stress than white collar workers
Stress and coping paradigm
- immune system, - memory & cognition,
+ heart rate, hypertension, + cholesterol, Type A & B pattern
PTSD
Exercise
Adults should average 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a combination of the two. Strengthening exercises are recommended at least twice per week. (Kail
469)
improved cardiovascular functioning and maximum oxygen consumption; lower blood pressure; and better strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination (Kail 469)
Also lower stress, better mood and better cognitive function
Practical intelligence
Highly emotional problem are dealt with passive-dependent and avoidant-denial approach Instrumental issues (like grocery shopping) and home management are dealt with a problem-focused strategy
Mechanics of intelligence
Pragmatics of intelligence
