2. Physical DevelopmentSexuality in Middle AdulthoodHealth

3. Physical Development

4. The Gradual Change in the Body’s Capabilities What stays the same as we age? What changes with age?

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

6. Height, Weight, and Strength: Benchmarks of Change After age 55, bones become less dense Women are more prone to declining height due to osteoporosis Both men and women continue to gain weight in middle adulthood

7. 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 Pressure in eye fluid increases About 1 to 2 percent over 40 years are afflicted Beginning at or around the age of 40, visual acuity, the ability to discern fine spatial detail, begins to drop.

8. 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

9. Reaction Time: Not-So-Slowing Down Decreases slightly in middle adulthood Improves or compensated for by being more careful and practicing the skill Can be slowed by exercise

10. The Benefits of Exercise

11. 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.

12. Starting around age 40, visual acuity or the ability to discern fine spatial detail in both close and distant objects begins to decline. True False

13. ______________ occurs when pressure of the fluid in the eye increases, either because the fluid cannot drain properly or because too much is produced. a. presbyopia b. glaucoma c. presbycusis d. visual acuity

14. Although general reaction time increases in middle age, reaction time involving complex tasks such as driving a car shows less of an increase. True False

15. Would you rather fly on an airplane with a middle-aged pilot or a young one? Why?

16. Sexuality in Middle Adulthood

17. Frequency of sexual intercourse decreases with age Sexual activities remain a vital part of most middle-aged adults’ lives Adults have more freedomWomen no longer need to practice birth control

18. Frequency of Sexual Intercourse

19. 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

20. Female Climacteric Menopause Starting about age 45, transition from being able to bear children to being unable to do so Lasting about 15 to 20 years

21. The Dilemma of Hormone Therapy: No Easy Answer In HT, estrogen and progesterone are administered to alleviate the worst of the symptoms experienced by menopausal women Reduces a variety of problems May change ratio of “good” cholesterol to “bad” cholesterol Decreases the thinning of the bones related to osteoporosis Associated with reduced risks of stroke and colon cancer May improve memory and cognitive performance May lead to greater sex drive

22. Sounds like a cure-all…or does it? Women’s Health Initiative Determined that the long-term risks of HT outweighed the benefits Combination of estrogen and progesterone linked to higher risk for breast cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and heart disease Later research Increased risk of stroke and pulmonary embolism were later found to be associated with estrogen-alone therapy

23. 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?

24. 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

25. Do men experience the equivalent of menopause?

26. 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

27. 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.

28. While some research has found that long- term risks of hormone therapy, including breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease, outweigh the benefits, current thinking among medical experts is that some women are better candidates for HT than others.

29. The period of time that marks a woman’s transition from being able to bear children to not being able to do so is also known as the ______________. a. midlife transition b. female climacteric c. perimenopause stage d. secular trend

30. In HT, ______________ and progesterone are administered to alleviate the worst of the symptoms experienced by menopausal women. a. estrogen b. testosterone c. antibiotics d. placebos

31. Roger is a middle-aged man who has started having difficulty with urinating. Sometimes he has difficulty starting to urinate. Other times he needs to urinate frequently at night. One of the first things his doctor will check is the functioning of his ______________. a. liver b. gall bladder c. testicles d. prostate

32. 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?

33. Health

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

35. Worries of Adulthood

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

37. 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 consequences Leads to unhealthy behaviors

38. What are the consequences of stress in middle adulthood?

39. Ethnic differences –African Americans’ death rate is twice the rate for Caucasians –Lower family’s income  higher likelihood of disabling illness, more dangerous occupations, inferior health coverage Gender differences –Women’s overall mortality rate is lower than men’s

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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

43. Type A Behavior Pattern Characteristics –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 In addition to being characterized as competitive, people withType A personalities also tend to engage in polyphasic activities, or doing a number of things at once. Does a Type A personality deal with stress differently from a Type B personality?

44. Type B Behavior Pattern Characteristics –Non-competitiveness –Patience –Lack of aggression Evidence that Type B people have less than half the risk of coronary disease than Type A people

45. 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

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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.

49. The precise causes of cancer are still unknown, but the process by which it spreads is clear. Therapies such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery can successfully treat cancer, and psychological factors.

50. Insecurity, anxiety, and having a negative outlook put people at risk for heart attacks. This behavior is referred to as ________. a. Type D b. Type B c. Disassociative Identity Disorder d. Type A

51. Cancer is the ______________ leading cause of death in the United States. a. fifth b. first c. third d. second

52. What social policies might be developed to lower the incidence of disabling illness among members of lower-socioeconomic groups?