Developmental Psychology - Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

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Hearing also can start to decline by age 40.

Auditory assessments indicate that hearing loss

occurs in up to 50 percent of individuals 50

years and older. 

loneliness, can increase stress and

decrease immune system functioning. 

c. Burdensome caregiving for a family

member with a progressive illness

reduces immune system functioning. 

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

. Midlife is a time when high

blood pressure and high cholesterol often take adults by

surprise. Cardiovascular disease increases considerably

in middle age. 

Metabolic Syndrome

d. Chronic and acute stress increase the

inflammation associated with age­

related diseases such as cardiovascular

disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and

some cancers. 

- a condition characterized by

hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance. 

LUNGS.

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e. Stress-reducing activities such as yoga,

relaxation, and hypnosis have positive

influences on immune system

functioning. 

The proteins in lung tissue become less elastic.

A gradual stiffening of the chest wall, decreases

the lungs' capacity to shuttle oxygen from the

air people breathe to the blood in their veins. 

Stress and the Cardiovascular System.

SLEEP.

Stress and

negative emotions can affect the development

and course of cardiovascular disease by altering

underlying physiological processes. 

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CONTROL.

The amount of time spent lying awake in bed at

night begins to increase in middle age, and this can

produce a feeling of being less rested in the morning

Sleep-disordered breathing and restless legs

syndrome become more prevalent in middle

age. 

Having a sense of control in middle age is one

of the most important modifiable factors in delaying the

onset of diseases in middle adulthood and reducing the

frequency of diseases in late adulthood. 

HEALTH, DISEASE, STRESS, AND CONTROL

Chronic Disorders

MORTALITY RATES 

➢ 

- disorders that are characterized by

slow onset and long duration. They are rare in early

adulthood, increase during middle adulthood, and

become common in late adulthood. 

As infectious disease rates declined and more

individuals lived through middle age, rates of

chronic disorders increased. 

STRESS AND DISEASE.

The cumulative effect of stress

often takes a toll on the health of individuals by the

time they reach middle age. 

➢ 

Chronic diseases are now the main causes of death

for individuals in middle adulthood. 

Cortisol

SEXUALITY

Climacteric

- stress hormones; the link between

stress and disease. Elevated cortisol levels are

linked to physical health problems. 

- the midlife transition during which fertility

declines (both men and women). 

The Immune System and Stress. 

Menopause

.

Menarche

Perimenopause

HORMONAL CHANGES IN MIDDLE-AGED MEN.

Immune system

functioning becomes less effective with normal

aging The roles of stress and immune system

functioning.

a. Failures in close relationships (divorce,

separation, and marital distress) reduce

immune system functioning, especially

when spouses have hostile

interactions, with the effects stronger

in women than men.

b. Having positive social ties can boost

immune system functioning, and lack

of social ties, especially prolonged 

- cessation of a woman's menstrual periods,

usually during the late forties or early fifties. 

- a girl's first menstruation

- the transitional period from normal 

menstrual periods to no menstrual periods at all.

Perimenopause usually occurs during the forties but can

occur in the thirties. 

During middle

adulthood, most men do not lose their capacity to

father children, although there usually is a modest

decline in their sexual hormone level and activity