Untitled Quiz

Physical Development

• Middle adulthood (45-65) is characterized by significant individual variation in physical and cognitive abilities.
• Biological, chronological, psychological, and social age vary.
• Height decreases and weight increases, primarily due to bone loss in the vertebrae and slower metabolism.
• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
• Bone density decreases, particularly in women (at a rate ~2x faster than in men).
• Bone density loss is exacerbated by pregnancy and breastfeeding, although it’s usually restored after weaning.
• A high maternal age at the time of last childbirth may increase the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis as bone density may not recover fully after childbirth.
• Visual acuity declines between 40-59, particularly in the ability to view close objects.
• Laser eye surgery is common in this age group.
• Hearing begins to decline around age 40, with increased sensitivity to high-pitched sounds. 51% of Canadians between 50-59 report hearing loss, and men typically lose their hearing faster.
• Smell and taste gradually decline starting around age 60 with healthier adults experiencing this decline more slowly.

Stress

• Allostatic load is the overall physiological wear and tear on the body due to ongoing stress.
• Stress reduces immune system function, and impacts heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse pressure.

Social Determinants of Health

• Social, political, and economic conditions influence health, which becomes more pronounced in middle adulthood.
• Education and income are strongly correlated with healthy life expectancy.
• Obesity rates vary significantly by neighborhood walkability, with less walkable neighborhoods showing higher rates of obesity (78%) compared to more walkable neighborhoods (49%).
• Exercise, a healthy diet, and access to healthy foods and preparation time reduce cardiovascular problems and osteoporosis in middle adulthood.

Neurologic Development

• Brain volume and weight decrease by about 5% per decade after age 40.
• Norepinephrine and dopamine, important neurotransmitters for synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, decline with age, impacting cognitive and motor performance.
• However, the brain remains adaptive in middle adulthood.

Cellular Process of Aging

• Cellular clock theory posits that cells cannot reproduce continuously; each division shortens telomeres (chromosome ends).
• Cellular senescence causes cells to cease replication and protein production.
• Cellular abnormalities can lead to disease.

Sexuality

• Climacteric is the midlife transition during which fertility declines.
• Menopause is the cessation of ovarian function, marked by a large drop in estrogen.
• Testosterone production also declines at approximately 1% per year in middle-aged men.
• Erectile dysfunction is present in 50% of men between ages 40 and 70.

Cognitive Development

• Cognitive skills demonstrate variability in middle adulthood.
• Fluid intelligence (abstract reasoning and problem solving) peaks in early adulthood and declines gradually throughout later adulthood.
• Crystallized intelligence (accumulated knowledge and verbal skills) tends to increase in middle and late adulthood.
• Consistent differences in cognitive abilities (e.g., numeric ability, verbal comprehension) exist between individuals.
• Use it or lose it effect; cognitive decline is more likely if people don't regularly use their cognitive skills. Overall physical and social well-being influence cognitive decline.

Careers in Middle Adulthood

• Established adulthood (30-45) is characterized by career stabilization.
• Peak professional position and earnings occur during middle adulthood along with peak financial obligations.
• The "career and care crunch" describes the competing demands of career, family, and caring for aging parents.

Overall Wellbeing in Middle Adulthood

• Overall wellbeing is generally high during middle age and independent of gender, ethnicity, work status or relationship status.

Identity and Psychosocial Milestones

• Generativity vs. Stagnation is a psychosocial stage focused on making a difference in the world versus feeling unproductive.
• Volunteer work supports overall well-being.

Relationships

• Relationship satisfaction in middle age can be high, with 72% of married couples reporting excellent or very good relationships.
• Middle-age partners often experience relationship changes, like the children leaving the home, but companionate love often increases. Relationships often shift in priorities in middle adulthood.
• Relationships are crucial for physical and mental health for couples.

Dating and Re-partnering

• Online dating is common due to shrinking social networks.
• Online dating practices vary by gender.

Empty Nest Syndrome

• Empty Nest Syndrome: Grief and lack of purpose experienced by some when children leave home.

Death and Dying

• Coping with Death: Strategies—Sense making, benefit finding, maintaining connections, and reconstructing identities are common methods of coping with death, loss, and aging.