Challenges of Adulthood

Challenges of Early Adulthood- (Ages 20-40) Around ages 18-25 there is a transitional period known as "emerging adulthood". You're not an adolescence but not quite an adult yet. You're graduating from college, trying to find a career, possibly moving back home until you find a career.

• Career Development- Usually a person in their mid to late 20's is when they are solidifying their career. They have a better sense of who they are and have more control over their life and ability to master skills of a chosen career. However, some people at this point may feel trapped, especially if there is opportunity for advancement in there job choice, while others are stuck in a crisis and can't decide who they are and what they want to do for a living

• Fertility Changes- You are in your prime between your 20's- and 30's. This is usually when couples start having children. A women's reproduction level starts to decline by 6% in her late 20's to 31% in her late 30's, while men's reproduction declines at a much slower rate.

• Marriage- Marriage is the most common lifestyle for adults 30 - 44 years old, though the overall percentage of marriages in American households is decreasing and the age of getting married is getting later and later. Cohabiting and serial monogamy are the trend now. People get married because it provides a sense of security, and provides security, opportunities to share feelings and experiences with whom they love. Most young adults agree that marriage is important if you plan to spend the rest of your life with someone. According to "The National Marriage Project", most people report being in very happy in their marriages.

  • Homogamy marriages are "like marrying like". Young adults are more apt to marry someone who shares the same interests, personality traits, education level, religion, etc.

  • Same sex marriages are on the rise since the 2015 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. There is not much research to show how satisfied people are in same sex marriages.

  • Arranged marriages are common in some religions like Indian and Pakistan. It is believed in some backgrounds that it is wiser to follow family wisdom than one's own heart and that the bride and groom share similar backgrounds so that they will carry on family traditions.

• Retirement Planning- This is the time to start saving for retirement. You may not be planning retirement yet at the beginning of this stage, this is the time to start saving. The earlier you start investing means your retirement savings will have that much more time and potential to grow.

• Parenting- Stressful, hard, and the best thing you've ever done! In the United States, today, people are delaying parenthood. The average age for a woman to birth her first child has risen from age 21 in 1972 to 26.3 years of age nowadays. The reason being for sex education for teens, and methods of contraception. More women are striving to establish themselves in careers and create financial stability before they venture into parenthood.

In traditional societies, couples report having children to strengthen marital bonds, (even

though there is proof that shows having a baby strengthens a marriage), provide social security,

assist with labor while in developed nations, couples report that they choose to have children for

personal happiness or well-being.

• Divorce- 40% - 50% of marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate increased through much of the 20th century because adultery used to be the only legal grounds to get divorced before the 60's. Now there is "no fault" divorce laws enacted, allowing a divorce to be granted without finding any marital misconduct. Women now also have the economic means to break away from troubled marriages. The most common reason for divorce now is communication and lack of understanding.

Challenges of Middle Adulthood- (Ages 40-65) We are only as old as we feel...right?!

• Physical Changes- No two people age the same way. This is known as "interindividual variability". Some theorists view this stage as our peak performance while others view it as a time of decline or crisis. If you eat right and exercise, aging will decline gradually whereas if you don't, ailments and illnesses will begin to effect you rapidly.

  • Skin and hair: Hair begins to grey at this stage in life, due to changes in melanin. More men than women will start to experience hair loss. Skins elasticity begins to decline due to your body producing fewer proteins.

  • Sensory: vision starts to decline in your mid 30's. You begin to lose elasticity in your lens causing you to focus on up-close objects and fine print.

  • lung capacity, body fat, muscle strength, metabolism start to decline as well. The decline with most of these can be slowed down by choosing to workout regularly and eating healthy.

• Death- The top 3 causes of death in middle adulthood are cancer, heart disease, and accidents. This is where diet and exercise come into play and can help prevent these diagnosis's. Getting yearly physicals are important at this stage. Men are advised to have prostate exams around the age of 50, especially African American men, (where prostate cancer is more prominent). Women are encourage to have annual mammograms at age 40.

• Sexual dysfunctions- While most people report sexual satisfaction, at this stage, sexual frequency begins to decline. There is a significant percentage of 50-59 year old women that become sexually inactive mostly due to divorce or being widowed. Women also begin to lose their sexual drive due to fluctuating hormones, while men begin to suffer from erectile dysfunction. Andropause will effect men by causing a gradual dip in their sex hormones.

• Menopause- Women go through 3 phases of menopause

  • Premenopause (just before age 35)- estrogen dips and you may have your last regular period

  • Perimenopause (Ages 45-50) - irregular periods start and your last period may be around the age of 50

  • Menopause (51)- permanent cessation of period

  • Men

• Memory- working and short term begin to decline while procedural memories are maintained throughout life. Engaging in mental exercises like word games, Sudoku and crossword puzzles help maintain your mental state. Semantic memories, know for facts, remain stable while episodic memories decline with age.

  • Creativity is at its peak in middle adulthood

• Midlife Crisis- According to Erikson, adults can experience an identity crisis in in middle adulthood. A crisis may be cause by aging itself, changes or regrets over work or your career, relationships or lack thereof.

• Caregiving- Middle age can be considered the "sandwich generation". Adults may have their children moving back in with them after college due to not being able to find a job, while they also have at least one parent living with them due to the parents inability to care for him/herself any longer. Caregivers are found to have poorer health, higher incidence of depression, and lower marital satisfaction.

Challenges of Late Adulthood- (Ages 60 and older) "With age comes wisdom"

• Aging- There are 3 subgroups of late adulthood, they are young old (60-75), old old (75-85), and oldest old (85 and older).

• Physical Development- The average age for a woman to live is 82, while the average age for a man is 77. The reason the average man doesn't live as long as a woman is due to accidents (they are more risky), cancers, HIV, stroke, etc. Men are less likely to go to the doctor when needed and to have yearly physicals. People begin to to have cataracts, glaucoma, hearing loss, memory and loss of taste buds. Food becomes more bland. Bones are becoming more brittle and vulnerable to fractures. Calcium declines causing osteoporosis.

• Sexuality- Sex drives and activity tend to decline with age, but sexual satisfaction remains high. The reason for the decline can be due to medication side effects and physical pain. The elasticity in a woman's vagina begins to loosen, thin and shrink, lubrication declines and sexual activity is uncomfortable on the bladder. Men's erections become less firm, testosterone levels decline, and there is less ejaculation.

• Marriage and social relationships- Marriages are more satisfying because you have less responsibilities from jobs, and your children are grown. Sibling relationship are important at this time in your life. You may rely on them for emotional support due to the death of a loved one, etc. Friendships play an important role at this stage as well. You may see them more than your children or family, and need them there for emotional support, you have shared interests, they can assist you in daily tasks.

• Retirement- The age of retirement is increasing due to poor pension plans or other financial situations, or you may still be supporting your children. There is a lot to think about when it involves retirement, for instance- can I afford it, where do I want to live, who will I share my last years with?

• Loss of cognition-

  • Dementia- The cause for dementia can stem from CVD, drug intoxication, Parkinson's, anemia, etc. Strokes are more common at this stage in life which can cause vascular dementia.

  • Alzheimer's- This is the 5th leading cause of death in older American's. The possible cause is from plaque buildup in the brain. The disease is a slow progress, starting with memory difficulties, repeating oneself, then progressing to more serious effects like not remembering names, performing common activities, communicating with others, and depression.

• Mortality- The 3 leading causes of death in late adulthood are cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections. Though as we age, death from Alzheimer's disease increases.

• Living arrangements- There are several different types of living arrangements at this stage in your life. You may experience all, some, or only one. It depends on your resources and family.

  • Independent living- This type of living is an apartment community with age restrictions. There is no healthcare assistance available. There is usually a common place in the community for group activities and transportation available to take you to doctors appointments and to the store.

  • Assisted living- These are apartments without full kitchens. While they promote independence, there are healthcare workers to monitor you and healthcare services available to you.

  • Skilled nursing facility- This is a facility that is what we would consider a comfortable hospital. You may have a private or semi-private room. There is around the clock nursing. This type of facility has federal regulations they must follow.

  • Aging in place- Takes place in ones home, or a child/grandchild's home. Healthcare assistance can come to their homes on a weekly or daily basis.

References

[Elderly couple leaning on each other]. (n.d.). coursehero.com

https://www.coursehero.com/study-guides/wmopen-lifespandevelopment/psychosocial development-in-late-adulthood-2/

[Middle aged people]. (n.d.). integrisok.com

https://integrisok.com/resources/on-your-health/2015/october/important-preventative

screenings-for-middle-aged-adults-in-oklahoma

[Topic picture on page]. (n.d.). dreamstime.com

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