Md Ashik Hossen

 SSC313 LIFECOURSE APPROACHES IN HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE AND AGEING Assignment 1- Essay Presented by Mosssammad Runa Layla Student ID:bh66fa  Sunderland University. Date: Contents Introduction3 Theoretical perspective and approaches of life course4 Factors affecting psychologicalchanges in Midlife5 Relations betweenLife Course approaches to changes ofMidlife7 Midlife and sociological impacts8 Conclusion10 References11 Life Course Perspective forPsycho-social Analysis During Midlife Introduction Human health development has significant relevance as it experiences different the key stages of their lives. These different stages and their importance to human health and well-being are identified through life course perspective.Life course epidemiology examines the long-term impact of physical and social experiences during early childhood, adolescence, early adulthood and later adulthood on later life wellbeing and health concern (Ben-Shlomo, et al., 2016). It studies the learnings of how present is influenced by past experiences. However, the least researched stage by life course perspective is the middle adulthood or midlife where the specific period is also changeable. Midlife stage (period of late 30s to mid-40s)has particular impacts on human well-being as it affected by various internal and external factors (Malone et al., 2016) such as family background, social status, work-life and relationships with others that playcritical role in adult identity development.These factors affect the Midlife stage by shaping individual behaviour and changes including physical, cognitive and psycho-social change (Ardelt et al., 2018).The changes throughout the midlife age often create midlife crisis those have been analysed from sociological perspectives. Theoretical perspective and approaches of life course Personality researchers have long proposed that characteristics of early developing personality will set the stage for later psychological, behavioural, and identity formation (Rothbart, Ahadi and Evans, 2010).Several attempts have been taken to investigate the trajectories of genetic, psychological and social risk factors, how they impact age-related disorders, cognitive decline, and illness throughout life.To define health, WHO stated that it is “…a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and notmerely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization (WHO), 2016) that has the adaptability and self-management (Huber et al. 2011). In this case, Life course perspective concept is linked with health as it studies that individual behaviours and age-related well-being of early life has interactions and associatedhealth factors in later life. Investigating health and well-being over time involves understanding how individual trajectories evolve in various paths.Such trajectories may be consistent at various stages as some people live in decent health and others continue in worse health as years passes.However, health trajectories represent continuous trends, providing individual health histories. Health trajectories and life course approach works together to know the what factors play significant role in understanding health and well-being of population (Meyrose et al., 2018). This approach considers health as the result of risk factors, protective factors and environmental agents that we experience during our whole lives and which have cumulative, incremental, and also multiplicative effects on individual outcomes.The life-course perspective is often important to analysing and resolving health inequalities within poor and well-off populations (Hirschiand Gottfredson, 2017). It varies according to geographical positions, social implications and cultural environments where supportive factors positively influence later health and well-being andadverse factors negatively influence health experience. Moreover, the later life health is also influenced by various age groups, ethnic / racial groups, social groups and gender categories. While trajectories are inferred by a sequence of health indicatorsrecorded over time, transitions aremarked by events and socially associated rituals such as a graduation or wedding ceremony that assessed by adjustments in health status (Broad et al., 2017).In this context, the life course perspective explores how socially structured transitions, pathways and trajectories are. In addition, transitions typically result in a shift in status, social identity and involvement in the occupations. However, trajectories are long-term stability and change patterns, which may contain several transitions. Within this viewpoint of life course perspective, the interaction of trajectories and transitions have a significant influence on well-being and health from early age to old age and death as well. Within the life course framework, the later life health is influenced by such factors such as genetic, biological, historical and cultural events, behavioural, and socio-economic contexts (Spini et al., 2017). Such factors influence the life course trajectories affecting chronic disease risk of physical and social contact during gestation, childhood, puberty, youth and late adulthood. The later life health and wellbeing depends on how these stages of life can be influenced over those factors. To analyse this, life course approaches initiates the life course processes with three models: critical periods, pathways, and accumulation (Richterand Blane, 2013). According to Ben-Shlomo and Kuh (2012), the critical period model is when an action that occurs within a certain duration has long-term or long-term consequences on the structure or function of bodies, tissues and body structures that are not significantly changed by later practice.Such as low birth weight or metabolic syndrome at gestation, high blood pressure at adolescence, physical complications at works are example of critical period actions that have effects over the entire or later life. The pathway model focuses on the collective influence of life experiences in the developmental trajectories, with early benefit or disadvantage placing an individual on a pathway to a later etiologically relevant exposure(Stice et al., 2019) where the such events are socioeconomic effects on childhood, smoking behaviour, lower socioeconomic status and so on. The accumulation model indicates that factors that increase the risk of disease or enhance good health may slowly accumulate over the course of life (Telfer et al., 2010). Such factors can be hazardless environment, good housing, healthy diet and on contrast poor housing, risky working atmosphere, restricted dietary choice and more others. The research provided indicates that the exposure of disease, chronic illness, and mortality is determined by conditions at all levels of the life course, and that effects on the life course can be relevant to various health consequences.Therefore, it had been challenging to separate the process of human ageing, establish the pathways and determinants of healthy ageing, and recognise action to encourage stable population life expectancy. Factors affecting psychologicalchanges in Midlife Midlife refers to the period of life aging between 40 to 60 that chronologically moves according to average life expectancy and some studies define it as the period of late 30s to early 40s based o increased life expectancy. This period can be extended based on retirement policies in some societies. Moreover, midlife can be characterised a time of uncertainty, when many people tend to feel depressed and anxious when they deal with age, mortality and a sense of identity. Through this period,adults can take on different job duties and thus have a need to reassess their professional status and make adjustments whilst they feel they still have opportunity. Many researchers have characterised midlife by specifying certain factors but some researchers have expressed the factors with historical cohort effects. Cohort effect refers to similarities within a specific age group in experiences and social factors (Fitzenberger et al., 2019). Instances of Cohort effect are Females now, more willing to work than ever, have babies later in adulthood, have grown children staying at home, take care of older relatives, handle dual occupations.Whether the empty-nest (a family composed entirely of a parent or a parent whose children grew up and left home.) experience has positive or negative effects on the well-being of women at midlife may rely on their past group involvement and position of employment. The psychology during mid-life can be affected by several factors that may influence the health and well-being of later life. First of all,physical changes that affect midlife with several physical challenges characterised as primary and secondary aging (Thomas et al., 2019). Adults undergo age-related changes depending on several factors: biological causes such as genetic and cellular shifts are considered primary aging, while ageing is considered secondary aging attributed to controllable influences such as lack of physical activity and inadequate diet.The physical changes such as impaired vision, hearing, and functioning of the immune system, as well as the loss of women's reproductive ability have direct correlation with changed human psychology. Secondly, cognitive changes affecting midlife experience where the brain functionality such as memory and reasoning changes; decreased conversational skill and lower reading comprehension (Agha et al., 2019). Accumulation of aging-related dysfunction in the brain may exceed during the middle ages, which may cause multiple biological changes or chronic disorders and may contribute to cognitive deterioration in old age (Debette et al., 2011). Psych-social changes in midlife may result in both positive and negative outcomes. During midlife, personality becomes stabilised and relationships with others may develop in more intimacy. However, some adults may encounter marital struggles, parenting responsibility and finding family ties. Moreover, in midlife crisis is the best-known negative changes of midlife affecting psych-social impacts.In a 1965 article, psychologist Elliot Jaques invented the term "midlife crisis," referring to a period when adults think of their mortality and their sense of a declining period of remaining time of productive life.It was defined as a natural lifespan duration, when they pass from young to older adults.The crisis can take several forms from moderate to serious, and can have an effect on health, emotional well-being and wealth. Adults may endure a midlife crisis by noticing and treating the signs when they arise. Relations betweenLife Course approaches to changes ofMidlife Considering life course approaches, midlife has linkages to both early and later life. One approach to life course transition is to investigate the relationships across early, middle, and later life times.There is evidence that childhood characteristic, behaviours, events and experiences can impact health and wellbeingseveral years later in the midlife (Fox et al., 2012). Research study showed that parental divorce and childhood mortality before age 17 are linked to midlife health and well-being (Maier and Lachman, 2010).Compared with people from single families, parental divorce expected weaker health and higher depression for both midlife men and women.Increased childhood stress can bring individuals at higher risk for chronic diseases and adult cognitive disabilities (Shonkoff and Garner, 2012).Understanding that early struggle with long-term consequences may contribute to diverse course of action. Another approach is to consider that midlife interventions make the effects reversible. Another approach is to incorporate prevention measures to mitigate the long-term consequences as early as possible.Although childhood difficulties may possibly put middle-aged adults at a greater risk for adverse long-term health consequences, effective coping strategies may help mitigate the long-term harm done by such factors, contributing to reversibility of early stress consequences. Moreover, midlife experiences may often have long-term implications for later life, in accordance with a critical period.There is also evidence that what occurs in midlife will affect the process of ageing in the long term. Many who indulge in healthy behaviours in adult life are expected to experience the benefits.On the other hand, those participate in hazardous or health-damaging activities in adulthood, are likely to face more difficulties in old age. For example, those who exercise and are fit in midlife have better cognitive functioning later life (Chang et al., 2010) and a reduced risk of dementia (DeFina et al., 2013).Moreover, stressful experiences in midlife was found to experiencing severe discomfort in later life (Kulmala et al., 2013).Researchers observed that those who had positive social relationships, had regular exercises and optimistic attitudes towards midlife control were best able to preserve their balanced wellbeing and cognitive skills (Lachman and Agrigoroaei, 2010).They have found that the healthier midlife behaviours involved, the greater the wellbeing and cognitive performance in later life (Sabia et al., 2012). Midlife and sociological impacts In sociological literature, the life course perspective believes that human development is a continuous process (Wang and Shultz, 2010).It explains that human behaviour cannot be completely explained without information on surrounded life experiences. This notion would be important particularly for understanding the behaviour of older adults, as they draw from a relatively broad pool of experiences. The life course transition from employment to retirement may be seen as a dynamic process that can take diverse pathways and develop from multiple factors. Midlife interactions are often considered to be important determinants of behaviour on the workforce later in life. Cognitive and physical deterioration in midlife are considered as the prerequisite of later life where in some cultures decline in body beauty,particularly among women, generates dissatisfaction that has been caused due to eating disorders of midlife. Therefore, women experience degraded self-perception and insecurities where body beauty is exercised among societies and cultures. Moreover, in some cultures, women losing physical attraction and reproductivity are valued less comparing to men. Different fitness behaviours contribute to the different facets of midlife health. Evidence believe that middle age, men and women with strong mental well-being were more physically involved at their later age relative to those who at middle age earned poorer ratings in mental well-being (DeFina et al., 2013). Mental health appears to be an essential tool for sustaining a physically healthy midlife lifestyle. Researchers found a positive relationship between middle-aged people's interest in exercise or sport and healthier life expectancy. Moreover, sports and leisure activities can lower the disability risks such as developed metabolic syndrome, heart disease and cancer. Middle age people strive towards building career where this perception although varies among cultures, societies and gender. Socioeconomic status that are earned during midlife has more impact on later life considering positive and negative status earned. It has been seen that such social patterns where economically dependent people with lower work status are more likely to experience mental health problems. Low midlife, for example, is correlated with more restricted social capital, poor diet and a gradual deterioration in cognition, all of which may raise the likelihood of more health problems. Influences of family relationships and friendship describe later life satisfaction based on life course perspective (Chenand Harris, 2019). Marital happiness rises in later years when the finances are recovered and the parental duties reduce. Moreover, some studies revealed that divorces arise in midlife due to inability of handling personal and socioeconomic crisis.However, middle-aged parents and their adolescents both also undergo mental problems. Friends create a safe alternative to family and associates in all age classes. They provide encouragement, advice, motivation, and a change of pace from the daily routines. Conclusion Through different events, human beings proceed through different stages. Any incident and interaction accumulate in an individual's physical, cognitive and emotional well-being.Middle adulthood is the period of life in which an individual's identity has been mostly developed but there are always chances of transition, with a stronger inclination for positivity and security.Individual behaviour in middle adulthood needs to be studied in the context of previous events and experience.The depression phenomenon of midlife must be closely observed as it plays out the future life.The pessimistic thoughts involved can contribute to health damage and depression, therefore it is important to consider life stages in holistic terms.In order to be satisfied with his / her decisions and make better choices for the future, the development phase must be studied acutely. To lead a satisfied and contested life, the struggle between negative and optimistic feelings needs to be resolved. 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