PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT IMPART UPON THE HEALTH OF AGEING

1. Introduction 3 2. Psychological variables influencing the elderly population 4

2.1 Anxiety and Depression 4

Stress’s Effects on Psychological Health and Well-Being 5

5th Respiratory System

6 Cardiovascular 3.2

7 Musculoskeletal System 3.3

Immune System 3.4

3.3 Sexual and Reproductive System Effects 8

3.4 Digestive System Effects 8

3.5 Social Relationship Effects 8

4. Physical Health and Psychological Well-Being Relationship 8

5. Using the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach Principle to Induce Change 10

 6. Realm of Individual Difference 11

 7. Analyze Social Theories 11

 7.1 Disengagement Theory 12

 7.2 Structured Dependency Theory 12

8. Analysis Social Issues Associated With Health 13

8.1 Income level 13

8.2 Education level 13

8.3 Social support 13

8.4 Social exclusion and poverty levels. 14

9. Sociology of the Body and the Social Model of Disability 14

10. Appraisal of Sociological Theories of Chronic Illness and Aging 14

11. Conclusions 15

12. Bibliography 16

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1. Introduction

Studies have shown that aging individual living in Ireland have improved their lives and no longer faces the traditional problems that are associated with aging life (Ipsos 2015). Some of them have enjoyed good psychological factors as well sociological factors. High-income levels among the aging population are one key reason why these groups exhibit such factors. This paper wills analyze the various psychological and sociological factors that influence aging (Davey & Glasgow, 2006).

2. Psychological Factors Affecting Aging Population

2.1 Stress and Depression

Stress can be defined a one’s reaction to changes in environment or mind. It can also be defined as the degree to which an individual response to threat in the surrounding environment. The threat could be mental, physically or psychologically induced. The primary symptoms of stress in a person include but not limited to the following: Memory loss problems, Failure to concentrate, deprived judgment, frequent depression, regular irritation, lack of sleep, loneliness and often agitation. Stress is caused by many factors.

These factors are not limited to financial constraints, health problems, failure to achieve one’s ambitions, and many others that the paper has nod addressed. Over the years, many people are said to die as result of stress conditions. Many people are usually faced with stressful circumstances which if not well checked by either visiting a therapists or psychologist, the eventual effect is death (Shapiro, Astin, Bishop & Cordova, 2005).

Thousands of people have been reported to have committed suicide owing to the stressful condition they underwent. Stress has time and again been routinely known to deleteriously impair individually ability to perform and respond appropriately to a given situation within their reach. The long-term effects of anxiety on individuals are of adverse impact on their health.

3. Impacts of stress on psychological health and well-being

Stressors have a primary impact on individual’s mood, his or her sense of well-being, his or her behavior, and even their health status. Dire stress reactions in young people and healthy persons could be adaptive besides imposing fewer health complications on their bodies. Though, if the risk is unremitting, predominantly in aging people or killing persons, the resulting long-term consequence of stress can harm individual’s health (Beehr & Newman, 1978). The association between psychosocial stress causing factors and disease are pretentious by nature, number, and tenacity of stressors besides individual’s biological susceptibility. The discussed under are some of the effects of stress on psychological health and well-being.

3.1 Respiratory System

If a person has a stressful experience; his or her breathing rate changes. The breathing rate changes from normal to very higher rates. This can cause the individual to gasp for air by breathing harder. This may be a common phenomenon experienced by many people globally when under stress. However, this may be a difference case to those people who are suffering from asthma or other lung-related diseases such as emphysema (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995).

Confronted by such situations, these patients with such conditions may find it difficult to find the needed oxygen for breathing which merely risks their lives. Many studies have shown that stress resulting from the death of either loved one or any close friend to an individual can cause an asthmatic condition to a health person, causing the windpipe to constrict and thus blocking the inhalation and exhalation processes. Combatively, stress has also shown through various studies that it can cause hypertension condition to the affected persons. This can often cause the panic attack to the person and thus endangering the person’s life.

3.2 Cardiovascular

The bold circulatory system mainly consists of the blood vessels and the heart as the engine for pumping blood around the body. The entirely from the cardiovascular system which replenishes nutrients to the heart and other body organs. All these activities in the body are larceny contingent upon the wellbeing of an individual and the likely hood of stress condition the person could face. Acute stress is likely to increase heart bit, but which result in aggressive contraction of heart’s muscle and the arteries and the veins too are contracted substantially.

These responses are coordinated by hormones in the body such as adrenaline hormone, noradrenaline, and cortisol which are sets messengers in the body. Consequently, all blood vessel which is directing blood to large body muscles and the heart dilates, more pressure will be created in blood vessels supplying blood to various organs. Immediately the acute stress is over, the rest stabilizes. Nevertheless, persistent acute stress is likely to have lasting impacts on the condition of the blood vessels which include their bursting and clothing which affect blood circulation process Reuter, Gupta, Chaturvedi & Aggarwal 2010).

Recurrent acute stress is likely to contribute to inflammation of the circulatory system, predominantly in coronary arteries. Scientists have for a long time thought of it that this could be the condition that causes the heart attack. The manner in which an individual handles and reacts to stress condition will define their cholesterol levels.

3.3 Musculoskeletal System

Stress has also been found to cause skin problems like continual tightening or contracting of body muscles. Persistence in stress conditions is likely to cause massive pain due to different muscle expansion, and contraction (Harburg, Erfurt, Hauenstein, Chape, Schull, & Schork 1973). This effect is frequently felt around the neck, the shoulders.

3.4 Immune System

Stress arouses individual’s immune system. Stress that persists for a long period is likely to affect person’s health. The production of cortisol as stress inhibitor will likely to inhibit histamine secretion as well as inflammatory responses to the foreign invader in the body. Individuals who are under stress are prone to viral diseases such as influenza bedside common cold. Stress conditions in a person increase the susceptibility of the person to diseases and prongs the recovery time from illness (Thayer, Åhs, Fredrikson, Sollers & Wager 2012)

3.3 Effects on Sexuality and Reproductive System

Stress also affects sexual desire for many people who are affected. This may affect the person depending on his or her gender. The effects in the male are different in women. These effects seem to be the opposite of the other gender (Beehr & Newman 1978).

3.4 Effects on digestive system

During stressful conditions, the liver will produce extra glucose boost the body’s energy level. The utilize sugar will be reabsorbed back-back by the body. In case a person is under stress, the body will find it difficult to maintain the extra sugar surge, the immediate effects is to cause diabetes type 2. Rapid breathing as well as increased heart bit is likely to affect the digestive system if not checked in advanced. This may result in conditions like heartburn (Fillinger, Raghavan, Marra, Cronenwett & Kennedy 2002.

3.5 Effects on social relations

Stress is likely to affect individual’s social relations with other people. People who are under stress have strong emotions, high anxiety levels, depression, and loneliness, easily angered and even very aggressive. These factors may deter people from interacting with such people and thus affecting their social relations.

4. Relationship between Physical Health and Psychological Well-Being

Bircher (2005) delineates health as “a dynamic state of well-being characterized by a physical and mental potential, which satisfies the demands of life commensurate with age, culture, and personal responsibility.” Health is defined in broad terms to accommodate all aspects like emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, sexual social and psychological aspects of individual’s well-being.

There are several interventions that are usually taken to cure these conditions. These interventions are likely to have effects on our psychological well-being. The basic ones are physical interventions which include medication and surgery. Medication is often associated with side effects which can lead to other complications.

The main psychological effects on our health include but not limited to Depression, Anxiety, Irritability, Decreased concentration, attention, and memory.

The resultants effects from medication of drugs like prednisolone have the ability to cause the victim developed depression conditions, become anxious, or even change the memory of the person (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, 2010). Additionally, the same drug may have indirect effects which could cause complications and diseases like obesity, diabetes type 2 and acne, these sides. It can also cause depression to the victim (Ryan1982).

Several studies concluded have shown that individuals who have opted for surgery with the formation of stoma having inflammatory disease area that a high risk of suffering from depression and anxiety (Ryan1982). Proof has displayed that psychological treatments like chronic brain impairment cause injury to individual’s brain causing memory impairment.

To recap the introductory word of this part and define the link between heathland psychological well-being, Health incorporates the mental, Peron’s emotional conditions, spiritual, physical content, biological factors, sexual issues, psychological factors, social factors, aspects of our being. In case this factor is disturbed or are not in equilibrium, then automatically human body will detect the change and the need to rebalance the condition. As result of such changes, people should know the mechanisms through which the balance can be achieved.

The side effects resulting from medication have the capacity of affecting our psychological well-being directly or indirectly. Surgical process is likely to cause stress or severe pain

5. Applying the Principle of Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To Induce Change

This theory is used in treatment of substance abuse. The theory is based on abuses concerned with individual’s thoughts, his or her cognitive schema, their beliefs, their attitude attitudes, and the attributes which imparts one’s feelings and facilitate the affiliation between their antecedents and their behavior. The theory assumes that since activities or behavior done by a person such as drinking alcohol is a learned one. Thus the only way to affect their learned behavior from a person is simply by changing motives attached to such behavior and change the behavior completely (Ryan1982).

This can be achieved through condition responses. This method can be used to prevent stress factors in people as people will be conditioned on how to cope up with stress and also how to avoid stress factors completely, especially the aging people. Those who area aging and are still taking alcohol, their behavior can be conditioned in such a way that they will automatically leave-taking it and age healthily (Fabricatore 2007).

The main premise of this theory is that change in behaviors come as a result of learning or being subjected to a new behavior. The aim of this theory is not to remake the old personality but reasonably aid the client to address certain problems that can be identified and apply basic skills to solve them especially the aging population. This will reduce the side effects of the psychological process which end up increase the victim’s pain and stress levels.

Mostly, Cognitive theory takes an assumption that nearly all psychological issues are resultant of faulty thinking practice. The cognitive theory was advocated treating that individual who had depression conditions. The application of this theory to such people unveiled that there are conditioned changed and that depression was a result of their negative thinking, their beliefs, their thoughts, and feelings. Thus the only way to help such people is to simply subject them to cognitive theory treatment and avoid psychological interventions (Fabricatore 2007).

6. Realm of Individual Difference

Individuals are affected differently as they grow old. For instance, women may be subjected to different conditions and disease from those suffered by men. Body responses to various stress conditions and drug side effects also do vary across individuals. This should be taken into consideration when treating elderly related conditions Ryan1982).

7. Analyze Social Theories

Social theories refer to the progression of life from a youth life to an older life which is influenced by various social factors. The main aim of this theory is to propose why some people could age well and others not. There are two main theories namely Disengagement Theory and Structured Dependency theory.

7.1 Disengagement Theory

This theory focuses on the individual’s acts of withdrawing their selves from past interactions owing to their age. This is perhaps one of the oldest social theories relating to ageing population. During the 1950s, manual work was typical, and this affected the bodies of the employees. Medical care was not easily available as in the present days. As a result; individuals who were growing old could simply separate themselves from work since they no longer had the mechanical energy to continue working (Szreter & Woolcock 2004).

Nevertheless, with time this theory has been ratified owing to increased medical care which has an increase in some elderly people aging healthily. Old people no longer sit at home but engage themselves in various activities which keep them fit into old age. Some of these activities include mountain climbing and so on. The theory was harmonized with the basic view that old people will yes indeed separate from work but will find time to engages elsewhere like having time with their families (Szreter & Woolcock 2004).

7.2 Structured Dependency Theory

The theory tries to advocate that older people are taken into state of depression, isolation which might have been as a result of Disengagement theory. “Retirement, poverty, institutionalism and restriction of domestic and community roles are the experiences that help to explain how the dependency of older people came to be artificially structured or deepened”(UKEssays 2017). The theory suggests that as people grow old, they always separate themselves from work and thus need to have a plan in place which will reduce their dependency on people and thus cause them tress, loneliness or depression which might negatively affect their health (Dowd 1975).

8. Analysis Social Issues Associated With Health

Social issues have got a great impact on defining the health of aging people. The main social issues relating to health are income level, social support from family, education levels, and sense of personal. These issues are briefly elucidated.

8.1 Income level

Studies have linked poor health in old age to low-income levels. These people hardly have enough to aces good health facilities. In this away, any tie they are faced with an illness they opt for other methods to treat the illness which might not be efficient like that formal medication. As a result, their health deteriorates. The larger the gap between high-income level earners and low-income level earners, the larger the health difference between them (Deaton 2008).

8.2 Education level

Those people who are considered to be less educated are associated with low health standards. Well educated people in the society are likely to find good jobs with insurance cover to carter for their health unlike the lowly educated who struggles day and night to meet the basic needs. Is such case, there are no monies left to take care of their health (Winkleby, Jatulis, Frank& Fortmann 1992).

8.3 Social support

Aged people who enjoy family support are liked with good aging health compared to those who lack special family support in their old age. Family beliefs, its customs, region, and opinion during old age all have the effects of affecting an individual’s health (Uchino, Cacioppo, Kiecolt-Glaser, 1996.

8.4 Social exclusion and poverty levels.

When people especially the elderly group are discriminated from the family or friends, they become lonely and depressed. These conditions are likely to affect their health and cause them age ill health LaRocco, House & French Jr 1980).

9. Sociology of the Body and the Social Model of Disability

The model connotes that disability is as a result of the society’s organized ways and practices and not caused by an individual’s impairment. The main concern of this model is to look into ways of doing away with those obstructions which restrict choices made by disabled people in their lives. In addition, the model recommends that once such obstructions are removed, disabled persons can attain independency and equality in society, having choices as well as control over their lives (Uchino, Cacioppo, Kiecolt-Glaser 1996).

The primal reason why this model was adopted was that the traditional or old medical models were limited in explaining the impairment of an individual’s such as mental problem and their physical problems as well as not availing to them means through which they could help themselves out of such issues (Carstensen 1992).

10. Appraisal of Sociological Theories of Chronic Illness and Aging

Sociological theories of chronic illness are noted to be the best approach to dealing with an aging population that has the chronic illness. These theories assets that perennial care should be advance to this old group in their old age. This will help the aged group feels accepted and reduce their stress level s which might affect their health (Dannefer 2003)

11. Conclusions

The primary intention of this paper was to assess the various psychological and sociological factors affecting the ageing group. There have been reports indicating that aging population has come across many challenged that end up affecting their aging health which conversely differs with some studies indicating that aging population in Ireland now have a better life than before due to the existence of facilitating factors ranging from psychological and sociological factors. This study looked at psychological factors which affect aging groups such as stress and depression. It also slowed at sociological factor which are income levels, education levels, poverty level, social acceptance and social exclusion. All these factors have been found to have different effects based on how they are applied to the aging group.

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