Aging and Resilience- The Biological -E.G., Brain, Physiology- Influences on Aging and Behavior

Aging and Resilience- The Biological -E.G., Brain, Physiology- Influences on Aging and Behavior

Several emotional, mental, and physical challenges commonly characterize old age. These challenges usually result from chronic illnesses or issues that emerge during old age. Hence, understanding emerging issues within this age bracket and how they can cope is important in helping them live healthier and better lives. Consequently, the body of research gathered for this study reveals that stress levels rise with age. Hence, stress is one of the major challenges that people of this age have to deal with. Also, other studies argue that the psychology of older adults further affects their bodies in different ways. Further research into aging also shows that people in this prime age can have the resilience necessary for their health and better life. Thus, this research examines the biological influence on aging, the impacts of stress during old age, and how resilience can be achieved when people are aged.

Literature Review

When people get older, especially in their prime age, their levels of stress increase. In this study by Sadaati et al. (2021), the researchers confirm that older adults experience higher levels of stress. This research explained that due to biological, emotional, and health factors, people in this age are highly likely to have stress. Though this specific research clarifies the role of stress in old age, the researchers’ main aim was to examine the coping strategies that these individuals can have during their moments of stress. The research method applied in this study was a correlational study that employed a structural equation analysis. Beck’s Depression Inventory was used to examine their stress levels. The results showed that stressful life events were a cause of stress among older people. The results further showed that stress had both a direct and indirect connection to depression. When it comes to coping, this study showed that individuals who used problem-focused coping strategies experienced lesser stress and had lower chances of getting depression.

Further studies revealed that there is a connection between aging, depression, and well-being among aged individuals. In other words, aging creates room for depression and other challenges that can affect their well-being. Mitina, Young, and Zhavoronkov’s (2020) study argues that an individual’s psychological state about their age can determine how they take care of themselves emotionally and physically. As such, the ideology that one has on their age during older adult years can assess their well-being and how they are affected by depression. The study thus proves that subjective, chronological, and biological aging are all connected. Specifically, perceived age is related to chronic illnesses, while emotional aging is associated with stress among older individuals.

Those in their prime should cultivate resilience because of the difficulties that come with getting older. According to Merchant et al. (2022), genetics, insulin resistance, metabolic pathways, and the immune system determine resilience in older individuals. The study continues to clarify that physical resilience in older adults is seen in their ability to withstand stress and depression. However, this study explains that physical resilience differs from emotional resilience.

Discussion and conclusion

What is emerging from the studies is that aging has challenges that affect them emotionally, psychologically, and physically. In this case, the studies have pointed out that stress increases as people grow older. The studies have also revealed that stress during old age can easily lead to depression and other biological and emotional challenges. The selected research also shows that during old age, the psychological perspective that one has towards aging can impact one’s health. These studies show that this psychological approach to a person’s age determines how they care for their health, which translates to their physical, psychological, and emotional health. Another research selected herein has shown that resilience is necessary among older individuals since it helps them overcome stress.

While these findings are essential and help explain critical issues during old age, the studies have certain limitations that must be considered. Firstly, the survey of stress and aging indicates that the older the individual, the more they encounter stress. The paper does not, however, use scientific research methods to make the findings generalizable. The second study on the relationship between well-being, depression, and psychological perspective has its limitations in the fact that it also does not use scientific experimentation. When a study depends on a review of literature, then it is susceptible to biases. On the other hand, the third study clarifies that resilience is essential to survive old age stress. Still, it does not explore the different coping strategies that older people can use and how effective they can be.

In conclusion, when dealing with old age, one should understand that several factors determine health during this age. Firstly, stressful encounters can lead to depression, which can affect physical and psychological health. Hence, people in their oldest age should be shielded as much as possible from stress. Helping older individuals have a good view of their age can also help them take better care of their health since it is clear that psychological perspectives on aging have an impact on how people take care of themselves.

Reference

Merchant, R. A., Aprahamian, I., Woo, J., Vellas, B., & Morley, J. E. (2022). Editorial:    Resilience And Successful Aging. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 26(7), 652–     656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1818-4

Mitina, M., Young, S., & Zhavoronkov, A. (2020). Psychological aging, depression, and well-being. Aging, 12(18), 18765–18777. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103880

Saadati, H., Froughan, M., Azkhosh, M., Bahmani, B., & Khanjani, M. S. (2021). Predicting depression among the elderly by stressful life events and coping strategies. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 10(12), 4542–4547. https://doi.org/10.4103/_881_21

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For Week 3 you conducted a literature review on a set of topics. For this assignment, you will utilize that information and what you learned from this course in a research paper regarding older adults.

Aging and Resilience- The Biological -E.G., Brain, Physiology- Influences on Aging and Behavior

For this week you will write your paper. The paper should adhere to the following guidelines:
For the main sections it should have a:
Title page
Introduction
Literature review
Conclusion
Reference page(s)
The paper must use proper APA style for citing sources and references.
The introduction provides a brief overview of what will be covered and the purpose of the research paper.
Literature review: The literature review is taken in part from what you had written in Week 3.
Discussion and conclusions: The difference between a great research paper and a marginal one is the depth and originality of the discussion and conclusion section. This is where you bring together what you learned from the literature review (as well as through the course) in your concluding remarks regarding your topic.