Week 12 - Gender and Health (Physical and Psychological) Flashcards
What is the average lifespan for a man in Canada (2020)?
79.49 years
What is the average lifespan for a woman in Canada (2020)?
83.9 years
What is the morbidity-mortality paradox?
Women experience higher sickness rates but lower death rates compared to men
What has improved life expectancy over time?
- Advances in healthcare
- Vaccines and antibiotics
- Mosquito control
Who is more likely to suffer from chronic, nonfatal conditions?
Women (rip)
What health behaviours are more common in men?
Smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets and risky behaviours
What is a genetic sex difference in health?
By examining telomeres, research shows male cells age faster
What are the effects of testosterone?
Boosts male fertility but can have negative effects on long-term health and suppresses the immune system
What are the effects of estrogen?
Can provide health benefits but can increase cardiac output during periods and increases risk of certain cancers
What evolutionary theory explains men’s shorter lifespans?
Live hard, die young🤘
What are the results of the “live hard die young” strategy?
Results in more offspring but an earlier age of death for men than women
What have women’s bodies evolved to invest in?
Fighting disease and repairing damaged cells
Why do women’s bodies invest in fighting disease and repairing damaged cells?
They contribute to healthy fetal growth and infant nourishment
Who is more likely to engage in risky sexual activity postcollege?
Women, slightly more
What are risk networks?
Extended networks of individuals with whom people have sexual contact or engage in risky practices that can transmit disease (IV drugs)
Sex differences in physical activity
Women are less likely to be physically active
How is physical activity impacted by income of a country and age?
Inactivity increases as country income and age increase
What is unmitigated agency?
A focus on the self with the exclusion of others
What is unmitigated communion?
A focus on others to the neglect of the self
What trait is associated with better health?
Agency
Who visits doctors more frequently?
Women
Why do men under-utilize healthcare?
Likely due to gender norms discouraging help-seeking
What are implicit physician biases?
Automatic, unconscious judgments influenced by patient characteristics
How does race interact with healthcare access?
Black and Latinx men are less likely to have a regular doctor
What is minority stress theory?
Belonging to a stigmatized group creates unique health-damaging stressors
What is the feminization of poverty?
Women are disproportionately affected by poverty worldwide
Higher SES interaction with healthcare in the USA
High SES can improve access to healthcare, however groups that face institutional racism don’t feel the benefits
What are the health risks for LGBT individuals?
Higher rates of chronic illness, stress and risky behaviours
What is gynecology?
Branch of medicine that studies female health, focus on reproductive health
What is andrology?
Branch of medicine that studies male health, focus on sexual/reproductive organs and the urinary system
What contributes to sex specific medical conditions?
Genes, hormones, anatomy, life experience
Sex differences in cancer
Some cancers are male-specific (testicular, prostate) while others are female-specific (uterine, ovarian)
Which sex has higher cancer mortality rates?
Men
What is medicalization?
Treating normal conditions (menstruation, pregnancy) as medical illnesses
What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
A diagnosable illness consisting of aches, bloating, anger, anxiety and moodiness that occurs before menstruation
What is the controversy around premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
Labeling women’s normal reproductive cycle as an illness encourages views of female dysfunction
Example of medicalization and overuse of unnecessary interventions/treatment
Cesearean section
What is a psychological disorder?
A disturbance in thoughts, emotions or behaviour causing significant distress
What classifications systems exist for mental disorders?
- The diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM)
- The international classification of diseases and related health problems (ICD)
What is the transdiagnostic approach?
A framework that combines disorders into internalizing and externalizing categories
What are internalizing disorders?
Disorders involving distress like anxiety and depression
What are externalizing disorders?
Disorders involving impulse control like substance use and conduct disorders
What is gender intensification hypothesis?
Sex-typed behaviour increases in adolescence and impacts mental health
What is response styles theory?
Sex differences in coping styles can contribute to sex differences in mood and anxiety disorders
How does childhood sexual abuse affect health?
Linked to higher mental health issues, especially for girls
Relationship between disability and risk of sexual violence
Having a physical or cognitive disability dramatically increases women’s risk of sexual violence
Relationship between neuroticism and internalizing disorders
Higher neuroticism correlates with higher internalizing symptoms
Who tends to score higher in neuroticism?
Women, across cultures
How do girls respond to stress?
Girls show more nervous system activity and risk for depression
Who experiences externalizing disorders more frequently?
Men
What early socialization may lead to men suppressing their emotions?
- Parents tell them to avoid displaying emotion
- Anger considered more acceptable
- Parents use harsher discipline on them
What biological factor may protect women from externalizing disorders?
Enhanced dopamine functioning
What may contribute to sex differences in externalizing disorders?
Gender role differences
How do externalizing disorders relate to personality?
High impulsivity, low effortful control and sensation seeking
What are eating disorders?
Serious medical conditions that affect both psychological and physical health
Types of eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia
Which eating disorder has the highest mortality rate?
Anorexia nervosa
Which populations report the highest rates and prevalence of eating disorders?
Adolescence and young adult women, transgender people, gay men, athletes in aesthetic sports
Risk factors of eating disorders
Troubled relationship with parents, early sexual abuse, lower self-esteem, pressure, body dissatisfaction
What is objectification theory?
Sexual objectification harms mental health, especially for women
What is self-objectification?
Viewing oneself from an outsider’s perspective, focusing on appearance
What is the social comparison model?
Self-objectification leads women to compare their bodies with their peers’ bodies
What can comparing bodies with peers lead to?
It increases young women’s risk for body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, depression, and substance use
How is media related to eating disorders?
Mass media primarily exposes people to objectified, thin, flawless and sexualized images of women
Cultural relationship with self-objectification
Tends to be higher in Western cultures, lower rates of eating disorders in non-Western cultures
Thin ideal internalization
The belief that an ultra thing body is idea for women
What protects against eating disorders in woman of colour?
Strong ethnic identity
Why do transmen and women have higher levels of disordered eating?
To suppress physical features associated with their assigned sex or enhancing features aligned with their gender identity
What is body dissatisfaction?
Unhappiness with one’s physical appearance, common among trans individuals
What is muscle dymorphia?
Obsessive concerning with muscularity, common among men
How does gender affirming care affect eating disorders?
Can reduce body dissatisfaction and disordered eating
What is the male gaze?
A sexualized way of viewing others reflecting patriarchal norms
How does diet culture affect health?
Promotes disordered eating and reinforces objectification
How does parental rejection affect LGBTQ+ youth?
Increases risk of depression, suicide and substance abuse
What is the Strong Black woman (SBW) schema?
Belief that Black women must be strong and self-reliant, reducing help-seeking
What is subjective well-being (SWB)?
Balance of positive emotions and life satisfaction
How do subjective well-being (SWB) rates differ by gender and country income?
Women have greater SWB in middle and high income countries
Men have greater SWB in low income countries (women less empowered and economically dependent)
What traits affect well-being?
Extreme agency and communion reduce well-being
What is the Latino paradox?
Latinx individuals have better health outcomes despite having lower SES
How do telomeres relate to aging?
They shorten over time, and male telomeres shorten faster
What health condition disproportionately affects trans women?
HIV, with rates 50x higher than the general population
What social group underutilized healthcare the most?
Latino men
What is a food desert?
An area lacking access to fresh healthy food options
Which gender eats healthier on average?
Women eat more fruits and vegetables, men eat more meat and fats
What factor affects health in Seventh-day Adventists?
Healthy behaviours like no smoking/alcohol and vegetarianism
What is the leading cause of death for women?
Heart disease
How is women’s pain treated compared to mens?
Often underdiagnosed and undertreated
Which group recieves less effective pain medication?
Women, especially for chronic conditions
How do communities like kibbutzim affect gender health gaps>
They minimize sex differences in health outcomes
What cultural stereotype affects men’s diet choices?
Healthy eating is seen as feminine
What is binge drinking?
Women: consuming 4+ drinks / 1-2 hours
Men: consuming 5+ drinks / 1-2 hours
How does smoking differ by sex?
Men smoke more, women struggle to quit more
What is the impact of acculturation on Latinx health?
Health outcomes decline with more acculturation
How are health disparities influenced by race?
Black Americans face worse outcomes despite similar SES
What is the BMI criticism?
It’s biased, developed using mostly white male data
What is visceral fat?
Fat stored around organs, linked to heart disease
How does stress influence fat accumulation?
Chronic stress increases cortisone, promoting visceral fat
How does SES influence physical activity?
Higher SES = more activity
Lower SES = more sedentary lifestyle
What is HAART?
HIV treatment that reduces viral load, but may increase risk-taking
How does gender identity affect doctors visits?
Trans patients report discomfort and are often misgendered
What is the link between discrimination and health?
Prejudice raises stress and worsens physical health
What is one historical event that caused Black mistrust in healthcare?
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
What percentage of fatal work injuries happen to men?
92%
What is the impact of stereotype-driven diagnosis?
Can lead to misdiagnosis or lack of treatment
Why is HIV research criticised?
Often excludes or misrepresents trans people
How does family structure affect health?
Care-giving stress lowers health, especially in women
How can health campaigns increase activity?
Tailor messaging by sex, age and lifestyle
