Young Adult Flashcards
Age Period:
- Younger Young Adult
- Older Young Adult
- Younger Young Adult: 18-24
- Older Young Adult: 25-34
Physical Changes
- Full adult stature- men at 21 vs women 17
- Optimal muscle strength during ages 25-30
- Manual dexterity peaks and begins to decline in mid 30s
- Visual acuity highest at 20
- Hearing best at 20
Cognitive Changes
Memory at its peak in 20s
Starts declining in 30s
Nutrition Metabolic Pattern
- Optimal basal metabolic rate [allows for adequate oxygen intake during normal activity and rest periods]
- Influenced by body shape of celebrities
- Counsel based on BMI
- Women: iron supplementation during pregnancy; consume 0.4 meg folic acid daily to roduce risk of FND
Elimination Pattern
Monitor for eating disorders
Activity Exercise Pattern
- Aerobic Exercise: 5 periods of moderate intensity exercise for 30+ minutes
- Encourage muscke strengthing acitivies
Sleep Rest Pattern
- Subject to fatigue from work/stress/inactivity
- Changes in activity or stress may reduce fatigue
- Attempting new things may reduce stress
- New physical activities may prompt simulation
Psychosocial Changes
Erikson: Intimacy vs Isolation
- Search for friendship and an intimate relationship with another person.
- Intimacy = finding the self and then losing it in another. Not doing this results in isolation
- KEY- young adults benefit from support of significant other during hospitalization.
Sexuality Reproductive Pattern
- Menstrual cycle is well-established in women; Peak fertility 20 to 35
- Infertility (lack of conception in the presence of unprotected sexual intercourse for at least 12 months) becomes more frequent after 30
- Common male problems: orchitis, epididymitis, varicoceles, hydroceles
- Unintended pregnancy a problem
- Prenatal care is important
- STI are frequent (almost 1/2 new infections in 18-24-year-old
range) - Stress is a part of young adulthood
- Achievement-oriented stress
Coping Stress Tolerance Pattern
- Stress is a part of young adulthood
- Achievement-oriented stress (stress derived from internal pressures to succeed as measured by self-defined goals) is high in this group
- YA are health conscious and will alter personal lifestyles and behavior patterns to reduce stress and become healthier
- Suicide is leading COD in yA
Health Risks/Concerns
- Physical agents: injuries are the highest COD in YA
- Do not drive distracted
- Noise pollution from industrial,settings and recreational exposure can be a problem for YA; limit exposure to high levels of noise in occupational and recreational settings
- Air pollution can be a problem since YA work in entry-level jobs in industrial settings; teach about s/sx carbon monoxide poisoning
- Occupational Hazards and Stressors
- Drug use
- Alcohol use; heavy EtOH use more common in 18-25 yo andMbinge drinking is a problem as this group has a tendency to consume a larger quantity of EtOH at one time
- Tobacco use
Health Promotion and Prevention Care
-Prevention directed at altering value and belief patterns that encourage poor health practice and reorienting toward those that support optimal health behaviors
-Dental care
-Use sunscreen
-Wear helmets and seat belts
(accident prevention education)
-Pap Smear
-STI Prevention (screen for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and may also screen for HIV, Hep C, Syphilis) & Contraceptive Counseling
-Tobacco Cessation
-Occupation preventive interventions
-SCREEN (MDD, Anxiety, etc.)
-Screen for cardiovascular conditions after 25
Nursing Application
- Listen, offer support, demonstrateconcern regarding stress
- Suggest referral to appropriate provider and support groups for mental health
- Identify behaviors in individuals that may be contemplating suicide
- Occupational training interventions (education about personal exposure risks, identification of work-related hazards, identification of situations in which the severity of the accident is connected to personal behaviors)
- Teach strategies to curb the problem of drug misuse
