Abstract
Why study the health psychology of females separately from males, and homosexuals separately from heterosexuals? In this chapter I argue that a careful study of the health psychology of gender and sexual orientation can have several benefits. Research on specific populations can lead to interventions that are tailored to particular groups, and these targeted interventions tend to be more effective than interventions created for a wider audience (Price, Cowen, Lorion, & Ramos-McKay, 1989). For instance, when quitting smoking, different problems arise for men than for women. Interventions to help people quit smoking will therefore be most effective if they are tailored specifically to either men or women (Chesney & Nealy, this volume).
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Mann, T. (1996). Why Do We Need a Health Psychology of Gender or Sexual Orientation?. In: Kato, P.M., Mann, T. (eds) Handbook of Diversity Issues in Health Psychology. The Plenum Series in Culture and Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-27572-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-27572-7_10
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