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Competency for Diverse Populations

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Handbook of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings

Abstract

The USA is an increasingly diverse nation. The USA currently comprises 50.7 % women and 49.3 % men with the following ethnic breakdown: 4.7 % Asian American/Pacific Islanders, 12.8 % African Americans, 15.4 % Latina/os, 65.6 % European Americans, and 1.0 % Native Americans. Poor people make up 13.2 % of the US population, with people of color, especially African Americans and some Latina/os, disproportionately likely to live in or near poverty. The numbers of people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual are estimated at about 3.5 % of the population, but the number of transgendered people is impossible to calculate. The diversity of the USA is likely to keep increasing due to immigration rates, an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, and various social movements leading to increased acceptance of interethnic marriage, identification as a sexual minority, and other shifts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Counseling and Psychological Services, University of California, Merced, 5200 N. Lake Road, 95343, Merced, CA, USA

    Geneva Reynaga-Abiko PsyD

  2. Brightside Psychology and Internal Medicine, 1277 N Semoran Blvd # 107, 32807, Orlando, FL, USA

    Tiffany Schiffner PhD

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  1. Geneva Reynaga-Abiko PsyD
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Correspondence to Geneva Reynaga-Abiko PsyD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Christine M. Hunter

  2. Patient-Centered Medical Home Branch, Clinical Support Division, Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, USA

    Christopher L. Hunter

  3. Fletcher Allen Health Care, Inc., Montpelier, Vermont, USA

    Rodger Kessler

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Reynaga-Abiko, G., Schiffner, T. (2014). Competency for Diverse Populations. In: Hunter, C., Hunter, C., Kessler, R. (eds) Handbook of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09817-3_10

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