UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa -- The "Handbook of Psychology and Sexual Orientation," co-edited by Anthony D'Augelli, associate dean for undergraduate programs and outreach in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development and professor of human development in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, has received the 2013 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, a division of the American Psychological Association. The annual award is given to a book that has made a significant contribution to the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) psychology.

According to a review published in the Spring 2013 newsletter of the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, the handbook "is an outstanding summary and synthesis of where the psychology of sexual orientation and gender identity stands at this time."

Published by Oxford University Press in January, the book is divided into four parts: Concepts, Theories and Perspectives; Development Over the Life Course; Domains of Experience; and Communities and Contextual Issues. Individual chapters focus on topics such as bisexual and transgender identities, the biological foundations of sexual orientation, emergent adulthood in lesbian and gay lives, same-sex romantic relationships, sexual orientation and mental health, family formation and parenthood, sexual orientation and hate crimes, and race and ethnicity among lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.

The comprehensive volume is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and scholars and professionals who work with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, and in the fields of developmental, social, clinical, community and counseling psychology.