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Being part of the health care system involves facing stress, loneliness and the emotional toll of assisting, listening and caring for patients who come into the office or hospital, and seek or even demand assistance. Healthcare workers, like physicians, nurses and therapists, are trained, on assisting and healing others. They are less effective in taking care of themselves. This article, which aims to heighten clinicians' awareness of the need for self-care, especially now in the post-pandemic era, addresses the demanding nature of medicine and health work, and the resistance that clinicians commonly display in the face of suggestions that they engage in self-care. The consequences of neglecting to care for oneself are delineated. The demanding nature of medicine is reviewed, along with the loneliness and isolation felt by clinicians particularly those in private practice, the professional hazards faced by those caring for others, and the ways that are available to them (should they decide to care for themselves) for the benefit of their clients, their families and, obviously, themselves.

Physical child abuse has been practiced since the early days of humanity, but it is only in the past twenty years that it has been recognized that hitting or physically maltreating a child is actually abusing them. This article reviews the prevalence, symptoms, types and causes of child physical abuse, ending with examining what are the ramifications of such abuse.

This review provides an overview of the consequences of early adverse experiences across various domains of life. Drawing on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) conceptual framework, we discuss the ACE pyramid and the varying degrees of consequences that ACE exposure may elicit. Using online search engines such as Google Scholar, the authors sifted through empirical research to locate relevant articles and research to help prepare this review. This article sheds light on the implications of ACEs for health, socio-emotional and psychosocial well-being, relationships, personality, and cognitive functioning.

Almost all forms of abuse include child neglect, and still the professional and clinical community is only now starting to focus attention to this phenomenon and its short- and long-term effects. This paper begins with defining child neglect, what causes parents to neglect the children which they are supposed to love and protect, and the protective factors that parents and the community must be aware of and utilize in protecting kids.

Intimate relationships are not just between lovers, but is also present in parenting as well as the individual’s relationship with the larger family and kin. This article sheds light on those who underwent abuse and have consequently been marked for life and in many areas of their personhood, their ability to relate, and to intimately connect with others.

Emotional maltreatment is a form of child abuse that may leave no physical scars, but has deep and long-term consequences. When compared to the effects of physical and sexual abuse, its impact has been historically neglected by researchers, despite its existence in all other forms of maltreatment. Beyond its recipient, the alarming effects of emotional abuse are believed to overcome even trans-generational barriers within the household. This poses great risks to the developmental outcomes of children having undergone these circumstances and their future kin. As such, this brief review will describe the signs of emotional maltreatment, its effects, and what can be done to address it.

Research in sexuality is relatively new and has faced various obstacles, social frowning, and academic rejection. This paper reviews the early days of sexuality, the church’s negative view of it, and how it progressed to the 21st century. Sex research is then described and the various methodological issues reviewed. In addition, research on sexuality and alcoholism, sexuality in children, and conducting qualitative research on sexual issues is described. &nbsp

Loneliness has been termed a social epidemic, especially when experienced by people with sight challenges. The present study compared how the sight challenged and the blind cope with loneliness, compared to the general population groups, amongst a total of 187 participants. The questionnaire which we used, included 34-items to which a yes/no response was requested, and assessed the various ways that people cope effectively with loneliness. The questionnaire included six subscales of coping strategies, namely, Reflection and acceptance, Self-development and understanding, Social support network, Distancing and denial, Religion faith, and increased activity. As expected, the two populations differed significantly in their subscale scores, with the visually challenged scoring higher than the general population, on Self-development and understanding and the Religion and faith subscales. Interpretation of these results and their implications are discussed in further detail.

This is a narrative review addressing the topic of romantic infidelity, its causes and its consequences. Love is commonly a source of much pleasure and fulfillment. However, as this review points out, it can also cause stress, heartache and may even be traumatic in some circumstances. Infidelity, which is relatively common in Western culture, can damage a loving, romantic relationship to the point of its demise. However, by highlighting this phenomenon, its causes and its consequences, we hope to provide useful insight for both researchers and clinicians who may be assisting couples facing these issues. We begin by defining infidelity and illustrating the various ways in which one may become unfaithful to their partner. We explore the personal and relational factors that enhance an individual’s tendency to betray their partner, the various reactions related to a discovered affair and the challenges related to the nosological categorization of infidelity-based trauma, and conclude by reviewing the effects of COVID-19 on unfaithful behavior, as well as clinical implications related to infidelity-based treatment. Ultimately, we hope to provide a road map, for academicians and clinicians alike, of what some couples may experience in their relationships and how can they be helped.

COVID-19 is a frightening, stress-inducing, and unchartered territory for all. It is suggested that stress, loneliness, and the emotional toll of the pandemic will result in increased numbers of those who will seek psychological intervention, need support, and guidance on how to cope with a time period that none of us were prepared for. Psychologists, in general, are trained in and know how to help others. They are less effective in taking care of themselves, so that they can be their best in helping others. The article, which aims to heighten clinicians' awareness of the need for self-care, especially now in the post-pandemic era, describes the demanding nature of psychotherapy and the initial resistance by therapists to engage in self-care, and outlines the consequences of neglecting to care for themselves. We covered the demanding nature of psychotherapy and its grinding trajectory, the loneliness and isolation felt by clinicians in private practice, the professional hazards faced by those caring for others, and the creative and insightful ways that mental health practitioners can care for themselves for the good of their clients, their families, and obviously, themselves.

In this article I highlighted the importance of belonging, togetherness, and interpersonal support, and examined eating rituals, in various cultures and religions, that emphasize that food is not just for the body, but can nurture the soul and bond people.

Intimate relationships have been shown to be loneliness positively related to self-esteem. Happiness and well-being and have also been regarded as a buffer against loneliness. Nevertheless, substantive research indicates that intimate relationships and marriage can produce or result in loneliness and thus seriously affect the person’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Loneliness in intimate relationships may damage the relationship if it goes on, and thus, this newly developed scale has been introduced to aid clinicians and researchers in discovering loneliness in an intimate union so it can be addressed before it negatively affects the union. Since none of the measures of loneliness tap loneliness as experienced in intimate relationships, a new rating scale, the Loneliness in Intimate Relationships Scale (LIRS), was developed and tested psychometrically. The generation of items followed a qualitative approach based on a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 108 volunteers from the general Israeli population, theoretical and empirical literature, and assessments of expert psychologists. In a second study (N = 215), a self-report scale assessing loneliness in intimate relationships was developed. This was followed by psychometric and construct validity evaluations with a new sample of 306 participants. Analyses revealed that loneliness in intimate relationships is experienced mainly in terms of three aspects: detachment, hurt, and guilt. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and validity tests indicate that the final 14-item Loneliness in Intimate Relationship Scale is a well-structured, reliable, and valid scale tapping emotional, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations of loneliness in intimate relationships.

This article reviews the connection between intimate relationships, which provide support, safety and belonging, and illness in general, and particularly, coronary heart disease which is on the rise. Personal and environmental contributors to CHD are reviewed, and the strong connection between intimacy, or lack of, and health are highlighted.