"Sense for Gambling" Among Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Men With Gambling Disorder.

Making sense of the social world is an intricate process heavily influenced by cultural elements. Gambling is a prevalent leisure-time activity characterized by risk-taking conduct. While some individuals who engage in it do so without experiencing any harm, others will develop gambling problems. Judaism tends to perceive gambling negatively since it contradicts fundamental Jewish principles. The current study focuses on the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel which is characterized as a cultural enclave with minimal interaction with the secular world. Hence, it provides a unique and novel socio-cultural context to inquire how individuals with gambling disorder (GD) from this community make sense of gambling. Following constructivist grounded theory guidelines, 22 Ultra-Orthodox men with GD were interviewed using a purposeful sampling design. Sixteen Rabbis were also interviewed, illuminating the socio-cultural context of Halachic regulations and norms regarding gambling in this community. An abductive analysis of the data, interwoven with Bourdieu's concept of habitus, yielded an overarching theme that we dub as "sense for gambling," encompassing matrices of Ultra-Orthodox external (e.g., a conservative cultural structure with numerous prohibitions and life marked by poverty) and internal (e.g., feelings of loneliness, dissatisfaction, and deviance) dispositions imprinted onto the body, creating diverse embodied reactions (emotional and sensory) to gambling, and leading to developing GD. We recommend placing the body, as the locus of internalized dispositions, at the core of examination when researching pathways to GD. We propose that this intricate interplay between external and internal dispositions shapes the decision-making regarding gambling, thus mitigating individual responsibility for GD.

Dental Anxiety of Parents in an Israeli Kibbutz Population and their Prediction of their Children's Behavior in the Dental Office.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that a child's dental anxiety is mainly influenced by the maternal dental anxiety. As modern society evolves the conventional structure of the family changes and both parents take equal part in the child's upbringing. AIM: The aims of the present study were: 1. To evaluate and compare the levels of dental anxiety among kibbutz-bred and city-bred parents, whose children were dentally treated.; 2. To examine the effect of selected sociodemographic variables on parental attitudes toward the dental situation on their dental anxiety; 3. To assess the parents' ability to evaluate their children's future behavior at the dental office. STUDY DESIGN: seventy-four parents, 44 from a kibbutz and 31 that live in a city comprised the study population. Dental anxiety was assessed by using Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale and Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey. The future behavior of the parent's child in the dental office was evaluated by Parental assessment of child's behavior. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in the level of dental anxiety between kibbutz-member parents and city parents. Gender had no significant influence on the levels of dental anxiety among parents. CONCLUSIONS: The old axiom that dental anxiety is more prevalent among women is questioned. Dental anxiety of children may be equally influenced by both parents.

"I have a special prayer 'O Lord, open my lips'": Experiences of ultra-Orthodox educators after their students' disclosures of sexual abuse.

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a large-scale, worldwide phenomenon. However, research on educators' experiences with CSA in specific social, cultural or religious contexts is limited. OBJECTIVE: The current study is part of a larger qualitative research project examining Israeli educators' coping with CSA of their students in diverse cultural contexts. This study focused on Jewish ultra-Orthodox educators' perceptions and experiences of CSA disclosure and its impact on their professional and personal lives. Their perceptions of belonging to the ultra-Orthodox community were also explored. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 28 ultra-Orthodox educators and analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: The ultra-Orthodox educators perceived their roles on a continuum, from not being responsible to being fully responsible. They perceived the abused children as having negative behavior or as victims who deserved protection. Their personal lives were deeply affected, impacted by fear, disassociation or devotion to the mission of caring for these children. Finally, educators perceived the ultra-Orthodox community as fragile regarding CSA disclosure and emphasized the importance of encouraging culturally adaptive ways to conceptualize and address CSA. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of ultra-Orthodox educators in identifying CSA and leading interventions. It also raises the need for training to combine reflective, cultural-based practice and support for the educator to maintain their wellbeing. Despite this community's uniqueness, the current findings may be relevant to professionals and policymakers regarding other closed and religious communities and diverse educational settings confronting CSA.