Spiritual risk: A preliminary definition of child risk within close-knit, religious communities

Objectives: To broaden our understanding of social context, religion, and culture in the construction of risk and protection, and definitions of maltreatment among close-knit religious communities, specifically Jewish... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives: To broaden our understanding of social context, religion, and culture in the construction of risk and protection, and definitions of maltreatment among close-knit religious communities, specifically Jewish Ultra-Orthodox parents in Israel and Cleveland, OH, USA.
Method: The study adopted a context-informed approach, utilizing qualitative methodology. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 Ultra-Orthodox parents (60% from Israel and 40% from Cleveland, OH). Both fathers (56%) and mothers (44%) were included in the sample. The sample was purposive and based on participant referrals in order to gain access to close-knit and insular communities. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed (Braun & Clarke, 2006) using the analysis platform Dedoose.
Results: The inductive analysis of the interviews yielded strong evidence of the construct of Spiritual Risk as conceptualized by parents. The analysis yielded three main themes regarding Spiritual Risk: (1) the centrality and meaning associated with Spiritual Risk; (2) factors contributing to Spiritual Risk including the home and the family, as well as exposure to the world outside the community; and (3) the consequences of Spiritual Risk. No significant differences were found between the two locations or between fathers and mothers regarding perceptions of Spiritual Risk.
Conclusions: Spiritual Risk can be defined as the risk of diminution in adherence and commitment of children and adolescents who live in a religious community in which religious values and norms are of the uppermost importance. This can lead to the detachment of the child or adolescent from the valued and normative spiritual world in the community or even to his/her departure from it.