الفهرس 
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Abstract
Domestic violence is the great psychosocial iceberg of our time. It takes an astute clinician to look below the surface for the hidden enormity of this problem.There are massive forces at work in a culture dense with violence (e.g., at the movies, on television, in the news), and the current is strong. In addition, the availability of firearms intensifies the consequences when violence does occur. The dedicated clinician must work both at the individual and family levels, and at the community and socio-cultural levels to keep the vulnerable members of our society safe. Promoting an ethic of respect and co-humanity throughout his or her practice should be considered part of the job of every healthcare clinician.
Cultural and social gender norms are the rules or “expectations of behavior” which regulate the roles and relationships of men and women within a specific cultural or social group. Often unspoken, these norms define what is considered appropriate behavior, govern what is and are not acceptable, and shape the interactions between men and women. Individuals are discouraged from violating these norms through the threat of social disapproval or punishment, or because of feelings of guilt and shame in contravening internalized norms of conduct. Often traditional social and cultural gender norms make women vulnerable to violence from intimate partners, place women and girls at increased risk of sexual violence, and condone or support the acceptability of violence
Family physicians can play a role in prevention, identification, and response in domestic violence situations. Ideally, prevention should begin as part of prenatal counseling and include evaluation of parents’ methods of resolving conflict in the household and their responses to anger. Parents should be educated about the effects that exposure to violence has in children, including the negative consequences of witnessing violence in the home or even of watching violence on television.
In case of children, If domestic violence is identified, the physician should make documentation in the mother’s record rather than the child’s record, because the perpetrator might have access to that record. Witnessing domestic violence is not defined as a mandatory reportable form of child abuse. Among other measures, victims of domestic violence should be offered community and national resources
Witnessing domestic violence can have significant short- and long-term effects on a child. Primary care physicians should be aware of the possible cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects of witnessing domestic violence. Physicians can play a key role by developing curricula for medical schools, screening in the office, and serving as advocates for their community on this important public health topic.
Physicians can be community advocates and leaders with regard to violence prevention issues. Many communities have formed coordinated community response teams for cases of domestic violence that require physician input. Physicians may serve as consultants to schools on issues such as conflict resolution and anger management programs. Physicians also may foster links between physician societies and local community groups to develop programs for the management and prevention of domestic violence.