The Influence of Palestinian Physicians’ Patriarchal Ideology and Exposure to Family Violence on Their Beliefs about Wife Beating

Abstract

The influence of Palestinian physicians’ patriarchal ideology (PAI) and exposure to family violence (EFV) on their beliefs about wife beating was examined. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 396 physicians. The results revealed that notable percentages of the physicians expressed some level of willingness to justify wife beating, tendency to believe that battered women benefit from beating, and that battered women are to blame for their beating. Nevertheless, between 27 and 59 % of the physicians expressed some willingness to help battered women. The results also revealed that significant amounts of the variance in physicians’ beliefs about wife beating can be attributed to their PAI and to their EFV during childhood and adolescence..The implications of the results for future research, theory development, and training of physicians are discussed.