An attempt is made to integrate existing theories of family violence by introducing the concept of family role stress. Role stressors may be defined as factors inhibiting the enactment of family roles. Multiple regression analyses were performed on data from 190 families to test a hypothesis involving the prediction of negative discipline at different levels of traditionality based on levels of role stress and child gender. Data collection, involving four 1-hour home observations and completion of parent questionnaires, occurred when target children were 5 and 7 years of age; however, only data collected during the 5-year-old wave were used in the present study. Findings indicated that among highly traditional mothers, but not among mothers with moderate or low levels of traditionality, role stress and child gender do predict negative discipline. The opposite pattern was obtained for fathers, with role stress and child gender predictive only among fathers low in traditionality. Results are discussed and implications for future research are presented. (37 references) (Author/RH)