Gender, power, and violence: assessing the family stereotypes of the children of batterers.

Two hundred twenty one children, ages 6 to 12 years, in families with varying levels of domestic violence rated how much they agreed with 40 items concerning stereotyped beliefs about power and violence in the family. Varimax analyses yielded 4 factors; Male Power, Female Power, Violence Privilege, and Family Autonomy. Internal reliability and construct validity for the Family Stereotypes Card Sort were evaluated. Significant positive associations were found among physical violence and emotional abuse reported by the mother and family role stereotyping in the child. Family role stereotyping and beliefs in the acceptability of family violence differed by gender and ethnic minority status and varied by age and income but not by the level of adjustment problems in the child.