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Abstract
Women with unwanted pregnancies may be at elevated child abuse risk, although ineffective coping styles are associated with both child abuse potential and unwanted pregnancy. The present study investigated whether coping style mediated the association between low desire for pregnancy and physical child abuse potential. A sample of 77 expectant mothers participated in an online parenting study. Findings indicated that passive coping styles, namely cognitive avoidance and emotional discharge, fully mediated the association between low pregnancy desire and greater child abuse potential. The implications of working with expectant mothers with unwanted pregnancies are discussed.