Black Teenage Mothers' Understandings of the Effects of Maltreatment on their Coping Style and Parenting Practice: A Pilot Study

This article discusses a qualitative pilot study conducted with Black teenage mothers affected by maltreatment histories, exploring the feasibility of researching how they develop insights into the effects on their parenting skills. The results indicate key impact areas, including their relationships with their carers, perceptions of significant relationships and increased vulnerability to relationship abuse. As the young mothers resisted seeing themselves as victims and utilised an avoidance‐centred coping strategy, their ability to recognise the impact of harmful childhood experiences was limited. The article concludes with reflections on the pilot study's implications and limitations.