Parental alienation - 18 publikationer från 2011

En sökning i psycinfo för perioden 2011-03-30--2012-03-03 efter Parental alienation (keywords) gav 18 träffar. Abstrakt till dessa presenteras nedan.

Referenser och abstrakt

1. Moné, J. G., MacPhee, D., Anderson, S.. K. & Banning, J. H. (2011).Family members' narratives of divorce and interparental conflict: Implications for parental alienation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage,52(8), Nov 2011, 642-667.

This study focused on the internal dynamics of family members who experience divorce and interparental conflict. Interparental conflict and triangulating children increase the likelihood of alienating children from a parent. Narrative interviews with members of three families were used to explore meaning structures. Results showed how parents and children thought, felt, and created meaning about their experiences; how family members responded to conflict and behaviors associated with parental alienation; and how they viewed family relationships. Metalevel findings suggested each family member held dichotomous views and used cognitive and behavioral control response strategies. Thus, parental alienation stems from a relational dynamic and needs to be addressed from a family systems perspective.

2. Baker, A. J. L.& Ben-Ami, N. (2011). To turn a child against a parent is to turn a child against himself: The direct and indirect effects of exposure to parental alienation strategies on self-esteem and well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 52(7), 472-489.

Direct and indirect effects of exposure to 19 parental alienation strategies in 118 adult children of divorce were examined via a confidential and anonymous computer survey. We investigated the nature and prevalence of alienation strategies to which this sample was exposed as well as associations between exposure and self-esteem and self-sufficiency. In turn, we examined and found associations between self-esteem and higher rates of depression and insecure attachment styles and a trend for an association with alcohol abuse. All effects were found even after controlling for histories of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment. These findings add to the growing body of evidence regarding the long-term consequences of experiencing parental alienation and indicate that in general, exposure to more alienation behaviors leads to more negative outcomes in children of divorce, which can be seen across the life span.

3. Hands, A. J. & Warshak, R. A. (2011). Parental alienation among college students. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39 (5), 431-443.

A sample of 50 college students responded to a questionnaire measuring perceptions of alienating behaviors on the part of their parents and their current relationship with each parent. Data revealed a higher degree of alienating behavior by divorced parents when compared to non-divorced parents. Mothers and fathers were rated about equally likely to engage in such behaviors. A higher incidence of alienated parent-child relationships in divorced homes approached, but did not reach, statistical significance. Students who were alienated from one parent report higher levels of alienating behaviors on the part of their parents. The results suggest that parental alienating behaviors, and the phenomenon of a child becoming alienated from a parent after divorce, are departures from the norm and worthy of attention and concern.

4. Rodriguez, R. (2011). Review of The Look of Love. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(10), 1080-1081.

Reviews the book, The Look of Love by Jill Egizii (2010). The book recounts the tale of the painful journey made by Anna, a mother of two children who is trying to liberate herself from a failed marriage to a professionally successful and politically well connected narcissistic husband. This is a novel, not a textbook, so clinicians should not expect to find a didactic discussion of parental alienation. This book can be a useful recommendation for parent involved in an acrimonious divorce who seeks reading material. No doubt it can facilitate the therapeutic process by being a means to educate the alienated parent about parental alienation, especially about its emotional ups and downs for them and their children. The book can also serve as a catalyst to allow the alienated parent a less overwhelming way to delve into his or her own emotional distress. However, I am left uneasy by Egizii’s presentation of Anna’s support system. I am also left uneasy by the way the novel’s ultimate outcome unfolds, because much of the outcome depends on circumstances beyond Anna’s control. What concerns me is that the alienated parent who reads the novel might perceive Anna’s support system and the outcome as being unique to Anna and therefore conclude that therapy would not be helpful. Despite my few reservations, my overall impression of the novel is positive. I would recommend The Look of Love to alienated parents to help them understand and cope with the painful journey they are taking.

5. Shapiro, G. (2011). Review of Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(10), 1078-1079.

Reviews the book, Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11 edited by William Bernet (2010). The book is an excellent and well-thought-out treatise that defines the diagnosis of parental alienation and offers justification for its inclusion in >DSM-5 and the International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11). This book was written by a group of 70 legal and mental health professionals from 12 countries who present different clinical, research, and academic observations of the phenomenon of parental alienation. Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11 offers a compelling and compassionate argument for the inclusion of the diagnosis in the DSM-5 and ICD-11. The relational context in which our patients navigate their lives is rooted in their primary attachment relationships; focusing on only individual psychopathologies is an injustice to our discipline because it eliminates the importance of development and how adjustment and maladjustment of our primary attachment relationships can affect individuals and create pathology throughout their lives.

6. Zimnitzky, B. (2011). Review of A Family’s Heartbreak: A Parent’s Introduction to Parental Alienation. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(10), 1079-1080.

Zimnitzky, Brian Reviews the book, A Family's Heartbreak: A Parent's Introduction to Parental Alienation by Michael Jeffries and Joel Davies (2009). In 1985, Richard A. Gardner coined the term “parental alienation syndrome,” based on his observations of children of divorcing parents. He described it as “a disturbance in which children are obsessed with deprecation and criticism of a parent—denigration that is unjustified and/or exaggerated.” A parent, through conscious, subconscious, and unconscious factors, contributes to the alienation of the other parent. Gardner further stated that factors within the child contribute to the syndrome. Michael Jeffries is a father who shares his experience of marital conflict, separation, custody litigation, and divorce. During Jeffries’ separation and divorce, he met with a psychologist, Joel Davies. In the latter half of chapters in the book, Jeffries provides written accounts of these therapy sessions. Davies explains parental alienation, its underlying dynamics, and its effect on the family. I found this book to have several strengths. Jeffries provides a detailed, personal account of his experience with divorce and parental alienation. He vividly describes his frustrations with the shortcomings of the legal system. His account is insightful not only for the general reader but also for mental health professional. This book is a resource for mental health professionals and the general public alike. The reader is left not only with an education about parental alienation but also an appreciation of its significant impact on families.

7. Darnall, D. (2011). The psychosocial treatment of parental alienation. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 20 (3), 479-494.

Parental alienation occurs in divorces when one parent indoctrinates the child to dislike, fear, and avoid contact with the other parent. Mental health professionals who treat children and adolescents are likely to encounter victims of parental alienation in clinical practice, and it is important to identify and treat these youngsters earlier, when the condition is mild, rather than later, when the parental alienation is almost intractable. This article presents an overview of the treatment of parental alienation, which is called reunification therapy. All the parties involved in the case have a role in the prevention and treatment of parental alienation.

8. de Sousa, An. M. & de Brito, L. M., T. (2011). Síndrome de alienação parental: Da teoria norte-americana à nova lei brasileira./Parental alienation syndrome: From the North-American theory to the Brazilian new law. Psicologia: Ciência e Profissâo, 31(2), 268-283.

The parental alienation syndrome (PAS) was set in the 1980s by the American psychiatrist Richard Gardner as a childhood disorder that affects children and adolescents involved in situations of custody dispute between parents. In his opinion, the syndrome develops from "programming" or "brainwashing" held by a parent—named as alienating—so that the child rejects the other parent. In Brazil, after rapid processing in the Legislative, in August 2010 was enacted the Law on Parental Alienation, which provides sanctions against the parent who causes hindrances to the coexistence of child(ren) with the other parent. The new law determines the role of psychologists in the examination of alleged cases of parental alienation, also highlighting the emotional aspects observed in such situations. In this article, we proposed to examine—according to the knowledge of psychology—the arguments involved in this area that support explanatory memorandum of the Bill on Parental Alienation, explaining also the judgments obtained in different countries which were based on the concept of parental alienation.

9. Kaslow, F. W. (2011). Review of Parental alienation: DSM-5 and ICD-11. American Journal of Family Therapy , 39(3), 274-276.

Reviews the book, Parental alienation: DSM-5 and ICD-11 edited by William Bernet (2010). This book is based on a document generated by a group of 70 mental health, legal, and history professionals. In this collaborative, consensus document the authors have defined parental alienation as "a mental condition in which a child—usually one whose parents are engaged in a high conflict divorce—allies himself or herself strongly with one parent and rejects a relationship with the other parent without legitimate justification. It was written with the intention and objective of communicating the validity, reliability, and prevalence of parental alienation in many countries and among different cultural groups and the urgency of including this behavioral pattern as a diagnosable condition in DSM-5 and ICD-11. Several short clinical vignettes provide vivid illustrations of the definitions proffered. Any clinician who has dealt with families pre-, during, and post-divorce and born witness to the emotional havoc parental alienation can wreak will recognize the kinds of people in the vignettes and be saddened by the seeming universality of the alienation pattern.

10. Farkas, M. M. (2011). An introduction to parental alienation syndrome. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 49(4), 20-26.

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) can occur during a tumultuous divorce between embattled parents involved in a bitter child custody dispute. During parental warfare, a child is used as a weapon by one parent (alienating parent) against the other parent (alienated/targeted parent). The targeted parent-child relationship once encased with unconditional love is transformed by an unrelenting campaign of denigration, criticism, and hatred. Since nursing literature on PAS is almost nonexistent, the purpose of this article is to increase nursing awareness and provide basic information. Awareness of PAS symptoms and interpersonal dynamics is important to prompt nurses in recommending treatment for families. Nurses should collaboratively join other professionals in their quest to provide the best treatment possible.

11. Garber, B. D. (2011). Parental alienation and the dynamics of the enmeshed parent–child dyad: Adultification, parentification, and infantilization. Family Court Review, 49(2), 322-335.

When caregivers conflict, systemic alliances shift and healthy parent-child roles can be corrupted. The present paper describes three forms of role corruption which can occur within the enmeshed dyad and as the common complement of alienation and estrangement. These include the child who is prematurely promoted to serve as a parent’s ally and partner, the child who is inducted into service as the parent’s caregiver, and the child whose development is inhibited by a parent who needs to be needed. These dynamics—adultification, parentification and infantilization, respectively—are each illustrated with brief case material. Family law professionals and clinicians alike are encouraged to conceptualize these dynamics as they occur within an imbalanced family system and thereby to craft interventions which intend to re-establish healthy roles. Some such interventions are reviewed and presented as one part of the constellation of services necessary for the triangulated child.

12. Pilla, J. M. & Bernet, W. (2011).Letter to the editor: Ursula A. Kelly, PhD, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, guest editor. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 17(2), 189.

Comments on an guest editorial by U. A. Kelly and D. Sharp (see record 2011-07378-002). We want to alert you to a topic of importance to forensic mental health nurses—a mental health condition called parental alienation. Parental alienation begins as a process of faulty intra-family dynamics that can develop into a serious mental health disorder for children and adolescents. Mental health nurses and other practitioners are likely to encounter the problem of parental alienation in any of several contexts, in either inpatient or outpatient settings. During the last two years, mental health nurses have participated in a large, international committee that seeks to include the diagnosis of parental alienation in the next editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases. Readers who are interested in learning more about the mental condition of parental alienation are invited to contact one of the authors of this letter.

13. Baker, A. J. L. & Chambers, J. (2011). Adult recall of childhood exposure to parental conflict: Unpacking the black box of parental alienation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 52(1), 55-76.

One hundred and five undergraduate or graduate students completed a computer-based survey regarding their recollection of exposure to 20 parental alienation behaviors, current depression, and current self-esteem. Results revealed that 80% of the sample endorsed at least 1 of the 20 parental alienation behaviors, indicating some exposure to parental alienation, with 20% of the sample reporting that 1 parent tried to turn them against the other parent. Participants whose parents divorced or separated before they were 18 years old were much more likely to report exposure to parental alienation strategies than participants whose parents remained married during their childhood. No relationship was found between recalled exposure to parental alienation and current depression or self-esteem.


14. Barlow, Victoria L. (2011). The Medea complex and parental alienation syndrome: Who are the severe alienators? 72(5-B), Dissertation 3088.

The body of knowledge of parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is essential to providing courts and clinicians with materials to support appropriate decisions for the well being of the children and their families. The research focused on the severe alienator, the parent/caregiver who initiates the most severe form of the alienation, to identify their characteristics and their familial patterns. The concept of the Medea complex as it relates to severe parental alienation was explored using a depth analysis that resulted in expanding the parameters of the complex and identifying characteristics of those most susceptible to it. The data utilized in this research was drawn from mental health agency files, Chancery Court case files, and interviews with family members, therapists, and attorneys. Because the people involved in PAS were unable or unwilling to be accurate historians due to their own psychopathology, ongoing court cases, family disapproval, or other reasons, a qualitative multiple psychological case study method with a few family participants was used. These cases were subjected to thematic analysis to identify themes and patterns, exploring the characteristics of the severe alienator. Several family patterns of PAS were identified, and the Medea complex was discovered to be active in the most severe alienators. Several family patterns of PAS were identified, and the Medea complex was identified in the most severe alienators. The results and their implications are discussed in narrative form in relation to clinical and forensic casework.

15. Levy, D. L. & Sauber, S. R. (2011). Review of Welcome back, Pluto: Understanding, preventing and overcoming parental  alienation (DVD).American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(1), 77-79.

Reviews the DVD, Welcome Back, Pluto: Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Parental Alienation by Richard A. Warshak and Mark R. Otis (2010). This informative DVD talks common sense in everyday words. Although the DVD acknowledges that a child can feel rightly alienated from a parent because of abuse or poor parenting skills, alienation is usually the result of a favored parent who is needy, seeks total control over the child, or fails to recognize the importance of the other parent in the child’s life. The video describes three components of a very complex psychological situation, which are: 1) defining the problem, 2) explaining how it is manifested, and 3) providing intervention techniques for its control and abatement. The DVD points out that when children grow up and realize that they have been the subject of alienation, the adult children of divorce may turn on the controlling parent. The video urges parents to follow court ordered visitation. The video can also help courts better understand how a vulnerable child might just be parroting what the favored parent wants the child to say against the targeted parent. Thus, this DVD, if used appropriately by court family service departments, judges and judicial training conferences, and parents, could go a long way to lessening a form of child abuse: alienation of a child from a loving, warm family.

16. Rand, D. C.(2011). Parental alienation critics and the politics of science. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(1), 48-71.

This article examines the assertions, made by two main groups of critics, about Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and parental alienation (PA). Among the topics discussed are: role of the alienating parent; structural interventions such as custodial transfer; relationship between PAS and allegations of sex abuse; and controversy over use of the term syndrome.

17. Sauber, R. & Worenklein, A. (2011). Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Parental Alienation Syndrome Versus Parental Alienation in General [American Psychological Association (APA)].

The present workshop will provide an overview of the dynamics of how a child can be manipulated into rejecting a parent and anything that is associated with that parent, the strategies used by the alienating parent, and how knowledge of the themes that are used by the alienating parent can assist the mental health professional into identifying alienation and differentiating it from realistic estrangement.

18. Torun, F. (2011). Ebeveyn yabancilaştırma sendromu. / Parental alienation syndrome. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, Vol 3(3), 2011, 466-482.

Children who have been programmed by one parent to be alienated from the other parent are commonly seen in the context of child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child’s campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It is said to result from a combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent’s indoctrinations and the child’s own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent. Many evaluators use the term parental alienation syndrome to refer to the disorder engendered in such children. However, there is significant controversy going on about the validity of parental alienation syndrome. The purpose of this article has been to describe and help to differentiate parental alienation syndrome and abuse for mental health professionals working in the field, and discuss the arguments about the validity of this syndrome.