The use of parental alienation constructs by family justice system professionals

A survey of belief systems and practice implications

Bibliographic Data

ID21739754
AuthorsMarsha Kline Pruett (0000-0002-1693-8373, Smith College, corresponding author), Janet R Johnston (San Jose State University), Michael Saini (0000-0001-5475-4033, University of Toronto), Matthew Sullivan (0000-0002-5112-7621, University of California, Santa Cruz), Matt Sullivan (Clinical Psychologist Santa Cruz California USA), Peter Salem (United States Courts)
Year2023
Volume61
Issue2
Pages372-394
Publication date2023-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFamily Court Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1531-2445 • E-ISSN: 1744-1617
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/fcre.12716
OpenAlexW4323849814
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited21

Parent–child contact problems (PCCP) after separation and divorce are the focus of heated debate in academia and the popular media as to how best to identify, assess and respond to children who resist or refuse time with a parent. Practitioners disagree about the extent to which parental alienation (PA) is a valid and widespread phenomenon versus a legal strategy to counter IPV and child abuse allegations. This study sheds light on prevailing attitudes by surveying the opinions and beliefs of 1049 interdisciplinary family law professionals who deal directly with these matters in practice. These experienced practitioners were confident about their understanding of PCCPs despite little formal instruction on relevant issues. They were less clear about the differentiation between similarly used terms, research evidence, and interventions to address the problems. Emergent themes provide insight into practitioners' beliefs about the harm caused by a parent's alienating behaviors, the extent to which PA is a real phenomenon vs. a litigation strategy, the quality of social science empirical evidence, views of the child in PA cases, and recommended interventions. Responses demonstrate practitioners taking moderate positions that balance competing interests, struggling with ambiguities and contradictions rife in PA cases and PA‐related practice in family law

Alienation · Criminology · Economic Justice · Epistemology · Family court · Family law · Harm · Phenomenon · Political science · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Public relations · Child Abuse and Trauma · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

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