Peer-reviewed article
Parental alienation as conditioned love.
Meland E ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed paper discusses parental alienation in the context of post-divorce family conflicts, examining tensions between recognizing genuine intimate partner violence and identifying false allegations used to separate children from a parent. The author argues that parental alienation is a significant public health concern that occurs across genders and is associated with family violence. The paper identifies gaps and conflicts in the literature on this topic.
Key points
- Parental alienation is used as a tactic in conflictual separations and divorces
- Both mothers and fathers may use false allegations of violence to alienate children from the other parent
- Parental alienation is associated with other types of family violence directed at both the other parent and children
- The phenomenon is not gender-specific
- Significant gaps and conflicts exist in the literature on post-divorce conflicts
Limitations
This appears to be a conceptual or opinion piece that does not evaluate an intervention or measure child well-being outcomes. It discusses family dynamics and parental behavior but does not provide empirical evidence about impacts on children's development, protection, or participation.
Abstract
Background Parental alienation is often opposed as a concept that may discourage mothers subjected to intimate partner violence to reveal current abuse in families. We should not blankly refuse this as a reality in society. However, we must also acknowledge research that demonstrates that fathers and mothers may use false allegations of violence in order to alienate their children from the other parent in conflictual separation and divorce. Conclusions This phenomenon, called parental alienation, is prevalent in our society. It is not gender specific and it is associated with other types of family violence perpetrated by the alienating parent and directed against the other parent and the children as well. Therefore, it represents a significant public health concern. The paper highlights conflicts and gaps in the literature concerning our understanding of post-divorce conflicts.