Parental Alienation — Reference list 2010 -2015


Parental alienation has been one of the most disputed topics in the study of divorce and custody.  Often clinicians have argued that is this a real phenomena, while researchers have questioned the validity of the concept.  Below is a list of many of the studies in the last few years that have addressed these issues.

***********************************************************************

Agllias, K. (2015). Difference, choice, and punishment: Parental beliefs and understandings about adult child estrangement. Australian Social Work, 68(1), 115-129. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2014.927897

Austin, W. G., Fieldstone, L., & Pruett, M. K. (2013). Bench Book for assessing parental gatekeeping in parenting disputes: Understanding the dynamics of gate closing and opening for the best interests of children. Journal of Child Custody: Research, Issues, and Practices, 10(1), 1-16. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2013.778693

Austin, W. G., Pruett, M. K., Kirkpatrick, H. D., Flens, J. R., & Gould, J. W. (2013). Parental gatekeeping and child custody/child access evaluation: Part I: Conceptual framework, research, and application. Family Court Review, 51(3), 485-501. doi:

Baker, A. J. L. (2010). Adult recall of parental alienation in a community sample: Prevalence and associations with psychological maltreatment. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 51(1), 16-35. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502550903423206

Baker, A. J. L. (2010). Even when you win you lose: Targeted parents’ perceptions of their attorneys. American Journal of Family Therapy, 38(4), 292-309. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2010.493429

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. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2011.609424

Baker, A. J. L., Burkhard, B., & Albertson-Kelly, J. (2012). Differentiating alienated from not alienated children: A pilot study. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 178-193.

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. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2011.534396

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2013). Italian college student-reported childhood exposure to parental alienation: Correlates with well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(8), 609-628. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.837714

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2014). Parental bonding and parental alienation as correlates of psychological maltreatment in adults in intact and non-intact families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0108-0

Baker, A. J. L. (2006). The power of stories/stories about power: Why therapists and clients should read stories about the parental alienation syndrome. American Journal of Family Therapy, 34(3), 191-203. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926180600550486

Baker, A. J. L. (2010). Adult recall of parental alienation in a community sample: Prevalence and associations with psychological maltreatment. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 51(1), 16-35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502550903423206

Baker, A. J. L. (2010). Even when you win you lose: Targeted parents’ perceptions of their attorneys. American Journal of Family Therapy, 38(4), 292-309. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2010.493429

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. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2011.609424

Baker, A. J. L., Burkhard, B., & Albertson-Kelly, J. (2012). Differentiating alienated from not alienated children: A pilot study. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 178-193. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.663266

Baker, A. J. L., Burkhard, B., & Albertson-Kelly, J. (2012). Differentiating alienated from not alienated children: A pilot study. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 178-193. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.663266

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. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2011.534396

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2013). Italian college student-reported childhood exposure to parental alienation: Correlates with well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(8), 609-628. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.837714

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2013). Italian college student-reported childhood exposure to parental alienation: Correlates with well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(8), 609-628. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.837714

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2014). Parental bonding and parental alienation as correlates of psychological maltreatment in adults in intact and non-intact families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0108-0

Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2014). Parental bonding and parental alienation as correlates of psychological maltreatment in adults in intact and non-intact families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0108-0

Bala, N., Hunt, S., & McCarney, C. (2010). Parental alienation: Canadian court cases 1989 2008. Family Court Review, 48(1), 164-179. doi:

Barlow, V. L.The medea complex and parental alienation syndrome: Who are the severe alienators? Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, . (916528316; 2011-99220-397).

Ben-Ami, N., & Baker, A. J. L. (2012). The long-term correlates of childhood exposure to parental alienation on adult self-sufficiency and well-being. American Journal of Family Therapy, 40(2), 169-183. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2011.601206

Bernet, W., von Boch-Galhau, W., Baker, A. J. L., & Morrison, S. L. (2010). Parental alienation, DMS-V, and ICD-11. American Journal of Family Therapy, 38(2), 76-187. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926180903586583

Bow, J. N., Gottlieb, M. C., Gouldā€Saltman, H. D. J., & Hendershot, L. (2011). Partners in the process: How attorneys prepare their clients for custody evaluations and litigation. Family Court Review, 49(4), 750-759. doi:

Carrey, N. (2011). Coasting to DSM-5 – parental alienation syndrome and child psychiatric syndromes: We are what and who we define. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Journal De l’Académie Canadienne De Psychiatrie De l’Enfant Et De l’Adolescent, 20(3), 163.

Clemente, M., & Padilla-Racero, D. (2015). Are children susceptible to manipulation? The best interest of children and their testimony. Children and Youth Services Review, 51, 101-107. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.02.003

Darnall, D. (2011). The psychosocial treatment of parental alienation. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 20(3), 479-494. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2011.03.006

Ellis, E. M., & Boyan, S. (2010). Intervention strategies for parent coordinators in parental alienation cases. American Journal of Family Therapy, 38(3), 218-236. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926181003757074

Friedlander, S., & Walters, M. G. (2010). When a child rejects a parent: Tailoring the intervention to fit the problem. Family Court Review, 48(1), 98-111. doi:

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

Garber, B. D. (2010). Developmental psychology for family law professionals: Theory, application and the best interests of the child. New York, NY, US: Springer Publishing Co, New York, NY.

Garber, B. D. (2014). The chameleon child: Children as actors in the high conflict divorce drama. Journal of Child Custody: Research, Issues, and Practices, 11(1), 25-40. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2014.892805

Gith, E. (2013). The attitude of the Shari’a courts to parental alienation syndrome: Understanding the dynamics of the syndrome in Arab society. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(7), 537-549. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.828982

Godbout, E., & Parent, C. (2012). The life paths and lived experiences of adults who have experienced parental alienation: A retrospective study. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(1), 34-54. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.635967

Habib, P., & Madaan, V. (2013). Review of Parental alienation, DSM-5 and ICD-11. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 74(3), e220. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.12bk08344

Houchin, T. M., Ranseen, J., Hash, P. A. K., & Bartnicki, D. J. (2012). The parental alienation debate belongs in the courtroom, not in DSM-5. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 40(1), 127-131.

Johnston, J. R., & Goldman, J. R. (2010). Outcomes of family counseling interventions with children who resist visitation: An addendum to Friedlander and Walters (2010). Family Court Review, 48(1), 112-115. doi:

Johnson, R. (2011). Review of parental alienation DSM-5 and ICD-11. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 29(4), 70-73.

Jaffe, P. (2014). A presumption against shared parenting for family court litigants. Family Court Review, 52(2), 187-192. doi:

Kaslow, F. W. (2011). Review of parental alienation: DSM-5 and ICD-11. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(3), 274-276. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2011.560770

Kruk, E. (2010). Collateral damage: The lived experiences of divorced mothers without custody. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 51(8), 526-543. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2010.504103

Kuehnle, K. F., & Drozd, L. M. (2012). Evidence-based practice. Parenting plan evaluations: Applied research for the family court (pp. 577-582). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Lande, J., & Mosten, F. S. (2013). Family lawyering: Past, present, and future. Family Court Review, 51(1), 20-27. doi:

Lavadera, A. L., Ferracuti, S., & Togliatti, M. M. (2012). Parental Alienation Syndrome in Italian legal judgments: An exploratory study. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 35(4), 334-342. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.04.005

López, T. J., Iglesias, V. E. N., & García, P. F. (2014). Parental alienation gradient: Strategies for a syndrome. American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(3), 217-231. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2013.820116

Lowenstein, L. F. (2012). Child contact disputes between parents and allegations of sex abuse: What does the research say? Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 194-203. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.663267

Lowenstein, L. F. (2013). Is the concept of parental alienation a meaningful one? Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54(8), 658-667. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2013.810980

Ludolph, P. S., & Bow, J. N. (2012). Complex alienation dynamics and very young children. Journal of Child Custody: Research, Issues, and Practices, 9(3), 153-178. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2012.715545

Moné, J. G., & Biringen, Z. (2012). Assessing parental alienation: Empirical assessment of college students’ recollections of parental alienation during their childhoods. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 157-177. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.663265

Pepiton, M. B., Alvis, L. J., Allen, K., & Logid, G. (2012). Is parental alienation disorder a valid concept? not according to scientific evidence. A review of parental alienation, DSM-5 and ICD-11. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders, 21(2), 244-253. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2011.628272

Rand, D. C. (2011). Parental alienation critics and the politics of science. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(1), 48-71. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2010.533085

Reay, K. M. (2015). Family Reflections: A promising therapeutic program designed to treat severely alienated children and their family system. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 43(2), 197-207. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2015.1007769

Rowen, J., & Emery, R. (2014). Examining parental denigration behaviors of co-parents as reported by young adults and their association with parent–child closeness. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 3(3), 165-177. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000026

Saini, M., Johnston, J. R., Fidler, B. J., & Bala, N. (2012). Empirical studies of alienation. Parenting plan evaluations: Applied research for the family court (pp. 399-441). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Sauber, S. R. (2010). Introduction to the special issue. American Journal of Family Therapy, 38(2), 75. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926181003705123

Tambelli, R., Laghi, F., Odorisio, F., & Notari, V. (2012). Attachment relationships and Internalizing and Externalizing problems among Italian adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1465-1471. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.04.004

Tambelli, R., Laghi, F., Odorisio, F., & Notari, V. (2012). Attachment relationships and Internalizing and Externalizing problems among Italian adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1465-1471. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.04.004

Toren, P., Bregman, B. L., Zohar-Reich, E., Ben-Amitay, G., Wolmer, L., & Laor, N. (2013). Sixteen-session group treatment for children and adolescents with parental alienation and their parents. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(3), 187-197. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2012.677651

Viljoen, M., & van Rensburg, E. (2014). Exploring the lived experiences of psychologists working with parental alienation syndrome. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 55(4), 253-275. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2014.901833

Walker, L. E., & Shapiro, D. L. (2010). Parental alienation disorder: Why label children with a mental diagnosis? Journal of Child Custody: Research, Issues, and Practices, 7(4), 266-286. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2010.521041

Walters, M. G., & Friedlander, S. (2010). Finding a tenable middle space: Understanding the role of clinical interventions when a child refuses contact with a parent. Journal of Child Custody: Research, Issues, and Practices, 7(4), 287-328. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2010.521027

Warshak, R. A. (2014). Social science and parenting plans for young children: A consensus report. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 20(1), 46-67. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000005

Warshak, R. A. (2015). Poisoning parent-child relationships through the manipulation of names. American Journal of Family Therapy, 43(1), 4-15. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2014.968066