The Consequences Of Parental Alienation

When you hear the term parental alienation, this is a term that you'd generally hear in  family court involving spouses divorcing one another and one of those spouses  manipulating and undermining the child's relationship with the other parent. Parental  alienation is a form of child abuse. The consequences are serious and reap devastating  effects on the child.  

There seems to be a going trend or consensus that Parental alienation is a crime. Nowhere in the U.S. is parental alienation a crime. However, the repercussions from alienating a  child from the other parent can have profound consequences and can lead to the alienating parent being held in contempt of court. This can be due to the parent violating their custody orders, and the court does not take too kindly to custody orders being violated, especially once set into place. Other ways a court can punish the violating parent  is for a court to order sanctions against the parent or fining the parent, or in the most  serious of cases, the parent's alienation of the child can lead to criminal charges.  

A parent alienates a child when that parent speaks ill of the other parent, works diligently to  turn the child against the other parent, manipulates a child to experience hostility towards  the other parent, or even causes the child to fear the other parent. You can see the long lasting effects on the child (and even on the parent who has been alienated as well) in the  form of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and suicide ideation. Parental alienation often  leads to parental estrangement.  

When a child has been impacted by parental alienation and experiences mixed emotions  about their parents, this is known as Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). This is a syndrome in which a child who is impacted experiences confusion, which then makes the  child uncertain about who they are and where they fit in, within their family dynamics.  Treatment is generally required to readjust the child and the harmed parent who has been  alienated. When a child is affected by this type of behavior and is torn as to whether the  child wants to spend time with a parent who has been belittled, spoken ill of, and defamed  by the other parent, this can not only lead to long term emotional damage but can also play  a vital role in the child’s relationships with others going forward.  

It is commonly seen in parental alienation cases that a child rejects the other parent for little to no reason at all and becomes overly attached to the preferred parent. 

Therefore, parental alienation should be addressed as early as possible. This will ensure no  long-term effects on the child's state of being. Courts will always look to the totality of the  circumstances, and the court will decide whatever is in the best interests of the child.  Thus, a courts main goal is to protect the child's wellbeing, and to essentially be the child's  protector by staying within the child's best interests.