What Is Parental Alienation Syndrome And The Effects On Children

By: Jessica Anderson

Updated August 19, 2021

Medically Reviewed By: Kristina Ellen

Divorce rates are rising in our society today, studies show, and children are being affected by their parents' separation more than ever before. These relationship strains are extremely difficult for everyone involved, but for our children's sake, there are some actions us parents can take to keep them as healthy and content as possible throughout the process. It is important to note that during a divorce, it is okay to acknowledge your feelings. It is necessary to keep your children healthy through the process, however, this can't be at the expense of your own health.

In the article below, we will look into this syndrome, its symptoms, its causes, and how it can be prevented so that even after divorce, a family can thrive.

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Parental Alienation And Its Effects On Children

What Is It?

Parental Alienation coerces a child to feel negative emotions toward a loving parent, causing alienation for no justifiable reason. This manipulation can be either purposeful or accidental, but in either case, it should always be taken seriously and steps should be taken to prevent the behavior.

Effects On The Children Involved

Children who experience Parental Alienation can even experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can cause children to behave in a negative or inappropriate manner at school or cause them to feel isolated and alone. They can have difficulty trusting others and could even bring parental alienation into their future children's lives. Among all of these hardships, children who experience Parental Alienation may grow up without proper parent-child relationships at no fault of their own.

How To Recognize Parental Alienation

Divorce happens at an alarmingly high rate, and in the heat of the moment, negative words and deeds occur between former partners. These happenings are rarely healthy, and they can bring about even more negative and long-lasting consequences and syndromes when children are present.

When attempting to recognize Parental Alienation, you may notice some of the following symptoms:

Financial

• One parent is blaming the other for financial issues or for the child not being able to do a certain activity. You might hear something similar to, "Well, you can't take swimming lessons any longer. Since your father left us, we have no money to spare."

Argument Encouragement

• The child is arguing with one parent, and the other parent encourages the argument or does not help them to solve the disagreement.

Sharing Of Information

• One parent is refusing to share medical or educational records with the other parent. Both parents have the right to receive information about their child's health and educational well-being.

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Jumping To Extremes

• When the child has a mark or a bruise, one parent jumps to the conclusion that the other parent was physically abusive without any evidence or reason behind the assumption.

Secrets

• One parent is keeping secrets or speaks in a special language with the child, and no one else is able to understand. This separates the child further from the other parent.

Forcing A Choice

• One parent is asking the child to choose between their two parents and to state which one is better. They may say, "Tell me the truth, which house do you like staying at better?" Or, "Who is more fun, Mommy or Daddy?"

Information About The Separation

• The children are given too much information surrounding their parents' separation, specifically negative information about the other parent and the cause of the breakup.

How To Prevent Alienation

Take Responsibility

Both parents should acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions. If they have said things that were hurtful or not true, it helps if they apologize for their behavior. Both parents should commit to rebuilding trust and honesty with one another. It is important that these respectful actions take place in front of the children.

Be Mindful Of Your Emotions

Emotions are high in during stressful life changes and divorce is no exception. It is normal to want to say negative things about the other parent, but if you do catch yourself doing this in front of your children, do your best to stop. Remember that your children love and look up to this parent, which is a good reason to treat our ex with the same amount of respect. This will be difficult when the feelings you are showing may not actually represent how you feel inside. If you do accidentally say something negative about the other parents in front of your children, take the time to apologize to your ex. Bring up some good qualities about them as a way to steer the conversation back into a positive direction.

Reach Out For Professional Help

Therapy is a strong tool for any parents that are experiencing trouble within their relationship. It is also helpful when divorce, children, and Parental Alienation are involved. If the facts shared in this article seem to relate to your life, consider reaching out to a licensed therapist for help. A counselor can help you work through your relationship challenges in a healthier way by giving you tools and methods to approach and alleviate conflicts as you work through divorce. Many times, a struggling parent and relationship need another perspective on how to approach conflicts most effectively.

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If you have a busy schedule with parenting your children, and your career, you may want to consider an online option like BetterHelp. Every BetterHelp therapist is fully licensed, in good standing, and has gone through an intensive review process, which means you can feel confident that you’re in good hands. Equally important, correspondence with your counselor will be kept entirely confidential so you can talk freely about your feelings without fear of judgment.

Conclusion

If you say something negative, apologize, and bring up some positive facts to help the situation turn positive again. Remember the signs of Parental Alienation and seek help from a therapist if you see multiple signs. Even though Parental Alienation is hard to cope with, it can be solved with the help from a therapist, and you can move forward to have a healthy relationship with your children. Have hope and take the steps you need to give your children (and yourself) a happy and healthy family life. Take the first step today. Even though Parental Alienation can be difficult to endure for all parties involved, it is common, and BetterHelp counselors can help.

Read below for some reviews of BetterHelp counselors from people experiencing similar issues.

“Susan is exceptional at what she does, helping people move forward with life in a positive direction. Susan has helped me recover from a divorce, address personal issues that impact me at work, and all my relationships. I have been through many counselors in the past 30 years and I can say Susan is very rare. She is smart, compassionate, caring, kind, and encouraging. I don't know how I would have made it this far in my recovery if it wasn't for her. 5 Star.”

“Gabrielle Bryen has been instrumental in helping me figure out the next steps regarding how to best implement a divorce so my family can remain as happy and healthy as possible. She has taken away a lot of my fear and uncertainty and I am deeply grateful for that. I am lucky to have had her insight guide me along a tough path.”