Parental Alienation Syndrome: How to Detect It and What to Do About It

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is when one parent turns a child against the other parent during a divorce. It’s often hard to prove in court because it involves a lot of accusations and counter accusations. In this article, we’ll talk about four specific signs of PAS that can help identify it in a court case. We’ll also introduce the idea of “attempted” PAS, where the signs are there but the child isn’t fully alienated from the other parent. This is still harmful for the child. These signs can help lawyers gather evidence and question witnesses in court. Criteria I involves one parent actively preventing the child from seeing the other parent. This can happen for various reasons, such as claiming the absent parent is not a good influence or that the child is too unsettled to see them. This can lead to the child feeling like one parent is more important than the other. It’s important for both parents to support a positive relationship with each other, and when one parent consistently blocks access, it’s a clear sign of Criteria I. The second criteria is about making false accusations of abuse against a parent who is not around. This is most often seen in accusations of sexual abuse. Studies have shown that more than half of reported cases of sexual abuse during a divorce or when parents are fighting are actually untrue. This is especially dangerous for young children who can easily be manipulated. Even if just one accusation of abuse is proven to be untrue, there might be other false accusations to look out for.

Other examples of this could be accusations of physical abuse that are later found to be untrue. Interestingly, we’ve found that there are fewer false accusations of physical abuse, probably because it leaves visible signs. It’s a lot easier to make up accusations of something that doesn’t leave any physical evidence and has no witnesses. A common pattern in divorce or separation is one parent accusing the other of emotional abuse, even for trivial things like bedtime or letting the child meet a new partner. This can create a negative environment for the child. While conflict is normal in divorce, the issue becomes concerning when one parent eagerly accuses the other of abuse, instead of being cautious. The responsible parent will try to resolve issues before making accusations, while the alienating parent will jump to conclusions. When this behavior is consistent, it meets the criteria for Parental Alienation Syndrome. The third criteria for detecting Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is when there has been a significant worsening in the relationship between a child and their non-residential parent since their parents separated. This decline doesn’t happen on its own and is a strong indicator of PAS. For example, if a father had a good relationship with his kids before the separation, but now they don’t want to see him, it’s likely that PAS is involved. It’s important to carefully evaluate the pre-separation relationship to understand the true situation. If one important piece is left out of the puzzle, the relationship could suffer. The court might make a ruling without all the necessary information, which would be hard to change later. It’s also important to be careful when using mental health professionals in custody cases, as some may not understand or know how to treat a specific issue called PAS. If they make recommendations without fully understanding the situation, it could harm the parent-child relationship and the case. It’s important for the attorney to closely evaluate the mental health professional’s work if PAS is suspected, to avoid causing harm to the case and the children. This criteria refers to the intense fear reaction children may have when they disagree with or show approval for the parent who is not living with them. The alienating parent may threaten the child if they show any support for the other parent, and the child may feel like they have to choose between their parents. This fear of upsetting the alienating parent can cause the child a lot of stress and anxiety. They may also suddenly resist visits with the other parent, even if they were okay with it before. If a court suspects this kind of behavior, they may need to enforce the visitation schedule more strictly. The parent who is trying to turn the child against the other parent may act like they support visitation, but in reality, they are afraid of losing the child’s loyalty. The child may feel pressured to choose sides and may start to believe and even repeat the negative things the alienating parent says about the other parent. This can make it seem like the child doesn’t want to see the other parent, but really they are just trying to survive in a difficult situation. It’s important for the courts and experts to understand this fear and not just take the child’s protests at face value. When all four criteria for parental alienation are present, it means one parent is trying to turn the children against the other parent. Even if the attempt isn’t successful, it’s still a serious problem. The court needs to address it right away, or it will cause a lot of problems for the family. Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) affects both the parent who the child lives with and the parent who the child doesn’t live with. It can happen in custody battles, and it can be difficult to deal with. There are different ways the court can help, like appointing someone to look out for the child’s best interests and getting a psychological evaluation. Two experts in family law and psychology, Dr. Bone and Mr. Walsh, have a lot of experience with PAS cases and have helped many families.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/parental-alienation-syndrome-how-to-detect-it-and-what-to-do-about-it/