Top 100 Peer-Reviewed Articles
This list consists of articles pertaining to parental alienation theory and closely related topics. Most of these articles were published in peer-reviewed journals. Books and book chapters are in a separate bibliography.
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Baker, A. J. L. (2005). Parental alienation strategies: A qualitative study of adults who experienced parental alienation as a child. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 23(4), 41–63.
Baker, A. J. L. (2005). The cult of parenthood: A qualitative study of parental alienation. Cultic Studies Review, 4(1), 1–20.
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.
Baker, A. J. L., & Darnall, D. (2006). Behaviors and strategies of parental alienation: A survey of parental experiences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 45(1-2), 97–124.
Baker, A. J. L., & Darnall, D. C. (2007). A construct study of the eight symptoms of severe parental alienation syndrome. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 47(1-2), 55–75.
Baker, A. J. L., & Eichler, A. (2016). The linkage between parental alienation behaviors and child alienation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 57(7), 475–484.
Bernet, W., & Lorandos, D. (2023). Milestones: A concise history of parental alienation theory. European Journal of Parental Alienation Practice, Issue 1, 39–71.
Bernet, W., Wamboldt, M. Z., & Narrow, W. E. (2016). Child affected by parental relationship distress. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(7), 571–579.
Burrill, J. (2001). Parental alienation syndrome in court referred custody cases [doctoral dissertation]. Northcentral University.
Drozd, L. M., & Olesen, N. W. (2004). Is it abuse, alienation, and/or estrangement? Journal of Child Custody, 1(3), 65–106.
Gardner, R. A. (1985). Recent trends in divorce and custody litigation. Academy Forum, 29(2), 3–7.
Harman, J. J., Bernet, W., & Harman, J. (2019). Parental alienation: The blossoming of a field of study. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(2), 212–216.
Harman, J. J., Biringen, Z., Ratajack, E. M., Outland, P. L., & Kraus, A. (2016). Parents behaving badly: Gender biases in the perception of parental alienating behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(7), 866–874.
Harman, J. J., Lorandos, D., Biringen, Z., & Grubb, C. (2020). Gender differences in the use of parental alienating behaviors. Journal of Family Violence, 35(5), 459–469.
Johnston, J. R. (2003). Parental alignments and rejection: An empirical study of alienation in children of divorce. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 31(2), 158–170.
Johnston, J. R., Walters, M. G., & Olesen, N. W. (2005). Is it alienating parenting, role reversal, or child abuse? A study of children’s rejection of a parent in child custody disputes. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 5(4), 191–218.
Moné, J. G., & Biringen, Z. (2006). Perceiving parent–child alienation: Empirical assessment of parent–child relationships with divorced and intact families. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 45(3-4), 131–156.
Warshak, R. A. (2015). Ten parental alienation fallacies that compromise decisions in court and in therapy. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 46(4), 235–249.
Warshak, R. A. (2020). When evaluators get it wrong: False positive IDs and parental alienation. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 26(1), 54–68.
ACCEPTANCE OF PARENTAL ALIENATION THEORY
Baker, A. J. L. (2007). Knowledge and attitudes about the parental alienation syndrome: A survey of custody evaluators. American Journal of Family Therapy, 35(1), 1–19.
Bernet, W., Baker, A. J. L., & Adkins, K. L., II. (2022). Definitions and terminology regarding child alignments, estrangement, and alienation: A survey of custody evaluators. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 67(1), 279–288.
THE BAKER MODEL FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PARENTAL ALIENATION
Baker, A. J. L. (2020). Reliability and validity of the four-factor model of parental alienation. Journal of Family Therapy, 42(1), 100–118.
Bernet, W., & Greenhill, L. (2022). The Five-Factor Model for the diagnosis of parental alienation. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(5), 591–594.
Morrison, S. L., & Ring R. (2021). Reliability of the Five-Factor Model for determining parental alienation. American Journal of Family Therapy. Accessed at doi:10.1080/01926187.2021.2021831.
Rueda, C. A. (2004). An inter-rater reliability study of parental alienation syndrome. American Journal of Family Therapy, 32(5), 391–403.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS FOR PARENTAL ALIENATION
Bernet, W., Gregory, N., Rohner, R. P., & Reay, K. M. (2020). Measuring the difference between parental alienation and parental estrangement: The PARQ-Gap. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 65(4), 1225–1234.
Blagg, N., & Godfrey, E. (2018). Exploring parent-child relationships in alienated versus neglected/emotionally abused children using the Bene-Anthony Family Relations Test. Child Abuse Review, 27(6), 486–496.
Gordon, R. M., Stoffey, R., & Bottinelli, J. (2008). MMPI-2 findings of primitive defenses in alienating parents. American Journal of Family Therapy, 36(3), 211–228.
Rowlands, G. A. (2019). Parental alienation: A measurement tool. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 60(4), 316–331.
Siegel, J. C., & Langford, J. S. (1998). MMPI-2 validity scales and suspected parental alienation syndrome. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 16(4), 5–14.
PREVALENCE OF ALIENTING BEHAVIORS AND PARENTAL ALIENATION
Harman, J. J., Leder-Elder, S., & Biringen, Z. (2016). Prevalence of parental alienation drawn from a representative poll. Children and Youth Services Review, 66, 62–66.
Harman, J. J., Leder-Elder, S., & Biringen, Z. (2019). Prevalence of adults who are the targets of parental alienating behaviors and their impact: Results from three national polls. Children and Youth Services Review, 106, Article 104471.
PARENTAL ALIENATION AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
Harman, J. J., Kruk, E., & Hines, D. A. (2018). Parental alienating behaviors: An unacknowledged form of family violence. Psychological Bulletin, 144(12), 1275–1299.
Jaffe, P. G., Johnston, J. R., Crooks, C. V., & Bala, N. (2008). Custody disputes involving allegations of domestic violence: Toward a differentiated approach to parenting plans. Family Court Review, 46(3), 500–522.
Korosi, S. A., Bernet, W., Graham, S. P., & Ross, D. (2023). Parental alienation: A violent and potentially lethal social and psychological phenomenon. European Journal of Parental Alienation Practice, Issue 1, 114–138.
Kruk, E. (2018). Parental alienation as a form of emotional child abuse: Current state of knowledge and future directions for research. Family Science Review, 22(4), 141–164.
Walker, A. J. (2006). The extreme consequence of parental alienation syndrome – The Richard Lohstroh case of a child driven to kill his father – Will courts move toward allowing children to use parental alienation syndrome as a defense to the crime of murder of their own parent. Women’s Rights Law Reporter, 27(3), Article 153.
INTERVENTIONS FOR PARENTAL ALIENATION
Dunne, J., & Hedrick, M. (1994). The parental alienation syndrome: An analysis of sixteen selected cases. Journal of Remarriage and Divorce, 21(3-4), 21–38.
Gardner, R. A. (2001). Should courts order PAS children to visit/reside with the alienated parent? A follow-up study. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 19(3), 61–106.
Neff, R., & Cooper, K. (2004). Parental conflict resolution: Six-, twelve-, and fifteen-month follow-ups of a high-conflict program. Family Court Review, 42(1), 99–114.
Saini, M. (2019). Strengthening coparenting relationships to improve strained parent-child relationships: A follow-up study of parents’ experiences of attending the Overcoming Barriers program. Family Court Review, 57(2), 217–230.
Sullivan, M. J., Ward, P. A., & Deutsch, R. M. (2010). Overcoming barriers camp: A program for high-conflict divorced families where a child is resisting contact with a parent. Family Court Review, 48(1), 116–135.
Templer, K., Matthewson, M., Haines, J., & Cox, G. (2017). Recommendations for best practice in response to parental alienation: Findings from a systematic review. Journal of Family Therapy, 39(1), 103–122.
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.
Walters, M. G., & Friedlander, S. (2016). When a child rejects a parent: Working with the intractable resist/refuse dynamic. Family Court Review, 54(3), 424–445.
Warshak, R. A. (2010). Family bridges: Using insights from social science to reconnect parents and alienated children. Family Court Review, 48(1), 48–80.
Warshak, R. A. (2019). Reclaiming parent–child relationships: Outcomes of family bridges with alienated children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 60(8), 645–667.
CONSEQUENCES FOR ALIENATED CHILDREN
Baker, A. J. L., & Verrocchio, M. C. (2016). Exposure to parental alienation and subsequent anxiety and depression in Italian adults. American Journal of Family Therapy, 44(5), 255–271.
Ben-Ami, N., & Baker, A. J. L. (2012). The long-term correlates of childhood exposure to parental alienation on adult self-sufficiency and wellbeing. American Journal of Family Therapy, 40(2), 169–183.
Bentley, C., & Matthewson, M. (2020). The not-forgotten child: Alienated adult children’s experience of parental alienation. American Journal of Family Therapy, 48(5), 509–529.
Giancarlo, C., & Rottman, K. (2015). Kids come last: The effect of family law involvement in parental alienation. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review, 9(1), 27–42.
Hands, A. J., & Warshak, R. A. (2011). Parental alienation among college students. American Journal of Family Therapy, 39(5), 431–443.
Harman, J. J., Matthewson, M. L., & Baker, A. J. L. (2022). Losses experienced by children alienated from a parent. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 7–12.
McGlynn, L. C. (2001). Assessing parental alienation: Empirical assessment of college students’ recollections of parental alienation during their childhoods. North Dakota Law Review, 77(3), 525–548.
Moné, J. G., & Biringen, Z. (2012). Assessing parental alienation: Empirical assessment of college student’s recollections of parental alienation during their childhoods. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(3), 157–177.
O’Hara, K., Rhodes, C. A., Wolchik, S. A., Sandler, I. N., & Yun-Tin, J. (2021). Longitudinal effects of postdivorce interparental conflict on children's mental health problems through fear of abandonment: Does parenting quality play a buffering role? Child Development, 92(4), 1476–1493.
Saini, M. A., Drozd, L. M., & Olesen, N. W. (2017). Adaptive and maladaptive gatekeeping behaviors and attitudes: Implications for child outcomes after separation and divorce. Family Court Review, 55(2), 260–272.
Smith, A. D., Biringen, Z., & Harman, J. J. (2018). Parenting time and child coping: The context of parental alienation. Family Science Review, 23(4), 118–140.
Verrocchio, M. C., Baker, A. J. L., & Bernet, W. (2016). Associations between exposure to alienating behaviors, anxiety, and depression in an Italian sample of adults. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 61(3), 692–698.
Verrocchio, M. C., Baker, A. J. L., & Marchetti, D. (2018). Adult report of childhood exposure to parental alienation at different developmental time periods. Journal of Family Therapy, 40(4), 602–618.
Verrocchio, M. C., Marchetti, D., Carrozzino, D., Compare, A., & Fulcheri, M. (2019). Depression and quality of life in adults perceiving exposure to parental alienation behaviors. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 17(1), Article 14.
Wozencraft, T. A., Tauzin, M., & Romero, L. (2019). The relationship between psychological functioning in a college sample and retrospective reports of parental loyalty conflicts and psychological maltreatment. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 60(2), 104–116.
CONSEQUENCES FOR ALIENATED PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
Balmer, S., Matthewson, M., & Haines, J. (2018). Parental alienation: Targeted parent perspective. Australian Journal of Psychology, 70(1), 91–99.
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.
Kruk, E. (2010). Collateral damage: The lived experiences of divorced mothers without custody. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 51(8), 526–543.
Lee-Maturana, S., Matthewson, M., & Dwan, C. (2020). Targeted parents surviving parental alienation: Consequences of the alienation and coping strategies. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(8), 2268–2280.
Lee-Maturana, S., Matthewson, M., & Dwan, C. (2020). Understanding targeted parents’ experience of parental alienation: A qualitative description from their own perspective. American Journal of Family Therapy, 49(5), 499–516.
Maturana, S. L., Matthewson, M., Dwan, C., Norris, K. (2018). Characteristics and experiences of targeted parents of parental alienation from their own perspective: A systematic literature review. Australian Journal of Psychology, 71, 83–91.
Moné, J. G., MacPhee, D., Anderson, S. K., & Banning, J. H. (2011). Family members’ narratives of divorce and interparental conflict: Implications for parental alienation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 52(8), 642–667.
Poustie, C., Matthewson, M., & Balmer, S. (2018). The forgotten parent: The targeted parent perspective of parental alienation. Journal of Family Issues, 39(12), 3298–3323.
Sims, M., & Rofail, M. (2013). The experiences of grandparents who have limited or no contact with their grandchildren. Journal of Aging Studies, 27(4), 377–386.
Tavares, A., Crespo, C., & Ribeiro, M. T. (2020). Psychological adaptation and beliefs in targeted parents: A study in the context of parental alienation. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(8), 2281–2289.
Vassiliou, D., & Cartwright, G. F. (2001). The lost parents’ perspective on parental alienation syndrome. American Journal of Family Therapy, 29(3), 181–191.
Whitcombe, S. (2017). Powerless to parent; powerless to protect: The experiences of alienated parents in the U.K. Maltrattamento e Abuso All'Infanzia, 19(1), 47–66.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF PUBLISHED RESEARCH
Harman, J. J., Warshak, R. A., Lorandos, D., & Florian, M. J. (2022). Developmental psychology and the scientific status of parental alienation. Developmental Psychology, 58(10), 1887–1911.
Marques, T. M., Narciso, I., & Ferreira, L. C. (2020). Empirical research on parental alienation: A descriptive literature review. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, Article 105572.
Saini, M., Johnston, J. R., Fidler, B. J., & Bala, N. (2016). Empirical studies of alienation. In L. Drozd, M. Saini, & N. Olesen (Eds.), Parenting plan evaluations: Applied research for the family court (pp. 374–430). Oxford University Press.
LEGAL RESEARCH REGARDING PARENTAL ALIENATION
Bala, N., Hunt, S., & McCarney, C. (2010). Parental alienation: Canadian court cases 1989-2008. Family Court Review, 48(1), 164–179.
Harman, J. J., & Lorandos, D. (2021). Allegations of family violence in court: How parental alienation affects judicial outcomes. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 27(2), 184–208.
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.
Lorandos, D. (2020). Parental alienation in U.S. Courts, 1985 to 2018. Family Court Review, 58(2), 322–339.
Priolo-Filho, S., Goldfarb, D., Shestowsky, D., Sampana, J., Williams, L. C. A., & Goodman, G. S. (2018). Judgments regarding parental alienation when parental hostility or child sexual abuse is alleged. Journal of Child Custody, 15(4), 302–329.
Waide, A. M. (2011). To comply or not to comply? Brazil’s relationship with the Hague Convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction. Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 39(1), 271–301.
MISINFORMATION REGARDING PARENTAL ALIENATION THEORY
Bernet, W. (2021). Parental alienation and misinformation proliferation. Family Court Review, 58(2), 293–307.
Bernet, W., & Xu, S. (2022). Scholarly rumors: Citation analysis of vast misinformation regarding parental alienation theory. Behavioral Sciences and the Law. Accessed at doi:10.1002/bsl.2605.
TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY RELATED TO PARENTAL ALIENATION THEORY
Ceci, S. J., Huffman, M. L. C., Smith, E., & Loftus, E. F. (1994). Repeatedly thinking a non-event: Source misattributions among preschoolers.Consciousness and Cognition, 3(3-4), 388–407.
Cialdini, R. B. (2001). The science of persuasion. Scientific American, 284(2), 76–81.
Davies, P. T., & Cummings, E. M. (1994). Marital conflict and child adjustment: An emotional security hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 116(3), 387–411.
Davies, P. T., & Martin, M. (2014). Children’s coping and adjustment in high-conflict homes: The reformulation of emotional security theory. Child Development Perspectives, 8(4), 242–249.
Egan, L. C., Santos, L. R., & Bloom, P. (2007). The origins of cognitive dissonance: Evidence from children and monkeys. Psychological Science, 18(11), 978–983.
Festinger, L., & Carlsmith, J. M. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58(2), 203–210.
Hetherington, E. M., Bridges, M., & Insabella, G. M. (1998). What matters? What does not? Five perspectives on the association between marital transitions and children’s adjustment. American Psychologist, 53(2), 167–184.
Johnston, J. R., Lee, S., Olesen, N. W., & Walters, M. G. (2005). Allegations and substantiations of abuse in custody disputing families. Family Court Review, 43(2), 283–294.
Loftus, E. F., & Pickrell, J. E. (1995). The formation of false memories. Psychiatric Annals, 25(12), 720–725.
Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology, 2(2), 175–220.
Poole, D. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (1995). Interviewing preschoolers: Effects of nonsuggestive techniques, parental coaching, and leading questions on reports of nonexperienced events. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 60(1), 129–154.
Poole, D. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (2001). Children’s eyewitness reports after exposure to misinformation from parents. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 7(1), 27–50.
Principe, G. F., Kirkpatrick, H., & Langley, S. (2022). A focus on accuracy in misinformed mothers puts young children at risk for false memories. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 214, Article 105274.
Ramos, A. M., Shewark, E. A., Fosco, G. M., Shaw, D. S., Reiss, D., Natsuaki, M. N., Leve, L. D., & Neiderhiser, J. M. (2022). Reexamining the association between the interparental relationship and parent-child interactions: Incorporating heritable influences. Developmental Psychology, 58(1), 43–54.
Rowen, J., & Emery, R. (2018). Parental denigration: A form of conflict that typically backfires. Family Court Review, 56(2), 258–268.
Yule, K., Houston, J., & Grych, J. (2019). Resilience in children exposed to violence: A meta-analysis of protective factors across ecological contexts. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 22(3), 406–431.
