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16 Journal of Family Issues 00(0)
Targeted Parents and Alienation Tactics
For the participants in this study, parental alienation occurred via a mix of
tactics or behaviors enacted by the alienating parent. These included emo-
tional manipulation, encouraging defiance toward the targeted parent and
alliance with the alienating parent, disrupting the targeted parent’s time spent
with the child, withholding information from the targeted parent, defamation
of the targeted parent, and erasing the targeted parent from their child’s life,
both practically and symbolically. Previous research has also indicated that
parental alienation and alienating behaviors can stem from discord in the par-
ent dyad that leads to one parent seeking revenge, wishing to erase the ex-
partner from the child’s life to “make room” for a new partner or a new
couple’s attempt to strengthen their own bond by uniting around a shared
enemy (Warshak, 2000). These findings are consistent with previous research
(e.g., Baker & Fine, 2014) adding further evidence of the validity of these
tactics and behaviors occurring.
Targeted Parents and Physical Distance
This research identified geographical distance as a key feature in many
targeted parents’ narratives. This is consistent with prior research that also
highlights the role of distance via reductions in visitation and ex-partner
relocating with their child in impeding the relationship between the tar-
geted parent and their children (Baker & Fine, 2014; Vassiliou & Cartwright,
2001). Importantly, a few targeted parents alluded to scenarios which one
could consider child abduction. Child abduction could be considered an
extreme form of parental alienation because the outcome of child abduction
matches the outcome of parental alienation such that the targeted parent is
eradicated from the child’s life, the child is isolated from familiar people,
and there are long-lasting psychosocial consequences. Research has indi-
cated that the long-term effects of parental abduction are varied, including
interpersonal problems relating to mistrust of others, trouble making and
retaining friends, and clinical symptoms associated with posttraumatic
stress disorder (Gibbs, Jones, Smith, Staples, & Weeks, 2013). These out-
comes match the concerns raised by targeted parents regarding their chil-
dren’s well-being (Greif, 2000). The parents in the current study expressed
concern for their children’s welfare. They described their child as “perma-
nently scarred” by the actions of the other parent and the damage does not
appear to be alleviated by the system’s involvement, but rather maintained
or exacerbated.
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