Misinformation in parental alienation discourse can mislead courts and endanger children

Common social science assertions by parental alienation proponents—in expert opinions, judicial trainings and scholarship—can persuade judges that parental alienation is both so real and so destructive that it requires the draconian remedies of removal of children from a loving, physically safe parent and/or forcing them into contact with a parent they fear. These assertions are typically stated as though they are research-based or well-established. Review of cited or other relevant research, however, shows that these assertions are misinformation, unsupported by and/or contrary to established research. This article explores two such claims: first, that children’s fear or hostility toward a parent is a sign of alienation, not abuse; and second, that parental alienation causes severe lifelong harms—justifying the traumatic removal of a child from their parent and home. Without these assertions, parental alienation labels would evoke less urgency for draconian interventions and would be less likely to preempt concerns about the risks posed by an allegedly abusive or harmful parent.