Risk Factors of Parental Alienation Syndrome
During a separation or a divorce, there are a number of factors that can put you and your children at risk for parental alienation. Early recognition of these factors is important so you can intervene (see the other web pages) and protect your relationship with your children.
This list is not intended to be a list of symptoms. Instead, these are risk factors that you should be aware of that can lead to alienation.
Copyright 1998 by Douglas Darnall, Ph.D.
- Visits are withheld.
- Children are frequently not returned on time (later than a half-hour).
- A parent that cannot control his or her anger, especially in the children’s presence.
- Very intrusive and controlling grandparents or stepparent.
- A parent threatens to abduct the children or that the other parent will "never see the children again."
- Suggestions of sexual, physical, and/or mental abuse.
- Alcohol or drug abuse.
- A parent having a severe mental disorder.
- A parent interferes with a reasonable number of phone calls between the child and the other parent.
- Children begin refusing to visit. *Note: There may be alternative reasons for refusal by children to cooperate with visitation.
This list is not intended to be a list of symptoms. Instead, these are risk factors that you should be aware of that can lead to alienation.
Copyright 1998 by Douglas Darnall, Ph.D.