Denial and maladjustment of children in cases of conflictual divorce: Possible developmental pathways

Journal title MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA
Author/s Togliatti Marisa Malagoli, Lavadera Anna Lubrano
Publishing Year 2016 Issue 2016/2 suppl.
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 46-53 File size 185 KB
DOI 10.3280/MAL2016-S02004
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

The diffusion of marital divorce introduced significant transformations within relationship between parents and children and between co-parents. These evolutions aren’t always functional, because sometimes divorce pain cannot be elaborate, and this could generate risk to amplify parenting difficulties. In this work we reviewed the Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) in term of continuity/ discontinuity. PAS, sometimes, can be confused with real dysfunctional relationship between refusal parent and child and it doesn’t allow an effective intervention. In the second part we focus on the intervention and we discuss the difficulties to integrate "psychical" and "processual" truth, whenever it doesn’t use an ethic of relationship.

Keywords: Divorce, PAS, parental refuse, psycho-juridical intervention

  1. Ahrons, C. R. (2006). Family ties after divorce: Long term implications for children. Family Process, 46, 53-65, DOI: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2006.00191.x
  2. Allen, S. M., & Hawkins, A. J. (1999). Maternal gatekeeping: Mothers’ beliefs and behaviors that inhibit father involvement in family work. Journal of Marriage and Family, 61, 199-212, DOI: 10.1177/0192513X03256397
  3. Baker, A.J.L., & Ben-Ami, N. (2011). To turn a child against a parent is to turn a child against himself: The direct and indirect effects of exposure to parental alienation strategies on self-esteem and well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 52, 472-489, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2011.609424
  4. 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, 55-76, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2011.534396
  5. Baker, A.J.L., & Verrocchio, M.C. (2013). Italian College Student-Reported Childhood Exposure to Parental Alienation: Correlates With Well-Being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 54, 8, 609-628, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2013.83771
  6. Blank, G. K. (2006). The (de)construction of conflict in divorce litigation: A discursive critique of “Parental alienation syndrome” and “The alienated child”. Family Court Review, 44, 135-148, DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2006.00072.x
  7. Camerini, G.B. (2013). Definire la PAS. Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, 2, 317-320, DOI: 10.1449/74828
  8. Camerini, G.B., Magro, T., Sabatello U., Volpini L. (2014). La Parental Alienation: considerazioni cliniche, nosografiche e psicologico-giuridiche alla luce del DSM-5. Giornale di Neuropsichiatria dell’Età Evolutiva, 34, 39-48.
  9. Cummings, M., Davies, P. (2010). Marital Conflict and Children: An Emotional Security Perspective. New York: Guilford Press (tr. it. Zavattini, & Zaccagnini, Il conflitto coniugale e i figli. La prospettiva della sicurezza emotiva, Roma: Borla, 2013).
  10. Davies, P. T., & Cummings, E. M. (1994). Marital conflict and child adjustment: An emotional security hypotesis. Psychological Bulletin, 16, 387-411, DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.116.3.387
  11. Di Blasio, P. (2005). Tra rischio e protezione. La valutazione delle competenze genitoriali. Milano: Unicopli.
  12. Di Blasio, P. (2013). Dibattito sulla validità e affidabilità scientifica della Sindrome da Alienazione Parentale (PAS). Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 2, 315-316,
  13. Emery, R.E. (2008). La verità sui figli e il divorzio. Gestire le emozioni per crescere insieme. Milano: Franco Angeli.
  14. Fabricus, W. V., & Luecken, L. J. (2007). Post-divorce living arrangements, parent conflict, and long-term physical health correlates for children of divorce. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 195-205, DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.21.2.195
  15. Friedlander, S., & Walters, M.G. (2010). When a child rejects a parent: Tailoring the intervention to fit the problem. Family Court Review, 48, 98-110 DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2009.01291.x
  16. Gardner, R. A. (1985). Recent trends in divorce and custody litigation. The Academy Forum, 29, 2, 3-7.
  17. Gardner, R. A. (1987). The parental alienation syndrome and the differentiation between fabricated and genuine child sexual abuse. Cresskill, NJ: Creative Therapeutics.
  18. Gardner, R. A. (1992). The parental alienation syndrome: A guide for mental health and legal professionals. Cresskill, NJ: Creative Therapeutics.
  19. Gardner, R. A. (1998). Recommendation for dealing with parents who induce a parental alienation syndrome in their children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 28, 3/4, 1-23.
  20. Gardner, R. A. (2003). The judiciary’s role in the etiology, symptom development, and treatment of the parental alienation syndrome (PAS). American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 21,1, 39-64.
  21. Grych, J. H. (2005). Interparental conflict as a risk factor for child maladjustment: implications for the development of prevention programs. Family Court Review, 43, 97-108, DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00010.x
  22. Johnston, J. R., Gans Walters, M., & Friedlander, S. (2001). Therapeutic work with alienated children and their families. Family Court Review, 39, 316-333, DOI: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2001.tb00613.x.
  23. Johnston, J.R. (2003). Parental alignments and rejection: An empirical study of alienation in children of divorce. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 31, 158-170.
  24. Kelly, J. B. (2006). Children’s living arrangements following separation and divorce: Insights from empirical and clinical research. Family Process, 46, 35-52, DOI: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2006.00190.x
  25. Kelly, J. B., & Johnston, J. R. (2001). The alienated child. A reformulation of Parental Alienation Syndrome. Family Court Review, 39, 249-266, DOI: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2001.tb00609.x
  26. Lee, S. M., & Olesen, N. W. (2001). Assessing for alienation in child custody and access evaluations. Family Court Review, 39, 282-298, DOI: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2001.tb00611.x
  27. Lowestein, L.F. (2010). Attachment theory and parental alienation. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 51, 157-168, DOI: 10.1080/10502551003597808
  28. Lubrano Lavadera, A., Micci, A.L., Iesu, L. (2009). La rilevazione della IPV in diversi contesti clinici. Maltrattamento e Abuso all’Infanzia, 11, 43-60, DOI: 10.3280/MAL2009-001003
  29. Lubrano Lavadera, A., Ferracuti, S., & Malagoli Togliatti, M. (2012). Parental Alienation Syndrome in Italian legal judgments: An exploratory study. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 35, 334-342, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.04.005
  30. Lubrano Lavadera, A., Criscuolo, M., Galante, L. (in stampa). Caratteristiche individuali e dinamiche relazionali nel rifiuto genitoriale: un confronto tra gruppi. Accettato per la pubblicazione su Maltrattamento e Abuso all’Infanzia.
  31. Lubrano Lavadera, Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Alvaro, F. (2012). Prevenire e curare la rottura delle relazioni familiari. Roma 13 dicembre 2012.
  32. Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Lubrano Lavadera, A. (2005). La sindrome di alienazione genitoriale (PAS): epigenesi relazionale. Maltrattamento e abuso all’infanzia, 7, 7-12.
  33. Trinder, L. (2008). Maternal gate closing and gate opening in postdivorce families. Journal of Family Issues, 29, 1298-1324, DOI: 10.1177/0192513X08315362
  34. Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Lubrano Lavadera, A. (2008). Sul concetto di cogenitorialità: nodi empirici e teorici. Età evolutiva, 2, 99-115.
  35. Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Lubrano Lavadera, A. (2009). I figli che affrontano la separazione dei genitori. Psicologia Clinica e dello Sviluppo, 1, 5-41, DOI: 10.1449/29217
  36. Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Lubrano Lavadera, A. (2011) (a cura di). Bambini in tribunale. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
  37. Malagoli Togliatti, M., & Lubrano Lavadera, A. (2013). La prospettiva sistemicoecologica. Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, 2, 317-346, DOI: 10.1449/74828
  38. Montecchi, F. (2005). Dal bambino minaccioso al bambino minacciato. Gli abusi sui bambini e la violenza in famiglia: prevenzione, rilevamento e trattamento.
  39. Milano: FrancoAngeli. Montecchi, F. (2014). I figli nella separazioni conflittuali e nella (cosiddetta) PAS (Sindrome di Alienazione Genitoriale). Massacro psicologico e possibilità di riparazione. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  40. Polak, S., Saini, M. (2015). Children resisting contact with a parent postseparation: assessing this phenomenon using an ecological systems framework. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 56, 220-247, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2015.1012698
  41. Sandler, I., & Miles, J. (2008). Effects of father and mother parenting on children’s mental health in high-and low-conflict divorcers. Family Court Review, 46, 282-296, DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2008.00201.x
  42. Sbarra, D. A., & Emery, R. E. (2008). Deeper into divorce: using actor-partner analyses to explore systemic differences in co-parenting conflict following custody dispute resolution. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 144-152, DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.22.1.144
  43. Società Italiana di Neuropsichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza (SINPIA) (2013). Comunicato stampa consultato online il 18/05/2015 al link http://sinpia.eu/atom/allegato/1063.pdf
  44. Sullivan, M. J., & Kelly, J. B. (2001). Legal and psychological management of cases with alienated child. Family Court Review, 39, 299-315, DOI: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2001.tb00612.x
  45. Verrocchio M.C., Baker A.J.L. (2015). Italian adults’ recall of childhood exposure to parental loyalty conflicts. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 95-105, DOI: 10.1007/s10826-013-9816-0
  46. 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, DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13046
  47. Walker, L. E., & Shapiro, D. L. (2010). Parental alienation disorder: Why label children with a mental diagnosis? Journal of Child Custody, 7, 266-286, DOI: 10.1080/15379418.2010.521041
  48. Warshak, R. A. (2010). Family bridges: Using insights from social science to reconnect parents and alienated children. Family Court Review, 48, 48-80, DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2009.01288.x.

  • L'intervento nei casi di alienazione genitoriale: una rassegna sistematica della letteratura Maria Cristina Verrocchio, Daniela Marchetti, in MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL'INFANZIA 1/2017 pp.67
    DOI: 10.3280/MAL2017-001005
  • Alienazione Genitoriale (PAS) e procedimenti di Consulenza Tecnica d'Ufficio: evidenze cliniche dall'analisi di alcune valutazioni Maria Luisa Gennari, Giancarlo Tamanza, in MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL'INFANZIA 1/2017 pp.13
    DOI: 10.3280/MAL2017-001002
  • Caratteristiche individuali e dinamiche relazionali nel rifiuto genitoriale: un confronto tra gruppi Anna Lubrano Lavandera, Michela Criscuolo, Laura Carla Galante, in MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL'INFANZIA 3/2017 pp.79
    DOI: 10.3280/MAL2016-003005
  • Curare la rottura delle relazioni genitore-figlio nelle situazioni di alta conflittualità Anna Lubrano Lavadera, in MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL'INFANZIA 1/2017 pp.29
    DOI: 10.3280/MAL2017-001003

Togliatti Marisa Malagoli, Lavadera Anna Lubrano, Il rifiuto e il disagio dei figli nei casi di separazione conflittuale: possibili percorsi evolutivi in "MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA" 2 suppl./2016, pp 46-53, DOI: 10.3280/MAL2016-S02004