How Does Parental Alienation Affect Children As Adults?

When parents divorce, they sometimes try to alienate their children from their other parent. They may speak badly about the other parent, and even tell the child lies about their former partner. Although the effects of parental alienation on young children are well documented, recent studies have shown the adverse effects of parental alienation on adults, as well. Below, our Media family lawyer explains the effects adult children are likely to feel when they have been the victim of parental alienation.

Parental Alienation is Abuse

The effects of parental alienation on adult children has been well documented in Psychiatric Times. According to one study, when a child is exposed to parental alienation when they are young, the effects do not simply go away. Children do not outgrow the negative effects the alienation had on them. Instead, the impact of the alienation remains with them, often for the rest of their life.

While sad, the fact that the effects of parental alienation will remain with a person even as they grow into an adult is not surprising. Parental alienation is a form of abuse and just as with any other form of abuse, the effects will remain with a child for the rest of their lives, even when they grow into adults.

Long-Lasting Impacts of Parent Alienation on Children

Like any other type of abuse, the effects of parental alienation are extremely negative and they will remain with a person for years. Sometimes, for the rest of their life.

It has been noted that victims of parental alienation often have trouble making friends. Even when they are not in a tight social circle with others, they may have difficulty maintaining any type of connection with their peers, such as people they may attend college or university with. Victims of parental alienation are also at an increased risk of suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and stressor-related disorders. It is also not uncommon for former victims to engage in self-destructive behaviors or to develop a substance abuse problem.

These problems will not only affect the children who were victims of parental alienation. They also affect the parents of those children. As children grow up and better understand the issues they are dealing with, as well as the reason for those issues, they can become bitter and resentful towards the alienating parent. They may try to take negative action against them, or simply choose to move on in their life without the detrimental behavior, or the reminder of it. Parent alienation can result in a child no longer being part of a parent’s life, even though the intent is the exact opposite while the alienation is occurring.

Our Family Lawyer in Media Can Help with Your Child Custody Case

If you are going through child custody hearings, there are many actions you can take that will hurt your case, and even your relationship with your own children. At Barbara Flum Stein & Associates, our Media family lawyer will ensure these mistakes are not made, during or after your divorce case. Call us today at 610-565-6100 or contact us online to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help.

Source:

psychiatrictimes.com/view/treatment-and-prevention-parental-alienation