Parental alienation : childhood abuse experiences from adults alienated during childhood

This study used qualitative data to examine the lived experiences of adults who were reportedly alienated from a parent during childhood, because of exposure to parental alienating behaviours. Specifically, this study aimed to explore adult alienated children’s reported experience of being exposed to abusive behaviours perpetrated by the alienating parent. This study used a Directive Qualitive Content Analysis (DQCA) to identify if participants were exposed to other forms of child abuse in addition to parental alienating behaviours. Transcripts of interviews from twenty adults who reported having been exposed to parental alienating behaviours were analysed using DCQA. Participants reported experiencing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, coercive control, and neglect. They also reported witnessing abuse and being parentified and adultified. The findings also suggest that parental alienation appears to be intergenerational. These findings suggest that children who are exposed to parental alienating behaviours may also be exposed to other forms of abusive behaviours.