Avaliação dos efeitos da alienação parental em crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

Parental alienation (PA) is an interdisciplinary phenomenon that occurs at the intersection of psychology and law, especially observed in litigation situations. This is a relevant topic that should be studied by the scientific community to clarify and define its construct as well as the consequences related to the phenomenon. Because of this demand, two studies were conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of alienation on children and adolescents in the short and long term. The first theoretical study was a scope review of empirical articles that addressed the consequences of AP on children. Fifteen articles were identified, carried out through retrospective research, where adult subjects answered their perceptions of the effects of AP in their current life. Participants cited depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationship difficulties, low quality of life, alcohol use, repetition of alienating behaviors with their own children and evaluated PA as a form of psychological abuse. The second study, carried out empirically, evaluated children and adolescents in the forensic context, whose parents are in judicial litigation for custody or cohabitation regime. A protocol composed of three instruments, Parental Alienation Scale - PAS, Inventory of Parenting Styles - IEP and Child Behavior Checklist - CBCL 6-18 years, was applied to the members of the families under evaluation. Two groups were formed from the application of the EAP: group A with allegation of PA and group B, without allegation of PA. The maternal and paternal IEP was answered by the children under evaluation. The results indicated that parents involved in a legal dispute have poor parenting practices. The CBCL was answered by the parents in relation to the children being assessed. The comparison between the groups indicated that the children and adolescents in group A showed symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD) and cognitive delay. It was identified that some parental behaviors can lead to behavioral and emotional changes in their children. The alienating practice of defaming the other parent predicts anxiety/depression, rule-breaking, 10 social problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the children; the parent's aggressive behavior during the evaluation was related to anxiety/depression and the child's behavior during the evaluation predicted social competence problems, internalizing problems, and somatic problems in the children. To date, this study is the only one to evaluate the consequences of PA on children in litigation. Its results are relevant to understanding the phenomenon in the short term, since the literature only mentions the long-term consequences of PA