P080. Parental rejection in high-conflict separations: a critical review of parental rejection, children's rights, and intervention strategies

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Abstract

Parental rejection is a complex phenomenon that predominantly occurs in highly conflictual judicial separations, with significant consequences for children's well-being. In recent years, separation processes characterized by intense antagonism have increased, exacerbating children's exposure to interparental conflict, which has been shown to be more harmful than divorce itself. Studies indicate that minors exposed to persistent parental conflict are at a higher risk of developing psychopathologies and substance dependencies (Corrás et al., 2017; Van der Wal et al., 2019). In such contexts, parental abilities are significantly reduced, negatively affecting the parent-child relationship and fostering loyalty conflicts.
Parental rejection arises in this scenario as a dynamic in which one parent, consciously or unconsciously, seeks to alienate the child from the other parent, often through emotional triangulation. Although the literature acknowledges the existence of recurring alienating behaviours, the recognition of parental alienation as an official diagnosis remains controversial. Academic debates focus on its validity as a syndrome and its potential inclusion in the DSM or ICD (Garber, 2020), with critics emphasizing the lack of sufficient empirical data and the predominantly relational rather than clinical nature of the phenomenon.
This contribution seeks to examine, through a state-of-the-art analysis of parental refusal, the context of separation, children's rights, and the scientific and legal controversies surrounding parental alienation and its consequences for children. Finally, intervention strategies aimed at early recognition and child protection are explored. The aim is to provide a critical and up-to-date overview of this highly relevant topic with significant implications for the justice system, psychosocial professions and child protection policies.

Authors

• Ginevra Tagliaferri, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Cricenti Clarissa, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.