Understanding Child Maltreatment and its Impact on Parental Alienation

Loretta Maase, LPC

Child maltreatment, a core component of parental alienation and encompassing both abuse and neglect, has severe consequences for a child’s physical and mental well-being.

It is imperative for professionals such as attorneys, judges, clinicians, and forensic experts to identify and address these issues to protect and prioritize the child’s best interests.

This article, influenced by the work of Dr. Steven Miller, consolidates standard definitions of child maltreatment and summarizes key research studies that highlight the severe and lasting effects of psychological abuse on children.

Table of Contents

Child maltreatment is broadly categorized into abuse (active harm) and neglect (passive harm). Three authoritative sources provide standard definitions:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM5)

Child psychological abuse is non-accidental verbal or symbolic acts by a child’s parent or caregiver that result, or have reasonable potential to result, in significant psychological harm to the child.

  • Berating, disparaging, or humiliating the child.
  • Threatening the child or harming/abandoning people or things the child cares about.
  • Excessive or extreme discipline, even if not physically abusive.

American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Definition:

Psychological maltreatment is a repeated pattern or extreme incident(s) of caretaker behavior that thwart the child’s basic psychological needs (e.g., safety, socialization, emotional support, cognitive stimulation, respect) and convey a child is worthless, defective, unloved, unwanted, or expendable.

Exploiting/Corrupting

  • Encouraging the child to betray trust or be cruel to others.
  • Undermining the child’s important relationships (e.g., restricting communication with the other parent and attributing it to the other parent’s lack of love).
  • Encouraging developmentally inappropriate behavior (e.g., parentification, adultification, infantilization).

Terrorizing

  • Placing the child in loyalty conflicts by making them choose between parents.
  • These forms illustrate how parental alienation fits within the framework of psychological maltreatment, representing behaviors that are considered child abuse.
child feels unloved

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Child Maltreatment

Any act or series of acts of commission (abuse) or omission (neglect) by a caregiver that results in harm, potential harm, or threat of harm to a child.

Acts of Commission (Child Abuse)

Deliberate and intentional words or actions that cause harm or potential harm, including physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.

Acts of Omission (Child Neglect)

Failure to provide for a child’s basic needs or to protect them from harm, including physical, emotional, medical, educational neglect, inadequate supervision, and exposure to violent environments.

Research on Child Maltreatment and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Extensive research demonstrates the significant long-term effects of child maltreatment, particularly psychological abuse, on mental and physical health.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study (Felitti et al., 1998)

Overview

A seminal study involving over 9,500 adults conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente.

Findings

Established a strong graded relationship between the number of adverse childhood experiences and multiple risk factors for leading causes of death in adults, such as heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

Implications

Childhood exposure to abuse, including psychological maltreatment related to parental alienation, and household dysfunction has a profound impact on long-term health outcomes.

Enduring Effects of Abuse on Brain Development (Anda et al., 2006)

Overview

An analysis of over 17,000 adults from the ACE Study population.

Findings

Psychological and emotional abuse during childhood can cause physical changes in brain structure and function, leading to permanent impairment and mental health issues.

Implications

Early stress and abuse, including psychological maltreatment related to parental alienation, can alter the developing brain, emphasizing the need for early intervention.

Brain Morphology Changes in Adolescents (Edmiston et al., 2011)

Overview

Studied adolescents with self-reported exposure to childhood maltreatment.

Findings 

Maltreatment is associated with reduced gray matter volume in various brain regions.

Implications

Structural brain changes due to abuse, including psychological maltreatment related to parental alienation, may underlie behavioral and psychological problems.

Impact of Psychological Maltreatment (Spinazzola et al., 2014)

Overview

Research on 5,616 youths examining the effects of psychological maltreatment.

Findings

Psychological abuse is as damaging as physical or sexual abuse, contributing significantly to mental health issues and negative outcomes.

Implications

Psychological maltreatment should be recognized as a severe form of abuse requiring attention and resources equivalent to other abuse types.

Life Course Pathways of ACEs (Nurius et al., 2015)

Overview

Analyzed data from 13,593 individuals on the impact of ACEs on adult psychological well-being.

Findings

Exposure to childhood adversities, including psychological maltreatment related to parental alienation, is a major risk factor for adult mental health problems.

Implications

Prevention and early intervention are critical in mitigating long-term mental health issues stemming from childhood abuse.

Emotional Maltreatment and Mental Disorders (Taillieu et al., 2016)

Overview

Examined data from 34,653 individuals regarding emotional maltreatment and its effects.

Findings

Emotional abuse is strongly associated with increased risk of mental illnesses and personality disorders in adulthood.

Implications

Emotional maltreatment disrupts secure attachment development, affecting self-perception and relationships throughout life.

Reunification Camps

Father Loss and Cellular Aging (Mitchell et al., 2017)

Overview

Investigated the association between father loss and telomere length in children.

Findings

Separation from a father due to death, incarceration, or parental separation is linked to shorter telomeres, markers of cellular aging.

Implications

Loss of a parent, whether due to death, divorce, incarceration, and psychological maltreatment related to parental alienation,  can cause biological changes at the molecular level, highlighting the profound impact of familial relationships on physical health.

For Child Welfare Professionals:

Awareness

Understanding the definitions and manifestations of psychological maltreatment is crucial.

Intervention

Early detection and intervention can mitigate long-term adverse effects.

Education

Ongoing education on the impacts of psychological abuse will improve outcomes for affected children.

Policy Development

Incorporate findings into policies that protect children from all forms of abuse.

Conclusion

The evidence underscores that psychological maltreatment, including forms of parental alienation, is as harmful as physical and sexual abuse.

It can lead to significant alterations in brain development, mental health disorders, and even physical health issues at the molecular level. Recognizing these forms of abuse is essential for effective intervention and prevention strategies.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.

Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., et al. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186. doi:10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4

Edmiston, E. E., Wang, F., Mazure, C. M., et al. (2011). Corticostriatal-limbic gray matter morphology in adolescents with self-reported exposure to childhood maltreatment. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 165(12), 1069-1077.

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The ACE study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258.

Hart, S. N., Brassard, M. R., Baker, A. J. L., & Chiel, Z. A. (2018). Psychological Maltreatment of Children. In The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment (4th ed., pp. 145-162). California: Sage.

Leeb, R. T., Paulozzi, L. J., Melanson, C., et al. (2008). Child Maltreatment Surveillance: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements (Version 1.0). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Mitchell, C., McLanahan, S., Schneper, L., et al. (2017). Father loss and child telomere length. Pediatrics, 140(2). doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3245

Nurius, P. S., Green, S., Logan-Greene, P., & Borja, S. (2015). Life course pathways of adverse childhood experiences toward adult psychological well-being: A stress process analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 45, 143-153. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.03.008

Spinazzola, J., Hodgdon, H., Liang, L., et al. (2014). Unseen wounds: The contribution of psychological maltreatment to child and adolescent mental health and risk outcomes. Psychological Trauma, 6(S1), S18-S28. doi:10.1037/a0037766

Taillieu, T. L., Brownridge, D. A., Sareen, J., & Afifi, T. O. (2016). Childhood emotional maltreatment and mental disorders: Results from a nationally representative adult sample from the United States. Child Abuse & Neglect, 59, 1-12.

Note: This article consolidates critical information on child maltreatment, emphasizing the significance of psychological abuse and its long-term effects. The definitions and research findings highlight the necessity for professionals to recognize and address all forms of abuse to safeguard children’s health and development.

Loretta is a therapist in Austin, TX and specializes in working with parents and co-parents to fix parent-child contact problems. She is qualified as an expert in parental alienation assessment & treatment in 13 states and throughout Texas.

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