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Experiences and Support Needs of Young Adults Who Experienced Parental Alienation in Childhood

Öztürk, S.A. (2025) Experiences and Support Needs of Young Adults Who Experienced Parental Alienation in Childhood.

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Abstract:Background: Parental alienation (PA) is the phenomenon where a child loses contact with one or both parents in the context of/after a divorce, with some permanency. While PA usually is reversible, restoration of contact often takes many years, while usually the relation remains vulnerable and some extent damaged. Also it is argues that the underlying psychological processes damage the potential for future family relations of the child. This thesis was carried out because of the limited data on the experiences and insight on solutions to prevent PA, as seen through the eyes of the children. Special permission was granted to approach young adults engaged recently in complex divorces. Despite children aged 12 and above in the Netherlands being invited to speak with a judge, there is little to no research that makes a distinction between the needs of those who are older and younger than 12. Thus, this thesis additionally explored the differences between the two age groups. Aim: This thesis aims to examine the experiences and support needs of adults who experienced PA with a parent during their childhood. Methods: A qualitative study took place with two data-collection methods: 1) Analysing open-ended questions of digital questionnaire completed by adults who were children when the PA took place (n=30), and 2) Focus group consultation with a subset of the questionnaire respondents (n=5). A thematic analysis was carried out, following the six phases of the inductive thematic analysis guidelines provided by Braun & Clarke (2006). Results: Experiences: foremost, all participants experienced negative consequences, of which the most mentioned was negative self-development. Even though positive consequences, like positive self-development, were also expressed, they took place out of necessity. Support needs: participants mostly referred to needing child-centred support from essentially all sources. An intense feeling of being left alone when support and understanding is most needed. Here, child-centred support means reaching out to them, to ask them their (second) opinion, and to check how they would deal with situations they face and contrasting expectations of their parents. Suggested solutions: participants suggested a trustee (buddy) being available prior or during PA, someone they could unconditionally trust. Furthermore, this study observed that less children alienated above age 12 experienced difficulties in romantic relationships and family formation, compared to those alienated before age 12. Conclusion: This thesis showed a need for change in current practises. PA-experienced adults expressed a need for child-centred personal support at the time they were a kid, possibly through a trustee standing up. A pilot research is recommended to test the effectiveness of such a trustee.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106213
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