The most widely accepted criteria for the diagnosis of PAS that we at PsychLaw.net have found was originally published by Gardner (1985, 1992), who wrote that children with PAS manifested some or all of eight characteristic behaviors. We have adapted Gardner’s eight criteria for the diagnosis of PA, as we use the term in this blog. It is important to emphasize that the diagnosis of PA is based upon the level of symptoms in the child, not on the symptom level of the alienating parent.
It should be noted that some children are more susceptible than others to the indoctrination promulgated by the alienating parent because of both external and internal factors. That is, a child may be more vulnerable because of stressful external factors such as: the shared parenting arrangements; a new intimate partner of their parent; changes in the child’s residence, peers, and school system; and economic factors causing the child to adjust to a new home in a less expensive neighborhood and attending a new school. Also, the intensity and duration of the child’s symptoms depend on internal factors such as the child’s temperament, which affects the child’s susceptibility to influence by others. A child low in susceptibility may rebuff a parent’s attempt to “poison” the child against the other parent, whereas a highly susceptible child is likely to internalize and believe the false propaganda intentionally programmed by the alienating parent. (See Chapter 7, “Reunification Planning and Therapy,” for a more detailed discussion of the child’s “vulnerability” due to external circumstances and the child’s “susceptibility” due to personality and temperamental factors, especially in regard to reunification.)
Some researchers have studied the frequency with which the eight criteria occur in individual cases of PA or PAS. For example, Baker and Darnall (2007) collected information from 68 parents whose children were severely alienated from them. They used a questionnaire to determine how often the eight symptoms of PAS listed by Gardner had been observed by their subjects. The authors found “general support for the presence of the eight symptoms of PAS.” In this research, 88% of the target parents said that the alienated child “always” or “often” denigrated, rejected, or belittled them. Also, 98% of the target parents said that the alienated child “completely” or “mostly” gave weak, frivolous, or absurd reasons for rejecting them.
Baker, A. J. L., & Darnall, D. (2007). A construct study of the eight symptoms of severe parental alienation syndrome: A survey of parental experiences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage 47(1/2):55-75.
Gardner, R. A. (1985). Recent trends in divorce and custody litigation. Academy Forum, 29(2), 3-7.
Gardner, R. A. (1992). The parental alienation syndrome: A guide for mental health and legal professionals. Cresskill, NJ: Creative Therapeutics.