Researchers challenge evidence behind high-profile parental alienation study
Researchers from Manchester and Canada have shown that the claim by the authors of a study published earlier this year that most of its participants had experienced parental alienating behaviors during childhood is seriously misleading. Claims in the study that people affected by parental alienating behaviors showed greater signs of stress, PTSD and depression are also challenged by the team from The University of Manchester and the University of New Brunswick.
Lead author doctoral researcher Nic Robson, along with Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno, both from The University of Manchester, and Professor Linda Neilson from the University of New Brunswick, have published a peer-reviewed rebuttal in the Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development of the February study led by Professor Ben Hine.
The researchers found a lack of evidence in the Hine study that the behaviors were identified by a dependable sample of the U.K. public and a lack of evidence that the identified parenting behaviors were actually connected to parental alienation.
The authors of the rebuttal contend that methodological standards typically associated with academic or scientific research were not met. Other limitations identified by the researchers included:
- Reliance on online responses submitted to a marketing agency.
- Use of discredited or outdated measures, or selection of items from established psychological scales without validation.
- Limited reporting on methodology, sampling and data collection procedures.
- Absence of research methods that would enable analysis of cause and effect.
- Methodologies that failed to establish that behaviors attributed to parental alienation were not actually connected to family conflict or abuse.
The Hine study, covered by media outlets, calls for policy and legal reforms, including the development of school programs to teach children how to identify so-called "parental alienating behaviors."
The study has also been cited within official Family Justice Council guidance, raising questions about the robustness of the evidence appraisal and guideline development process in the guidance, particularly given the methodological concerns with the Hine study that have since been identified.
"The Hine study states that parental alienating behaviors cause children to become strongly allied with one parent, rejecting the other without justification during a high-conflict separation or divorce," said lead author Robson, a Ph.D. researcher from the University of Manchester. "However, the assertion is based on a controversial concept of parental alienation that has been criticized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, the Family Justice Council in the U.K., and other bodies."
Previous research by Dalgarno showed that many parents accused of parental alienation were female victims of domestic abuse who reported being subjected to biased family court proceedings. The women in Dalgarno's study said parental alienation claims were raised against them when they attempted to safeguard their children.
"The authors of the Hine study also acknowledged a correlation between the alleged parental alienating behaviors and domestic abuse among parents, yet no investigation appears to have occurred to determine if there was a causal relationship between the two," Robson said.
This points, Robson, Neilson and Dalgarno say, to a flawed report that identifies negative behaviors of parents reported by a group of online respondents that may or may not have been associated with behaviors the Hine study researchers were attempting to measure.
Robson added, "Unfortunately, while the authors presented some selected data, they did not provide adequate information about the scales they used, the survey questions, the complete data set, or an in-depth analysis of their results.
"Consequently, it is difficult to work out if the omissions were intentional, indicative of selective reporting, or a reflection of the limitations of the survey."
Neilson said, "We strongly urge professionals and policymakers to base decisions on scientifically validated methods and rigorously tested evidence. Anyone reading the report of the Hine study should exercise caution, especially in connection with policies and practices that shape clinical or legal work."
Dalgarno added, "The concept of parental alienation remains highly contentious due to its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence supporting its reliability as both a psychological construct and a measurable phenomenon.
"Allegations of parental alienation are frequently employed by fathers with histories of abuse as a legal strategy to dismiss or deflect serious claims of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and coercive control."
More information
Nic Robson et al, Methodologies and moon landings: A critical review of parental alienating behavior research, Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development (2026). DOI: 10.1080/26904586.2026.2677135
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Citation: Researchers challenge evidence behind high-profile parental alienation study (2026, July 20) retrieved 20 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-evidence-high-profile-parental-alienation.html
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