Research on interventions made by psychologists in cases of Parental Alienation

• Grant number: 14/09091-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Lúcia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Williams
• Grantee: Pedro Magrin Tannús
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) was defined in the 1980s by the U.S. psychiatrist Richard Gardner as a childhood disorder that affects children and adolescents involved in situations of custody dispute. Studies in psychology that give support to the concept of SAP or Parental Alienation (PA) were not identified in Brazil's national context, as well as programming or brainwashing of children as described in Gardner's theory. It should be emphasized that this study is part of a broader project, coordinated by this supervisor, Lúcia C. A. Williams in partnership with Professor Gail Goodman of the University of California (Davis), with support from FAPESP on the scientific and legal status of the concept of parental alienation in Brazil and the United States. The interest in this research grew out of concerns about the concepts of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and Parental Alienation (PA), and how these concepts have been used in legal arguments and the way in which professionals describe the problems of families involved in legal disputes. Thus, this project aims to determine which interventions are performed by Forensic Psychologists in the cases that they followed, in which there were allegations of Parental Alienation. For data analysis, the questionnaires of 50 Clinical and/or Forensic Psychologists who have been participating in the study to which this project is linked will be used. As a result, it is expected to verify what types of interventions are made or suggested by professionals as well as their outcomes and effectiveness.