Parental Alienation and Mental Health Issues Among Divorced Maldivian Parents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55712/ijsri.v7i1.75Keywords:
high conflict divorce, targeted parent, alienated parent, parental alienation, parental alienation behaviours, mental health of divorced parentsAbstract
Parental alienation primarily occurs following a high conflict divorce or separation, where one parent actively instills hatred in the child towards the other parent, so that the child rejects the other parent unjustifiably. The Maldives has the highest divorce rate worldwide, subsequently, the detrimental effects of purposeful alienation of a parent need to be understood and addressed. This quantitative study aimed to determine the correlation between parental alienation and mental health issues (depression, anxiety, and stress) among divorced Maldivian parents who have very little psychological or physical contact with their child or children. Using an online questionnaire, 93 alienated parents (35 mothers and 58 fathers) voluntarily self-reported their experiences of parental alienation and current mental health status. Results indicated a significant relationship between parental alienation and mental health issues among the participants. These findings have positive social change implications for policy makers, mental health professionals and court personnel. The findings could be used to help individuals better understand children’s rejecting behaviours, the process of parental alienation, and tactics commonly used by Maldivian parents. This can help to identify next steps for healing the parent-child relationship through parent education and early therapeutic and legal interventions so that the child can keep in contact with both parents.
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