A Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Parents’ Experiences of Parental Alienation in the United Kingdom

Abstract

In the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has been highlighted how measures necessary to fight the disease inadvertently exacerbated family violence and placed strain on the judicial system. Across the four countries within the United Kingdom, delays were, and still are, particularly prevalent in family law proceedings, partly due to new breaches in child arrangement orders associated with the pandemic lockdown. The present study therefore examined the experiences of nonresident parents (NRPs) who self-identified as targets of behaviors representative of parental alienation (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Using an online survey, 76 nonresidential parents’ responses (92% male;Mage= 45.1 years of age; standard deviation = 7.9) were thematically analyzed. Several themes emerged, including (a) experiences of PA (i.e., risks for children and risks for parents), (b) intimate partner violence (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, and financial abuse), and (c) institutional abuse (i.e., COVID-19, family law, and safeguarding). Specifically, parents detailed several alienating behaviors such as belittling, manipulation, and coercive control, as well as novel forms of coercive controlling patterns, which illustrated how the COVID-19 lockdowns created new opportunities for alienating parents to manipulate the NRP–child relationship. The implications of the results are discussed, including recommendations on improving safeguarding protocols for children with contact orders in place and adopting policy measures to support NRPs. These are also discussed in the context of reforming the justice system utilizing COVID-associated “lessons.”