Parental alienation as conditioned love

Background: Parental alienation is often opposed as a concept that may discourage mothers subjected to intimate partner violence to reveal current abuse in families. We should not blankly refuse this as a reality in society. However, we must also acknowledge research that demonstrates that fathers and mothers may use false allegations of violence in order to alienate their children from the other parent in conflictual separation and divorce. Conclusions: This phenomenon, called parental alienation, is prevalent in our society. It is not gender specific and it is associated with other types of family violence perpetrated by the alienating parent and directed against the other parent and the children as well. Therefore, it represents a significant public health concern. The paper highlights conflicts and gaps in the literature concerning our understanding of post-divorce conflicts.