Joan S Meier

The first goal of this project was to ascertain whether empirical evidence indicates that the concept of parental alienation is sex-biased in practice and outcome. Second, the study looked at outcomes in custody/abuse litigation by sex and by differing types of abuse. Analysis of over 2000 court opinions confirms that courts are sceptical of mothers’ claims of abuse by fathers; this scepticism is greatest when mothers claim child abuse. The findings also demonstrated that fathers’ cross-claims of parental alienation virtually doubled the courts’ rejection of these claims, and mothers’ losses of custody to the father accused of abuse.