For people in Mount Holly whose divorce was steeped in conflict, the parties may have had difficulty agreeing to a child custody arrangement. Therefore, it may be helpful for those people to be aware of a problem known as parental alienation. Being a victim of this vicious phenomenon can be devastating and leave a parent left wondering how it could happen.

According to the Huffington Post, parental alienation occurs when one parent intentionally turns a child against the other parent. If one parent has successfully filled a child’s head with negative thoughts about the other parent and encourages them to sever his or her relationship with that parent, parental alienation may have occurred.

While on the surface, it may appear to outsiders that the divorce was just particularly nasty, there is actually something much more sinister at play. When one parent uses a child as a weapon to hurt their ex, both the child and the alienated parent lose out. Some experts even think parental alienation should be considered a form of domestic abuse.

Yet proving it has occurred may be quite difficult. ABC News points out that in instances where the issue ends up in court, judges may find it difficult to determine who is telling the truth. If a child has been brainwashed to believe that one of their parents is a terrible person or possibly even abusive, some judges may be inclined to believe them. At the same time, legitimate claims of abuse may be dismissed if a judge thinks that the child was coached to lie by one if his or her parents.