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Baker, A. J. L. (2007) — Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome

TL;DR. Amy Baker's 2007 book is the foundational qualitative-research reference in PA. Based on in-depth interviews with 40 adult children who had been alienated from a parent in childhood, it established the 8 behavioral indicators of alienating parents that became one of Bernet's 5 essential diagnostic criteria. Also documents the long-term adult outcomes — depression, substance use, relationship instability, eventual reunification patterns.

Maintained by Alan Markson · Last reviewed: 2026-05-16 · License: CC BY 4.0

Citation

Baker, A. J. L. (2007). Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Breaking the Ties That Bind. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0393705195

The 8 behavioral indicators (Baker)

Baker's 8 indicators describe the alienating parent's behavior — what the favored parent does that engineers the child's rejection:

  1. Bad-mouthing — derogatory comments about the targeted parent in front of the child
  2. Limiting contact — restricting visits, calls, communication beyond what custody orders specify
  3. Erasing the targeted parent — removing photos, refusing to speak the name, treating them as deceased
  4. Forcing the child to choose — making the child take sides in adult conflicts
  5. Telling the child the targeted parent is dangerous — without basis or proportionality
  6. Confiding in the child — sharing adult-conflict details inappropriate to age
  7. Forcing the child to reject the targeted parent — explicit or implicit demands
  8. Asking the child to spy on the targeted parent — gathering information for legal use

These 8 are observable behaviors, not internal states — making them suitable for documentation, expert testimony, and Daubert-survivable analysis (Harman/Kruk/Hines 2018 incorporates them).

Adult-outcomes findings (Baker's qualitative data)

From the n=40 adult interviews:

  • Depression — reported by 70%+ of participants
  • Substance use disorders — significantly elevated
  • Relationship instability — difficulty forming + maintaining adult attachments
  • Trust deficits — particularly with same-sex parents matching the alienator
  • Identity disturbance — "I didn't know who I really was"
  • Eventual reunification — most participants re-initiated contact with the targeted parent in their 20s-40s
  • Remorse — many expressed regret for their childhood rejection of the targeted parent

This last finding is critical for targeted-parent survival framing (posts/30-suicide-thoughts-targeted-parents.md): the child usually understands eventually. The question is whether the targeted parent is alive to be there when they do.

Why courts cite this work

Baker (2007) provides:

  • Behaviors courts can identify in evidence (the 8 indicators)
  • Outcomes that establish harm (the depression, substance use, attachment data)
  • Time-doctrine support — the longer the alienation, the harder the reunification (consistent with the ECHR Lombardo line)

Used in expert testimony and motion citations alongside Bernet 2010, Harman/Kruk/Hines 2018, Warshak 2010.

Critiques

  • Sample is qualitative (n=40), self-selected
  • "Parental alienation syndrome" framing has Daubert vulnerabilities — modern citations should reframe as "parental alienating behaviors" (PABs)
  • No control group or comparison cohort
  • Retrospective recall introduces bias

These critiques refine the application but do not undermine the behavioral-indicator framework, which has been independently replicated.

Citing posts

# Post
03 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/parental-alienation-diagnostic-criteria
16 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/estrangement-vs-alienation
30 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/suicide-thoughts-targeted-parents
55 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/recognizing-parental-alienation-key-signs
62 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/parental-alienation-scope-history-future

Primary source

  • Publisher: https://wwnorton.com
  • Author affiliation: Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection, NY Foundling Hospital
  • Author site: https://amyjlbaker.com

Disclaimer

Wiki entry, not clinical advice.

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