Journal retracts paper criticizing parental alienation theory after group threatens to sue
On May 19, the Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities (IJRAH) removed a review article by Robert Keith Head suggesting the theory of parental alienation is unsupported by research and fails “to meet basic validity requirements for psychological constructs.”
The move came after the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG) – which describes itself as an international, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the study and understanding of parental alienation – accused the journal of publishing “scientific fraud” and demanded the journal retract the paper or face legal action. The journal said the removal was not dictated by “external demands or threats” but followed a “comprehensive secondary evaluation” by its editorial board and independent psychometric experts who identified “critical methodological and structural flaws that undermined the paper’s scientific validity.”
Head, a social worker and doctoral candidate at Capella University in Minneapolis, said he stands behind the work. he told Retraction Watch. “I think the expense of defending the paper, not its merits, drove the removal.” he told Retraction Watch.
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