Family Estrangement: Establishing a Prevalence Rate

Abstract

Family estrangement, a communication cut-off between family members, remains a neglected topic in the research literature.The purpose of the present study was to establish a prevalence rate of family estrangement, identify precipitating factors leading to estrangement, identify the relationshipsof the estranged relatives, determine the length of the estrangement, and determine the level of stress caused by the estrangement. Data concerning the above factorswere gathered from 354 undergraduate and graduate students. Overall, 154 participants (43.5%) reported experiencing an estrangement; 60 (39%, 16.9% of the entire sample) from 1 or more immediate family members (nuclear estrangement), 94 (61%, 26.6% of the entire sample)from extended family members (extended estrangement). The most frequently cited single causal factor leading to estrangement was a disagreement with the estranged relative in both nuclear and extended estrangements. Participants reporting a nuclear estrangement were estranged from fathers with the greatest frequency. Participants involved in extended estrangements were estranged from aunts and cousins with the greatest frequency. The mean length of estrangement in nuclear estrangements was 59.4 months; 52.8 months in extended estrangements. The level of distress reported by participants was greater in nuclear estrangements. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Parents and Children Who Are Estranged in Adulthood: A Review and Discussion of the Literature

“…Definitions of estrangement used in quantitative research studies have tended to focus on the presence or absence of contact between family members. For example, in a questionnaire administered to students in the United States, Conti () defined estrangement as “communication cut‐off between family members.” The students who met the following criteria were categorized as having experienced estrangement: (a) There was no direct communication between family members for more than 30 days, (b) the communication cutoff was deliberately or intentionally maintained by one person, (c) the family members involved knew how to contact one another (no one is missing), and (d) persons involved justify the cutoff by transgressions of the other person (Conti, ). As can be found in Agllias's 2016 study, some participants provided information about a family member who had died without a resolution having been reached, which he referred to as “terminal estrangement.”…”

“…Distance between parents and adult children may also be initiated or exacerbated by physical and/or mental health problems in the family (Agllias, ; Conti, ; Mitrani & Czaja, ; Scharp et al, ). The quality of parent–child relationships has been found to be affected by the poor health of one of the family members (Kaufman & Uhlenberg, ; Pillemer et al, ).…”

“…In the studies outlined here and in the wider psychological and sociological literature on family relationships in adulthood, stressful experiences and circumstances in the family have been identified as contributing to parent-child estrangement. These include but are not limited to sexual, physical, and/or psychological abuse and/or neglect (Agllias, 2015(Agllias, , 2016aConti, 2015;Scharp & McLaren, 2017;Scharp et al, 2015); poor parenting and betrayal (Agllias, 2016a); traumas surrounding infertility, miscarriages, and stillbirths (Agllias, 2015); parental incarceration (Padgett, Smith, Henwood, & Tiderington, 2012); drug abuse (Conti, 2015;Davis-Berman, 2011), disagreements, romantic relationships, politics, homophobia, and issues relating to money, inheritance, or business (Conti, 2015).…”

“…Alongside this research, a literature has emerged in the past 10 years that has focused specifically on parents and adult children who are “estranged” (Agllias, , , , , , ; Agllias & Gray, ; Allen & Moore, ; Carr, Holman, Abetz, Kellas, & Vagnoni, ; Conti, ; Conti & Ryan ; Dattilio & Nichols, ; Gilligan, Suitor, & Pillemer, ; Jerrome, ; Kim, ; Scharp, , ; Scharp & Dorrance Hall, ; Scharp & McLaren, ; Scharp & Thomas, ; Scharp, Thomas, & Paxman, ). This literature confirms that contrary to dominant expectations and assumptions about the involuntary, ever‐lasting nature of family relationships, some parents and children have a distant and/or inactive relationship.…”

The Counseling Experiences of Individuals Who Are Estranged From a Family Member

“…The factors that contribute to family estrangement are diverse and unlikely to exist in isolation (Agllias, 2016;Blake, 2017). Stressful family circumstances and experiences that might contribute to estrangement include, but are not limited to, sexual, physical, or psychological abuse or neglect (Agllias, 2015(Agllias, , 2016Conti, 2015;Scharp & McLaren, 2018;Scharp, Thomas, & Paxman, 2015); poor parenting and betrayal (Agllias, 2016); drug abuse (Conti, 2015;Davis-Berman, 2011); disagreements, romantic relationships, politics, homophobia, and issues relating to money, inheritance, or business (Conti, 2015). Family estrangement may also be initiated or exacerbated by physical or mental health problems in the family (Agllias, 2015;Conti, 2015;Mitrani & Czaja, 2000;Scharp et al, 2015).…”