title: Children of divorce: the differential diagnosis of contact refusal.
abstract: Contact refusal is a common phenomenon that can occur during the course of, or after, divorce, which affects the relationship between a child and the parent. This article defines the concept of contact refusal and discusses the importance of its recognition. The concept is further narrowed to focus on the child as the one refusing contact, not the parent, which can happen as well. Various types of contact refusals are illustrated in the article through clinical vignettes, and an approach to categorizing the various types of contact refusal is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. bradley.w.freeman@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Bradley W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D002655:Child Custody / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004243:Divorce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D045808:Refusal to Participate / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States