Volume 17, Issue 4 p. 313-327
RESEARCH ARTICLE

A psychoanalytic and qualitative research on immigrants' “left-behind” children: “I understand why they left, but why did they leave?”

Lida Anagnostaki

Corresponding Author

Lida Anagnostaki

Department of Early Childhood Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Correspondence

Lida Anagnostaki, Department of Early Childhood Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Email: lanagnostaki@ecd.uoa.gr

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Alexandra Zaharia

Alexandra Zaharia

Hellenic Association of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Athens, Greece

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First published: 19 March 2020
Citations: 7

Abstract

Background and Purpose

The psychoanalytic literature on migration has extensively explored the psychic impact of the migration process on the people who migrate, whereas the predicament of the immigrants' children that were left behind in the country of origin has been largely overlooked. This paper has a twofold aim. Firstly, it sets out to explore the experience of being left behind as a child by parents who emigrated to another country for economic reasons, and secondly, it aspires to present a valid combination of psychoanalytic thinking and qualitative design.

Methods

Fourteen adult men and women who as children were left behind in Greece when their parents emigrated were interviewed about their current perspectives on their childhood experiences. Their narratives were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative research method that can offer material suitable for psychodynamic understanding.

Results

The analysis of the interviews yielded the overarching theme “Trauma” and four superordinate themes, “Intense emotions,” “Effects on parent–child relationship,” “Defenses,” and “Psychopathology.” The discussion of the results focuses on the psychoanalytic exploration of the trauma induced by the early and prolonged parent–child separation and its psychic sequelae.

Conclusion

Being left in the country of origin by parents who emigrated to another country for economic reasons was a traumatic experience for the “left-behind” children. The complexities of this situation may be depicted through the combination of qualitative research methods and psychoanalytic understanding.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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