A bound-less love: Long-distance motherhood of Ukrainian women living in Southern Italy

Abstract

Through a gender-sensitive lens, this study explores the psychic and subjective meanings that Ukrainian women living in Southern Italy for economic reasons attribute to their long-distance motherhood and migration experience. Ten Ukrainian women were interviewed in the pre-war period, before 2022, through a semi-structured interview following the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Our findings show that long-distance motherhood and the challenges of migration led to a redefinition of the respondents' identity as women and mothers. The complex affective configuration that developed from separation lacks adequate elaboration, leaving a gap that calls for supportive psychological interventions. Understanding these experiences has become urgent given that the war is affecting both Ukrainian women living in Italy and those who are arriving due to the war.