Enfant persécuteur ou enfant sauveur ? Quand trauma et migration s’amalgament à l’ambivalence de la mère dans la relation à son bébé Child Persecutor or Child Savior? The Impact of Trauma and Migration on a Mother’s Ambivalence in Relation to her Child

Résumé

La grossesse est un moment de remaniements psychiques et identitaires fragile, où l’ambivalence de la mère est nécessaire et structurante pour l’enfant à venir. Mais qu’en est-il de l’ambivalence lorsque la mère est aux prises avec des traumatismes ? Quel est le rôle de la migration et de l’exil dans le fait de donner naissance dans un monde nouveau ? Quels impacts pour l’enfant et pour sa « continuité d’exister » ? C’est à la lumière de situations cliniques issues d’une recherche portant sur la transmission transgénérationnelle du trauma de la mère à l’enfant auprès de mères migrantes que ces questionnements ont surgi et que leur approfondissement s’est imposé comme une réponse à une réalité clinique souvent rencontrée en périnatalité auprès des populations immigrantes et réfugiées. L’acte de transmettre la vie prend racine dans l’histoire des mères et vient questionner leurs identités, leurs filiations et leurs affiliations mises à l’épreuve par l’adversité rencontrée. L’arrivée des enfants est à la fois fragilisante et source de « résilience » exceptionnelle. Il est donc essentiel de penser la question de l’accueil de ces dyades mère-bébé pour des soins adaptés et culturellement sensibles.

Mots-clés :

• périnatalité,
• ambivalence,
• trauma,
• migration,
• transmission,
• grossesse

Abstract

Objectives The objectives of this paper are to explore the impact of psychological trauma and migration on a mother’s ambivalence regarding her relationship with her child and to explore the effect on the child’s “continuity of being.”

Methods Literature on the ambivalence of mothers who have experienced trauma and migration is reviewed. The authors present the hypothesis that the presence of trauma and/or migration exacerbate the phenomenon of ambivalence and that it may impact early interactions in mother-infant dyads. The stories of three migrant dyads are presented to illustrate these processes.

Results Pregnancy is a period of psychological and identity reorganisation during which a mother’s ambivalence is as necessary as it is structuring for the child to come. The stories of the three mother-infant dyads presented in this paper highlight the impacts of migration and of traumatic experiences on entering motherhood in a foreign country. These mothers’ representations of their children are affected by their ambivalence; the “child as a savior” and the “child as a persecutor” are in constant conflict within the mothers’ psyche. The act of giving life is rooted in the mothers’ histories and brings into question their very identities, their parentage and affiliations, as influenced by the hardships they have experienced. The arrival of a child is both a vulnerability factor as well as a source of tremendous resiliency. Therefore, it is essential to reflect on how to best welcome these mother-infant dyads in order to offer adapted and culturally sensitive care.

Conclusion This paper offers a deeper review of a clinical reality often encountered in infant mental health with migrant and refugee populations. The perinatal period coinciding with migration is one of increased vulnerability and of potential revival of traumatic events. Giving birth in exile, especially when struggling with psychological trauma may impact maternal representations of their children. Children may then carry the burden of their histories or, inversely, become a source of creative potential for the mother-infant dyad. A transcultural approach is essential for a better understanding of the complex processes involved in becoming a mother in the context of trauma and/or migration and to improve care for mothers and their developing offspring.

Keywords:

• infant mental health,
• ambivalence,
• trauma,
• migration,
• transmission,
• pregnancy