Many Paraguayan children grow up learning to wait for a video call as part of their routine, while hugs, birthdays, and goodbyes are conditioned by the work that takes their mothers far away. Clinical psychologist Katherine Denice Román Sachelaridi, a specialist in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and a master's in Child Neuropsychology, warns that prolonged physical absence of the mother, especially in the early years of life, can generate a significant emotional impact on child development.
“We know, from developmental psychology and neuroscience, that the attachment bond is fundamental for emotional regulation and brain development,” she states. When a child faces frequent or prolonged separations, they may experience insecurity, anxiety, sadness, or fear of abandonment, depending on how the distance is managed and which other caregiving figures are present.
Román emphasizes that young children do not always understand the work-related reasons for absence. “If there is no adequate explanation or emotional preparation, they may interpret the distance as abandonment or disinterest,” she explains. Therefore, she recommends talking to children from an early age, using simple, age-appropriate explanations, always reinforcing that the mother remains affectively present and will return.
The psychologist herself lives this reality: in addition to being a health professional, she is a military officer, a profession where absences are routine. “Since my son was little, I talked to him about my duty days and my responsibilities. This allowed him to process the information and understand that my absence did not mean a lack of love, but part of my work,” she reports.
The impact varies according to the developmental stage. In early childhood, the attachment figure is crucial for emotional security, and prolonged separations can generate greater anxiety and sadness. In adolescence, emotions may manifest as anger, isolation, or emotional changes. “It is not the same for a baby, a young child, or an adolescent, because each stage has different emotional needs,” she highlights.
The most common emotional signs in young children include tantrums, irritability, frequent crying, difficulty sleeping, excessive attachment to other caregivers, or regressions in already acquired skills, such as bedwetting. In older children, sadness, anxiety, poor school performance, isolation, or behavioral changes may arise. “Often, behind these behaviors there is an emotional need, not simply misbehavior,” she states.
The way the mother says goodbye and maintains contact also directly influences how the child processes the distance. Román emphasizes the importance of avoiding disappearing without prior notice. “Leaving secretly or without saying goodbye can generate insecurity and anxiety,” she warns. Maintaining contact routines through video calls, affectionate messages, and stable caregiving figures helps sustain the emotional bond even at a distance.
The specialist stresses that physical distance, by itself, does not determine permanent personality changes. “What influences most is how the affective bond is sustained and the emotional support during the separation,” she explains. However, when separations are experienced with intense suffering, little emotional containment, or persistent feelings of abandonment, some consequences may extend into adolescence or adulthood, such as difficulties in emotional regulation, deep sadness, anxiety, emotional insecurity, or self-esteem problems.