DEFERRED REACTION OF CHILDREN, SURVIVORS OF THE SREBRENICA PERSECUTION, TRAUMATIZED BY THE WAR

Abstract

There are many psychological studies on children traumatized by war: Horowitz (1973), Garbarino (1993), etc., and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Catic (1997) etc. Discussing treatments of children traumatized by war (death of parents and/or members of immediate family, Srebrenica persecution, etc.), the author observes differences in behavior and results in school between such children and children who have not been exposed to war traumas. The author has determined that there is a distinctive difference how those two groups of children react to trauma - anxiety and depression. The children who have suffered war traumas are distinctively more anxious and depressed as compared to the control group. There is an obvious connection between traumas, caused by the loss of parents and other immediate family members, and depression or anxiety. There is also a noticeable difference in results in school between children who suffered war traumas and those who did not. The war traumas have considerable effect on the deferred reactions of depression and anxiety. The all-inclusive interdisciplinary research of war trauma in children and the consequences it has on the child's development is needed. It is necessary to determine the therapeutic strategy in order to help traumatized children join the normal life.