Wright, Lori

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices3-4-2013Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Strugglewith Violence, Substance AbuseLori WrightUNH Media RelationsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationWright, Lori, "Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance Abuse" (2013). UNH Today. 4184.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4184Prof. Laurence French discusses the findings presented in his new book “War Trauma and its Aftermath: An International Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf Wars.”March 4, 2013 Second­Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance Abuse DURHAM, N.H. – Second­generation teenage victims of the Balkan Wars (1991­2002) are struggling with violence and substance abuse due in large part because their parents were never treated for war trauma, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.The research findings by Laurence French, senior research associate at UNH Justiceworks, are presented in the article “Assessing the Aftermath of War Among Teens in Bosnia & Serbia: Measures of Substance Abuse and Delinquency with the POSIT (Problem­Oriented Screening Instrument for Teens)” in the journal Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly.“The focus on unmet social/cultural and psychological needs of traumatized children and youth is important because not doing so could be costly to society in terms of later disorganization by this group as they mature. Substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and poor educational and employment records are likely to increase among this untreated population,” French says.“Violated war victims represent a difficult class of traumatized people to treat effectively. Suicide is often the final solution to their suffering. The children of these victims are at high risk of suffering from secondary PTSD and consequently more prone to resorting to alcohol as the treatment of choice for their untreated problems,” he says. French and researchers Goran Kovacevic of the University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, and Lidija Nikolic­Novakovic of the International University of Novi Pazar, Pancevo, Serbia, surveyed high school students in spring 2010 from three major sectarian groups in Bosnia­Herzegovina: Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croats, and Orthodox Serbs. The average age of the students was 16.5 years old. Students were asked about a number of issues, including substance abuse, physical health, mental health, family relations, and aggressive behavior/delinquency.The researchers found that Muslim Bosniak males and Serbian females were the highest at risk of substance abuse. While alcohol is the most common form of substance abuse in Bosnia­Herzegovina, the authors note that alcohol is forbidden among Muslim Bosniaks and is not available in Muslim community stores. Media RelationsPage 1 of 2UNH News: Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance ...2/7/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/mar/lw04balkan.cfm.htmlThe researchers also found the Muslim Bosniak males and Serbian females also were at highest risk of mental health issues. Finally, the researchers found that Catholic Croat males and Serbian females were most at risk for engaging in destructive behaviors and delinquency.In contrast, family relations did not appear to be an issue for most of the teens, which the researchers believe is due to the cohesion of each sectarian enclave. “Ironically, the finding of strong family cohesion indicates that sectarian separatism is a major factor  in school and family socialization, making postwar teens even more nationalistic than their parents who encountered the Balkan wars firsthand,” French says.A sociologist, criminologist, and psychologist, French has worked with traumatic stress clients for more than 40 years. He is the author of “War Trauma and its Aftermath: An International Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf Wars” (University Press of America, 2012). He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, from 2009 to 2010. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1959 to 1965. He holds Ph.D.s in sociology (social disorganization/social psychology) from UNH and in cultural psychology (educational psychology and measurement) from the University of Nebraska­Lincoln. The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world­class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space­grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.PHOTOhttp://www.unh.edu/news/img/french.JPGUNH researcher Laurence French gives a talk on “PTSD in the Balkans” at the University of Tusla in Bosnia. French was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, from 2009 to 2010.VIDEOhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgUsLuRm1G4Prof. Laurence French discusses the findings presented in his new book “War Trauma and its Aftermath: An International Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf Wars.”GRAPHIChttp://www.unh.edu/news/img/yugoslavia.pdfMap of the new boundaries of the former Yugoslavia. ­30­Media Contact: Lori Wright | 603­862­0574 | UNH Media Relations Copyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862­1234. Media Relations is a unit of Communications & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media IndexPage 2 of 2UNH News: Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance ...2/7/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/mar/lw04balkan.cfm.html

Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance Abuse

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
3-4-2013
Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle
with Violence, Substance Abuse
Lori Wright
UNH Media Relations
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Wright, Lori, "Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance Abuse" (2013). UNH Today. 4184.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4184
Prof. Laurence French discusses the findings presented 
in his new book “War Trauma and its Aftermath: An 
International Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf 
Wars.”
March 4, 2013 
Second­Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance 
Abuse 
DURHAM, N.H. – Second­generation teenage 
victims of the Balkan Wars (1991­2002) are 
struggling with violence and substance abuse 
due in large part because their parents were 
never treated for war trauma, according to new 
research from the University of New Hampshire.
The research findings by Laurence French, senior 
research associate at UNH Justiceworks, are 
presented in the article “Assessing the 
Aftermath of War Among Teens in Bosnia & 
Serbia: Measures of Substance Abuse and 
Delinquency with the POSIT (Problem­Oriented 
Screening Instrument for Teens)” in the journal Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly.
“The focus on unmet social/cultural and psychological needs of traumatized children and youth is 
important because not doing so could be costly to society in terms of later disorganization by this 
group as they mature. Substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and poor educational and 
employment records are likely to increase among this untreated population,” French says.
“Violated war victims represent a difficult class of traumatized people to treat effectively. Suicide is 
often the final solution to their suffering. The children of these victims are at high risk of suffering 
from secondary PTSD and consequently more prone to resorting to alcohol as the treatment of 
choice for their untreated problems,” he says. 
French and researchers Goran Kovacevic of the University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, 
and Lidija Nikolic­Novakovic of the International University of Novi Pazar, Pancevo, Serbia, surveyed 
high school students in spring 2010 from three major sectarian groups in Bosnia­Herzegovina: 
Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croats, and Orthodox Serbs. The average age of the students was 16.5 
years old. Students were asked about a number of issues, including substance abuse, physical health, 
mental health, family relations, and aggressive behavior/delinquency.
The researchers found that Muslim Bosniak males and Serbian females were the highest at risk of 
substance abuse. While alcohol is the most common form of substance abuse in Bosnia­
Herzegovina, the authors note that alcohol is forbidden among Muslim Bosniaks and is not available 
in Muslim community stores. 
Media Relations
Page 1 of 2UNH News: Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance ...
2/7/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/mar/lw04balkan.cfm.html
The researchers also found the Muslim Bosniak males and Serbian females also were at highest risk 
of mental health issues. Finally, the researchers found that Catholic Croat males and Serbian females 
were most at risk for engaging in destructive behaviors and delinquency.
In contrast, family relations did not appear to be an issue for most of the teens, which the 
researchers believe is due to the cohesion of each sectarian enclave. “Ironically, the finding of strong 
family cohesion indicates that sectarian separatism is a major factor  in school and family 
socialization, making postwar teens even more nationalistic than their parents who encountered the 
Balkan wars firsthand,” French says.
A sociologist, criminologist, and psychologist, French has worked with traumatic stress clients for 
more than 40 years. He is the author of “War Trauma and its Aftermath: An International 
Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf Wars” (University Press of America, 2012). He was a Fulbright 
Scholar at the University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, from 2009 to 2010. He 
previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1959 to 1965. He holds Ph.D.s in sociology (social 
disorganization/social psychology) from UNH and in cultural psychology (educational psychology and 
measurement) from the University of Nebraska­Lincoln. 
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world­class public research university with 
the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space­grant university, UNH is the 
state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
PHOTO
http://www.unh.edu/news/img/french.JPG
UNH researcher Laurence French gives a talk on “PTSD in the Balkans” at the University of Tusla in 
Bosnia. French was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia­Herzegovina, from 2009 
to 2010.
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgUsLuRm1G4
Prof. Laurence French discusses the findings presented in his new book “War Trauma and its 
Aftermath: An International Perspective on the Balkan and Gulf Wars.”
GRAPHIC
http://www.unh.edu/news/img/yugoslavia.pdf
Map of the new boundaries of the former Yugoslavia. 
­30­
Media Contact: Lori Wright | 603­862­0574 | UNH Media Relations 
Copyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862­1234. 
Media Relations is a unit of Communications & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. 
ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media Index
Page 2 of 2UNH News: Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance ...
2/7/2018http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/mar/lw04balkan.cfm.html


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Second-Generation Balkan War Victims Struggle with Violence, Substance Abuse

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