Adolescent Adjustment, Caregiver-Adolescent Relationships, and Outlook Towards the Future in the Long-Term Aftermath of the Bosnian War

Using a mixed-method design with Bosnian students (n = 63, ages 16–19) and their primary caregivers (n = 50), we explored the impact of post-war adversities on adolescent adjustment, adolescent-caregiver relationships, and future outlook 8 years after the 1992–1995 Bosnian civil war. Adolescents and caregivers identified themes linking the war and its aftermath to ongoing emotional adjustment difficulties, relationships challenges, and negative future outlook. Adolescents’ posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively correlated with self-report measures of interpersonal stressors, existential stressors, parental psychological control, and anxious/withdrawn symptoms. Parental psychological control partially mediated the association between interpersonal post-war adversities and posttraumatic stress symptoms.