Objectives: To describe the acculturation and repatriation problems and school behavior problems reported from teachers who were amidst Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) repatriated school adolescents who were refugees after the 1992-1995 war, and to analyze possible differences between primary and secondary school students. Methods: The sample of 100 adolescents aged of 15.2 ± 2.4 years consisted from two groups: elementary and secondary school students (n=50, both equalized by gender), who survived the 1992-1995 war catastrophes, and were forced to spend certain refugee period in foreign country during and after this war. They were prevented to return to their original home places after repatriation because of no safety there. We used General questionnaire for personal information and trauma experiences, Personal questionnaire for acculturation and repatriation, and teacher’s version of the Children Behavior Check list, for (Achenbach CBCL). Results: Younger students reported lower adjustment and tendency to internalization. Older adolescents reported more intensive externalizing and other problems. Older adolescents reported significantly more often “thinking about his/her native place on arrival at the place of exile” and “thoughts about cousins”, while younger students reported more often “couldn’t play outside”. Teachers reported a number of behavioral disorders that returnees showed high maladjustment during repatriation. Returnees with greater acculturation problems showed increased functional and relational problems, however, with less psycho-emotional problems after repatriation. Conclusion: Younger students showed tendency to internalization and older adolescents showed significantly more intensive externalizing problems and other problems. Teachers have noticed a number of behavioral disorders that returnees showed as higher maladjustment during repatriation. Acculturation problems abroad were associated with functional and relational problems after returned at home. Correspondence to: Mevludin Hasanović, Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tel: +387 35 267 111; E-mail: hameaz@bih.net.ba

OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to examine the implications for healing in a contemporary Balkan post-war context, and to provide a bridge-building model of trauma transformation, reconciliation and recovery through academic reconstruction and cross-border dialogue. Post-war societies are marked by the effects of massive, large group traumatization, and if not properly dealt with, long-term rehabilitation and social recovery cannot be expected. Unprocessed cumulative trauma that has become deeply embedded in the collective memory of the Balkan peoples over centuries, "chosen trauma", its trans-generational transmission and periodical reactivations across the Balkan have often been addressed in recent literature, in ethno-psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, sociology and anthropology. In order to deepen our understanding of the roots of collective (social) trauma and the specific traumatic experiences of different groups, and to offer different perspectives and information on how trauma can be dealt with, the "Trauma Trust Memory" multinational interdisciplinary research network is being established, and a groundbreaking workshop was held in May 2013 in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. CONCLUSION The Tuzla Workshop showed that the active participation of affected groups in adequate coping with the past is required for post-conflict reconstruction, trauma healing and peacebuilding in the long run.