Long-term psychological effects of war trauma and migration: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of Balkan war survivors

BACKGROUND: The wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia led to mass displacement, violence, and long-term psychological suffering among civilians. While clinical responses to war-related trauma and refugee experiences have been widely studied, less is known about how survivors make sense of these events decades later and how trauma and emigration continue to shape their identity, relationships, and wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the long-term psychological impacts of war and migration among civilian survivors of the Balkan wars resettled in the Czech Republic, with attention to meaning-making processes decades after the original events. METHOD: We conducted an interpretative phenomenological analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with four adult civilian survivors of the Balkan wars, all of whom experienced emigration and long-term resettlement. RESULTS: Participants described wartime life as isolating, marked by survival-focused coping. They highlighted the importance of close relationships, routines, and developmental stage in shaping how they endured this period. Decades later, they reported persistent vigilance, moral reflection, and existential questioning, alongside posttraumatic growth. Migration was perceived as a prolonged, transformative process reshaping identities and relationships to cultural roots. Intergenerational impact emerged, with participants reflecting on survival strategies transmitted to their children. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that war trauma and migration are not discrete events but temporally extended, relational processes, unfolding across the lifespan. This perspective advances psychological understanding of trauma trajectories, identity reconstruction, and intergenerational adaptation.