Secondary victimization of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: The Croatia experience

This paper discusses the phenomenon of secondary victimization or revictimization of Croatian war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This revictimization is mainly characterized by a disappointing institutional response from the helping professions, together with a lack of social recognition and support after the war. Also, we describe the “ blaming the victim” process in which the veterans with PTSD were accused for bringing their maladies on themselves due to their premorbid psychological characteristics. This paper traces the origins of these phenomena in Croatia and compares them to other traumatized populations throughout the world, adding to the established body of knowledge which confirms that denial of PTSD in war veterans as a widespread social occurrence which spans over history, crossing national and cultural boundaries.