New research focuses on forgotten victims of European wars | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › New research focuses on forgotten victims of European wars New research focuses on forgotten victims of European wars Published: April 30, 2010 Author: Joan Fallon After more than five years of study on the impact of political violence on children and mothers in Northern Ireland, University of Notre Dame faculty member Mark Cummings is expanding his research to include children and families in Croatia, where tens of thousands of people died in ethnic violence between 1991 and 1995. This summer, Cummings, professor and Notre Dame Chair in Psychology, and Laura Taylor, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology and peace studies, along with colleagues from the University of Zagreb, will collect data on the post-war adjustment of children and parents in Vukovar, a Croatian city deeply divided along ethnic (Croat/Serb) lines. Once an integrated city that was proud of its ethnic diversity, Vukovar is now so divided that children attend segregated schools and are taught in separate languages, Cummings said. Aggression, anxiety, depression, bullying and other problems are widespread, leading to international concern about the potential for new cycles of violence. “It’s not enough to sign a peace accord,” Cummings said. “Even long after the war is officially over, if sectarian tension is high, if people still carry the negative psychological processes that resulted from the violence, there’s a real likelihood that a new generation could issue another call to arms.” The goal of the research is to increase understanding of the long-term effects of ethnic violence on children and families, knowledge that could help promote healing, community recovery and prevention of new outbursts of violence in post-war areas around the world, the researchers said. “We’re especially interested in identifying factors that protect children and buffer them against the impact of political violence and ethnic tension,” Taylor said. “When children feel safe and secure, it’s more likely that the peace process will hold.” Cummings, co-founder of Notre Dame’s Center for Children and Families, is a faculty fellow at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Laura Taylor is among the first students to pursue a Ph.D. in Notre Dame’s peace studies doctoral program. Contact: Mark Cummings, 574-631-4947, ecumming@nd.edu, or Laura Taylor ltaylo12@nd.edu Posted In: International Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 12, 2022 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street … in different countries? June 01, 2022 University of Notre Dame to establish consortium of Catholic universities to study Muslim-Christian relations May 03, 2022 Pulte Institute launches Central America Research Alliance For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn