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ABSTRACT Violence in its many forms can affect the health of people who are the targets, those who are the perpetrators, and the communities in which both live. In this article we review the literature on the health consequences of many forms of violence, including child physical and sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, elder abuse, sexual violence, youth violence, and bullying. The biological effects of violence have become increasingly better understood and include effects on the brain, neuroendocrine system, and immune response. Consequences include increased incidences of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicide; increased risk of cardiovascular disease; and premature mortality. The health consequences of violence vary with the age and sex of the victim as well as the form of violence. People can be the victims of multiple forms of violence, and the health effects can be cumulative.
In the past three decades interpersonal violence (hereafter referred to as "violence") has come to be regarded not just as a criminal justice issue but also as a public health problem. Violence can affect people at every stage of the life course, as well as the lives of the next generation. While interpersonal violence has decreased from its peak in the US in the late 1980s and early 1990s, homicide rates have once again begun to rise, which makes an understanding of violence and its effects all the more important.
In this overview we seek to discuss the literature on the short- and long-term health effects of different forms of interpersonal violence, starting with the closest relationship between perpetrator and target and moving toward the most distant-specifically, beginning with child physical and sexual abuse and continuing with intimate partner violence, elder abuse, sexual violence, bullying, other youth violence, other adult interpersonal violence, and violence and communities. We provide in-depth references in a bibliography in the online appendix.1 We also touch briefly on the prevalence of violence, with summary statistics presented in a table, also found in the appendix.1
Biological Mechanisms Of The Health Effects Of Violence Exposure
The physical injuries that stem from violence have been studied more extensively than have the mental health effects, with work on the latter area intensifying in the past two to three decades. The development of neuroscience and...