Health harms and altered health and wellbeing experiences associated with different types of violence

Violence causes harm. It can cause physical injuries, such as bruises and broken bones and it can affect people’s mental health by causing anxiety and depression. The severity of violence – both sexual and non-sexual – and the relationship between the victim and the aggressor will affect the type, severity and duration of its effects. Few people recover quickly and for many the effects can last a lifetime. Everyday activities such as personal hygiene, going out or working may become difficult and people may find that their personality changes. There has been a lot of research to understand and manage the effects of violence. 

We will use this research to summarise what we know about the effects of violence and ways to manage them, and we will use this to determine the direction that researchers should take next.