Abstract
The effects of violence upon its victims.In this paper a review of the main areas of inquiry upon the effects that violence has on its victims is presented. More specifically, the focus will be upon the psychosocial effects of the so-called criminal violence. Its scope and the diversity of victims affected by it is analysed. Although those who have received most attention by researchers from several fields have been the victims of sexual offences -mostly womenó, it is apparent that victims of offences other than sexual abuse, as well as those people which are close to them, suffer from important consequences as well. In addition, when the victim is a child, exposure to violence have an influence upon his or her moral development and academic achievements. From an ecological standpoint, the common effects of violence upon its victims, as well as those factors which influence or moderate them, are examined. It is argued that the crime impact will be dependent on the complex interactions among the particular characteristics of the victims, the delictive act, and the social environment where the victims's adjustment and their potential recovery shall take place. It is shown how, among other factors, the social support victims receive or perceive from others has important consequences on their adjustment.
