VIOLENCE: an act of physical force aimed at harming another SHORT TERM EXPOSURE: exposed has a one-off, often unexpectedly LONG TERM EXPOSURE: happens on multiple occasions, often showing patterns
Short term Short term exposure puts a person into fight or flight mode which can lead to excessive amounts of cortisol and other physiological changes.Examples include terrorism; it is an attack on civilians with the purpose of killing or injuring as many as possible. If normal physiological functions do not quickly return we can become majorly stressed, leading to depression and PTSD. PTSD is a mental illness which leads to flashbacks and reoccurring thoughts of event, avoidance strategies and feelings of distress.
Supporting studies: Shalev (1995) Schuster et al. (2001)
Long-term exposure Usually exposure to domestic violence, a type of violence that occurs in families including parents and children in the home.
Witness – become desensitised, males have 73% chance of becoming abusers, females likely to become victims, cognitive effects such as lower IQs, impaired learning, memory and attention
Perpetrator – mental illness such as suicidal thoughts
Victim – mental illness e.g. PTSD, MDD, social problems with meeting and trusting others
Supporting studies: Rhodes et al. (2002) Carney & Hazler (2007)