Psychological effects of continuous exposure to crime and criminality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62452/6rne0s45Keywords:
Delinquency, crime, mental health, victimization, perceived insecurity, psychological well-beingAbstract
Delinquency and crime are social problems that generate significant repercussions on the mental health of individuals and communities. The aim of this study was to analyze the available scientific evidence regarding the psychological effects associated with continuous exposure to delinquency and crime. To achieve this, a systematic literature review was conducted using a qualitative and documentary approach. The search for information was carried out in international academic databases, considering studies published between 2010 and 2026. The findings indicate that prolonged exposure to contexts of violence and crime is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, psychological distress, persistent fear, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and a deterioration in quality of life. Furthermore, perceived insecurity was found to generate emotional consequences similar to those experienced by direct victims of crime, affecting psychological well-being even in the absence of victimization events. The evidence also shows that adolescents, young people, older adults, university students, and professionals exposed to violent environments constitute particularly vulnerable groups. In the Ecuadorian context, the increase in crime and perceived insecurity is associated with higher levels of anxiety, constant concern, and changes in the population’s daily habits. It is concluded that delinquency and crime represent important social determinants of mental health; therefore, prevention strategies should integrate actions aimed not only at reducing crime but also at strengthening the psychological well-being of affected communities.
Downloads
References
Abhishek, R., & Balamurugan, J. (2024). Impact of social factors responsible for Juvenile delinquency - A literature review. Journal of education and health promotion, 13, 102. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_786_23
Arango Pastrana, C., Vallejo-Trujillo, S., & Osorio-Andrade, C. F. (2025). The communication of fear: Factors of crime news impacting engagement on social networks. Journalism and Media, 6(3), 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia6030132
Assari, S., & Moghani Lankarani, M. (2018). Violence Exposure and Mental Health of College Students in the United States. Behavioral Sciences, 8(6), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8060053
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. (2024, 11 de noviembre). Altos costos del crimen afectan a América Latina y el Caribe. https://www.iadb.org/es/noticias/altos-costos-del-crimen-afectan-america-latina-y-el-caribe
Ben Salah, Z., Mickelsson Blomqvist, T., & Ghazinour, M. (2025). Crime scene examiners' mental health: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1724579. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1724579
Cabezas Uriarte, G. P., Rodríguez Barrero, M. S., Sierra Durán, J. I., & Flórez Guzmán, M. H. (2024). Incidencia de factores sociales y económicos en la criminalidad en Guayaquil, Ecuador. Revista Logos Ciencia & Tecnología, 16(2), 10–23. https://doi.org/10.22335/rlct.v16i2.1959
Cooley-Strickland, M., Quille, T. J., Griffin, R. S., Stuart, E. A., Bradshaw, C. P., & Furr-Holden, D. (2011). Efectos de la exposición de los adolescentes a la violencia en la comunidad: El proyecto MORE. Psychosocial Intervention, 20(2), 131–148. https://doi.org/10.5093/in2011v20n2a2
Duarte, F., Jiménez-Molina, Á., & Sarmiento, I. (2025). Crime and mental health: Examining the associations between perceived insecurity, crime victimization, and psychological distress in Chile. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 9, 100303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2025.100303
García-Castro, J. D., & Calvo-Porras, M. A. (2019). ¿Qué nos sucede cuando somos víctimas del crimen? Consecuencias psicológicas y percepción. Psicología desde el Caribe, 36(3), 400–418. https://doi.org/10.14482/psdc.36.3.364.1
Hanson, R. F., Sawyer, G. K., Begle, A. M., & Hubel, G. S. (2010). The impact of crime victimization on quality of life. Journal of traumatic stress, 23(2), 189–197. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20508
Hartinger-Saunders, R. M., Rittner, B., Wieczorek, W., Nochajski, T., Rine, C. M., & Welte, J. (2011). Victimization, Psychological Distress and Subsequent Offending Among Youth. Children and youth services review, 33(11), 2375–2385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.009
Hessel, P., Martínez Botero, M. A., & Cuartas, J. (2019). Acute exposure to violent neighborhood crime and depressive symptoms among older individuals in Colombia. Health & Place, 59, 102162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102162
Kim, J., Harris, M. N., & Lee, Y. (2024). The relationships between mental health and violent offending among serious adolescent offenders: An examination of the mediating role of experienced and witnessed victimization. Crime & Delinquency, 70(10). https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287241231743
Moore, K. E., Oberleitner, L. M. S., Zonana, H. V., Buchanan, A. W., Pittman, B. P., Verplaetse, T. L., Angarita, G. A., Roberts, W., & McKee, S. A. (2019). Psychiatric Disorders and Crime in the US Population: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave III. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 80(2), 18m12317. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.18m12317
Mullo, D. (2025). La sombra de la violencia: Impacto psicológico y la influencia de los medios en la percepción de seguridad. Fundación Regional de Asesoría en Derechos Humanos (INREDH). https://inredh.org/la-sombra-de-la-violencia/
Ochoa Castro, M. B., Rojas Sáenz, M. M., Moreno Avilés, A. B. P., & Zambrano Villalba, C. G. (2026). Inseguridad percibida por el nivel de criminalidad en los habitantes y la relación con la ansiedad. FACSALUD-UNEMI, 9(17), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2602-8360vol9iss17.2025pp54-63
Pérez, E., & Ruiz, S. (2017). El consumo de sustancias como factor de riesgo para la conducta delictiva: Una revisión sistemática. Acción Psicológica, 14(2), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.5944/ap.14.2.20748
Pozueco Romero, J. M., Romero Guillena, S. L., & Casas Barquero, N. (2011). Psicopatía, violencia y criminalidad: Un análisis psicológico-forense, psiquiátrico-legal y criminológico (Parte II). Cuadernos de Medicina Forense, 17(4), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.4321/S1135-76062011000400002
Rodríguez Vera, N. P. (2025). Efectos psicológicos de la percepción de inseguridad y experiencias de atracos en población ecuatoriana. SAPIENS International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.71068/0ygytn84
Turanovic, J. J. (2022). Exposure to violence and victimization: Reflections on 25 years of research from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 71(6 Suppl.), S14–S23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.08.015
Valdes, J. M. D., Eisenstein, J., & De Choudhury, M. (2015). Psychological Effects of Urban Crime Gleaned from Social Media. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, 2015, 598–601. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5648364/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nelson Wellington Lema-Vivanco (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas (REMCA), agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright
Authors retain unrestricted copyright to their work. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication. To this end, they assign the journal non-exclusive exploitation rights (reproduction, distribution, public communication, and transformation). Authors may enter into additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal, provided that acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal is given.
© The authors.
2. License
The articles are published in the journal under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The terms can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en
This license allows:
- Sharing: Copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format.
- Adapting: Remixing, transforming, and building upon the material.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any changes were made. You may do this in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses or sponsors your use.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your creation under the same license as the original work.
There are no additional restrictions. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
