The paper presents a theoretical framework for the impairment of victims’ mental health following an offense. I begin by defining the terms “victimization” and “mental health,” summarizing existing theoretical assumptions and empirical studies concerning victims’ mental health, and explaining the relevance of impaired mental health as a risk factor for (future) victimization. I use the theoretical framework to show how different processes mediate the relationship between the experience of victimization and impairment of mental health. The specific characteristics of the attack, the internal and external resources of the victim, and the occurrence of secondary victimization are relevant factors. The model allows the integration of previous empirical findings and can serve as a basis for future research.