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The quality of family life influences the development of individual differences in vulnerability to illness throughout later life. As adults, victims of childhood physical or sexual abuse are at considerably greater risk for mental illness, as well as for diabetes and heart disease (eg, Refs. 1–3). Children need not be beaten to be compromised. Persistent emotional neglect or conditions of harsh, inconsistent discipline serve to increase the risk of depression and anxiety disorders to a level comparable to that observed in cases of abuse. 4 Indeed, for certain outcomes, the consequences of persistent neglect exceed those of abuse. 5, 6 More subtle relationships exist. Low scores on parental bonding scales, reflecting cold, distant parent–child relationships, significantly increase the risk of depression and anxiety in later life (eg, Refs. 7, 8). And the risk is not unique to mental health. Russak and Schwartz9 found that by midlife …