An emerging line of research suggests that characteristics of the early family environment such as parent–child relationships, parental affection, and family conflict may contribute to vulnerability to stress-related illnesses in adulthood. An important long-term mechanism linking early family experiences to risk of illness later in life may lie in the ability to regulate physiological responses to environmental challenges. The current study provides evidence from our research program supportive of a cognitive-affective model in which it is proposed that family-of-origin relationships influence the development of emotional and cognitive responses to environmental challenges that influence physiological reactivity patterns, and ultimately impact vulnerability to stress-related illnesses later in life.
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