Researchers have found a link between trauma, neglect, abuse and family dysfunction during childhood with an increased risk of heart disease during your 50s and 60s. Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study found that people who faced higher childhood trauma were 50 per cent likely to have a heart attack or stroke, over a 30-year follow-up. Children of this cohort were also influenced towards higher rates of lifelong stress, smoking, anxiety, depression and a sedentary lifestyle that persisted in adulthood.