Steep gradients in health status involve large effects at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum but measurable negative effects at the high end, too. No one is unscathed in a many-leveled system. It is further implied that the strength of community of society depends on the total health of an individual and the family unit. They explore the interconnections of physical, mental, and social health, and draw the logical conclusions. Inadequate and inappropriate social and emotional experiences in one's early environment can result in compromised higher level neural systems, whose task it is to provide information necessary to bond, to initiate, and to respond in socially appropriate ways.
Research likewise shows that chronic stress can depress one's immune system.
Furthermore, repeated, long-term stress causes neurons to die. The authors show a significant association between emotional regulation and social competence in preschool children. Herein lies one of the most important and central issues of the book. However, the unfortunate results of high-stress childhood environments can be avoided, and critical periods without stress may positively modify our ability to modulate and to control our responses to stressers later in life. The authors present a solid case for the perils within the status quo and describe the required changes in very exact language with bountiful documentation.