You'd think that a tough childhood would make you more suspicious and sceptical, but a new British study has come up with the surprising finding that it actually is more likely to make you more gullible, making you more open to suggestions by police interrogators, advertisers, etc. It's perhaps less surprising when you realize the cause -- that such a childhood renders most individuals less trusting of themselves -- but of course it's very sad that children take so much (completely unwarranted) responsibility for what happens to them, instead of laying it squarely where it belongs.

And relatedly, an American study has just come out with the finding that people who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical and prone to depression and anxiety.