I don't know. Both has its pros and cons I suppose. To be estranged would cause a lot of stress. A lot of difficult decisions, and depending on the extent of "estranged" could cause a lot of arguments. But on the flip side you can always have hope that something will change. You know there are others out there that carry the same blood. That you are not alone- even when it feels like it.

However, to have no family at all would alieviate stress of trying to deal with a severly dysfunctional family. It wouldn't leave you with decisions of what to do next or how and who to deal with. Coming from a social isolate, this would probably be my preference. (however, my family isn't estranged and only slightly dysfunctional so who am I to speak on such things?) And to have no family at all- can cause more feelings of aloneness and hopelessness. I would think.