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Romania became notorious in recent history for the problems in its child welfare system. A black cloud continues to hang over the country since media reports, such as 20/20's "Shame of a Nation," and other writings and broadcasts have focused worldwide attention on the child welfare problems in Romania. During this same time period from 1990 to 1993, several thousand children were adopted from Romania by North American families. This study describes the positive and negative aspects of children adopted from Romania. It gives particular attention to the experiences of families who adopted children from institutional settings compared to other placements.

The study described in this article explores risk factors for suicide among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. A convenience sample of 221 self-identified gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths who attended youth groups across the United States and Canada were given the Adolescent Health Questionnaire, which assessed family issues, the social environment, and self-perceptions. The youths' scores were significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempts. Implications for social services are discussed.

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