Compared a probability sample of 118 homeless adolescents (ages 12-17) from 6 shelters from throughout the 7-county Detroit metropolitan area to a matched sample of 118 housed adolescents using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC), which yields diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; DSM-III-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria, and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Adolescents in the housed comparison group were matched on age, sex, race, and neighborhood characteristics. Analyses, including ones controlling for a set of 10 risk and resilience factors, indicated that the homeless showed more disruptive behavior disorders and alcohol abuse or dependence on the DISC and greater levels of symptomatology on the BSI. There were no significant group differences on drug abuse or affective disorders, and psychotic disorders were rare in both groups. This pattern of findings is not entirely consistent with popular stereotypes about homeless youth nor with many existing studies (which have often failed to include an appropriate comparison group).

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To examine how a family's understanding of brain death may affect the decision to donate, an interview study was conducted with the immediate next of kin of 164 medically suitable organ donor candidates. Telephone interviews were conducted with members of both donor and nondonor families 4 to 6 months after the relative's death. Only 61% of the donor and 53% of the nondonor respondents said they had received an explanation of brain death. Few respondents reported that the hospital or organ procurement organization staff used visual aids to clarify or reinforce the information they were given. Next of kin who decided against donation had far less understanding of brain death than did those who decided in favor of it. Before making an organ donation request, healthcare providers must inquire about and address common misunderstandings people have about brain death. Healthcare teams should develop and be trained on a clear protocol for communicating with the families of patients who may be potential organ donors.

To examine how a family's understanding of brain death may affect the decision to donate, an interview study was conducted with the immediate next of kin of 164 medically suitable organ donor candidates. Telephone interviews were conducted with members of both donor and nondonor families 4 to 6 months after the relative's death. Only 61% of the donor and 53% of the nondonor respondents said they had received an explanation of brain death. Few respondents reported that the hospital or organ procurement organization staff used visual aids to clarify or reinforce the information they were given. Next of kin who decided against donation had far less understanding of brain death than did those who decided in favor of it. Before making an organ donation request, healthcare providers must inquire about and address common misunderstandings people have about brain death. Healthcare teams should develop and be trained on a clear protocol for communicating with the families of patients who may be potential organ donors.