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  Community religious adherence is a poor predictor of poverty rates– except in Utah and Idaho

  Connor B. Biser

  Fourth Place Becoming BYU - BYU 150 category, Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference 2026

  Previous research has shown variable correlations between religious adherence and socioeconomic standing at the family and individual scales. Utah and Idaho are predominantly LDS—a faith which emphasizes and enables education and self-sufficiency through educational and material resources made available to the membership. We assessed the correlation between poverty rates and religious adherence rates at the county-level and compared national trends to those present in Utah and Idaho. We found a weak positive correlation between poverty and religious adherence rates nationally, but a moderate negative correlation in Utah and Idaho. Though these data do not establish a causative relationship; they suggest an interesting avenue for future study assessing the factors that may result in reduced poverty rates at the community level.

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  From Crown to Communism to Crown: Reconstruction in Budapest's Castle District reveals how heritage is selectively rebuilt to shape national identity

  Risae Carlson and Daniel Olsen

  This project examines how reconstruction in Budapest’s Buda Castle District shapes perceptions of authenticity and historical memory. Following World War II destruction and socialist rebuilding, post-1989 reconstruction has emphasized a return to imperial-era aesthetics. Using visual and historical analysis, this study shows how different political periods have reshaped the same space to reflect shifting cultural priorities. While the district appears historically cohesive, many structures are reconstructed rather than preserved. This creates tension with UNESCO’s standards of authenticity and integrity. The findings suggest that reconstruction does not simply restore the past but actively reshapes it by prioritizing certain narratives while downplaying others, ultimately influencing how visitors understand history.

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  How Far Is Too Far? Travel Planning Burdens in Autism Families

  Risae Carlson, Daniel Olsen, and Ruth Kerry

  This study examines how the burden of planning and risk management influences travel distance and destination choice among families with a child on the autism spectrum. Survey data from Utah-based parents indicate that higher planning burden is associated with a preference for familiar, closer-to-home destinations and shorter travel distances. Despite these constraints, families report that travel remains highly valuable for bonding, fostering a sense of normalcy, and supporting developmental growth.

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  Motivation vs. Negative Feelings Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social Anxiety​

  Jakob Carver and Eden Ordyna

  This study examines how motivation relates to negative emotional experiences across three groups: individuals with autism, individuals with social anxiety, and a control group. As shown in Figure 1, higher motivation is associated with lower levels of negative feelings across all groups, indicating a consistent inverse relationship.

  Baseline differences are evident, with individuals with social anxiety reporting the highest negative feelings, followed by those with autism, and the control group reporting the lowest. While all groups show similar downward trends as motivation increases, the reduction appears most pronounced in the control group. In contrast, individuals with autism and social anxiety continue to report relatively higher negative feelings even at high motivation levels.

  These findings suggest that although motivation is linked to improved emotional outcomes overall, its effectiveness may vary depending on underlying psychological conditions. The data that was used was pulled from a study trying to identify suicide predictors. Further research is needed to better understand these differences and inform targeted interventions for suicide among these groups.

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  What is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me, Don't Hurt Me, No More

  Sydney H. Crockett

  Is love a choice? A literature review demonstrated that love and behavior are inextricably linked, and one’s choices influence the development of love, suggesting it could be a choice. Interviews demonstrated that the assumption that love is a choice was baked into almost every respondent’s behavior, providing merit to the conclusion.

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  The 12-Week Silence: A Scrollytelling Investigation into Early Pregnancy Loss and the Case for Continuous Progesterone Monitoring

  Audrey Gold

  Opens with the scale of the problem (up to 1M miscarriages annually, all in the most data-poor window of pregnancy), describes the methodology (2 original surveys, 4 clinical interviews, peer-reviewed literature), walks through what the piece does visually (the distribution curve, the blind-spot timeline, the 5-phase progesterone chart, the intervention pathway), and closes with the central argument — that the silence is a gap in technology, not an inevitability.

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  Nature Nearby: Use of Green Spaces Mediating the Relationship Between Access to Green Spaces and Health

  Sydney P. Goodson

  Access to green spaces has been consistently linked to improved physical and mental health, yet the mechanisms driving this relationship remain underexplored, particularly in the United States. Using data from the 2018 General Social Survey (N = 1,045), this study examines whether time spent in natural environments mediates the relationship between access to green spaces and self‑rated physical and mental health. Linear regression models with robust standard errors reveal that time spent in natural environments mediates the relationship between access to green spaces and both health outcomes. These findings suggest that proximity to green spaces alone is insufficient to produce health benefits; rather, regular use of these spaces is critical. The results have important implications for urban planning and public health policy, emphasizing the need to design and promote green spaces in ways that encourage sustained engagement.

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  FHSS Collaborations: Departmental Cohesion and Inter-Departmental Ties

  Sydney P. Goodson, Alexandra Williams, Aaron Hunter, and Salem Hansen

  This project analyzes patterns of faculty collaboration within the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences (FHSS) at BYU using social network analysis of co-authorship data. As part of this research, we compiled data from Google Scholar on the 216 publishing faculty members within FHSS and their co-authorship connections. The study evaluates both internal cohesion and inter-departmental collaboration. Key measures include clustering coefficients to assess within-department cohesion, and degree and strength to capture the breadth and volume of collaborations across departments. Findings indicate that departments such as Sociology, School of Family Life, and Geography exhibit relatively high internal cohesion, suggesting tightly connected research communities. Notably, Sociology, School of Family Life, and Psychology demonstrate high levels of inter-departmental collaboration, positioning them as central “bridges” within the broader FHSS network. Analysis of external ties shows that departments with a higher number of external collaborations tend to also have a wider range of unique collaborators outside of one’s department, indicating a positive relationship between collaboration volume and breadth. Overall, the study highlights meaningful variation in how departments vary in internal cohesion and external engagement. These patterns provide unique insight into the structure of academic collaboration within FHSS.

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  Blessing or Burden?: Parental Religiosity and LGBTQ Adolescent Well-Being

  Emma S. Griffitts, Lindsey Maner, and Adam Rogers

  This study investigated the associations between parent religiosity and their LGBTQ teen's psychological risk and resilience factors. LGBTQ youth showed higher risk factors, but parent religiosity also predicted greater resilience, mediated by child religiosity. These effects were stronger among LGBTQ teens than non-LGBTQ teens, suggesting that their internalized faith may lead to increased coping and well-being in minority contexts.

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  Tracking the Russian Invasion of Utah Wheat Fields

  Eliza J. Hammari and Ruth Kerry

  Russian thistle (tumbleweed) is one of the most economically damaging weeds for agricultural fields. Using remote sensing methods, thistle presence in Utah wheat fields was measured and spatial patterns were analyzed to examine how weed infestation corresponds with soil water content and wheat yield harvests.

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  Croatian Seagrass Meadows: Time Change Detection of Loss due to Anchoring Damage

  Eliza J. Hammari, Gabe Mills, Ruth Kerry, and Steve Schill

  Posidonia oceanica in the Croatian seascape is an important seagrass species for carbon sequestration and habitat stability. One of the largest threats to seagrass is boat anchoring. In this study we used satellite imagery to detect changes in seagrass in anchoring hotspots over a seven-year period.

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  Maternal Age and Income Moderate the Effects of Infant Sleep Interventions on Maternal Sleep and Mood

  Rachel Kerr, Afton Craig, and Kara McRae Duraccio

  Introduction: Demographic and social factors, including maternal age, number of children, and income, may influence the success of sleep training approaches for infants based on differences in supports available and varying levels of maternal self-efficacy/confidence. This study investigated whether maternal income, age, and number of children moderated the effect of three infant behavioral sleep interventions on maternal sleep and mental health.

  Methods: Mothers of infants (ages 5-10 months) were randomly assigned to basic sleep hygiene control, graduated extinction, or responsive parenting interventions to help improve the sleep of their infant. Mothers completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Short Form, Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, and the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale at baseline and following the two-week intervention implementation period. Repeated-measures general-linear-models were conducted to evaluate change in maternal sleep/mental health over time while evaluating the between-subject factor of experimental condition; additional between-subject factors included maternal age, income, and number of children.

  Results: Fifty-nine mothers (M age=27.2(4.10); M income=68,152.42(SD=54044.30); 100% female; 85% White) and their infants (M age=6.87 months (SD=1.62); 54% female) completed the study. Among lower-income mothers, responsive parenting and graduated extinction significantly reduced depression symptoms compared to control (p=.016 and .042, respectively); income did not moderate improvements on maternal sleep quality, sleep disturbance, or anxiety (p>0.05). Maternal age moderated rates of improvement in sleep disturbance over time (p=.042), where younger mothers receiving responsive parenting experienced greater reduction of sleep disturbance (compared to the other sleep conditions). Similar trends were noted in improvement in depression (p=.052), with younger mothers experiencing the greatest rate of improvement following responsive intervention. Number of children did not moderate treatment response for maternal sleep quality, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety (p>0.05).

  Conclusions: Mothers who are younger and of lower income may experience greater benefits in sleep and mood when engaging in a responsive-parenting sleep intervention compared to more traditional graduated extinction methods or sleep hygiene approaches. These findings may reflect differences in maternal self-efficacy or tolerance with distress in these populations. Future research should evaluate how parental confidence, caregiving beliefs, and perceived feasibility serve as mechanisms that underly these differential intervention responses.

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  Maps Behind Bars: A Spatial Study into Wrongful Convictions and Social Equality

  Bailee Kinghorn, Emma Milne, and Camille Heaton

  Wrongful convictions are representative of errors in the criminal justice system. Often reflecting broad patterns of social inequality, prior research suggests that structural factors may influence the likelihood of conviction and access to legal resources. This project investigates how these social equality indicators correlate with wrongful convictions at the county level across the United States. Using data from the National Institute of Health and the National Registry of Exonerations, we aggregate measures of education, poverty, and non-English-speaking populations normalized by population density and combine them with exoneration records to create a series of comparative maps. Through spatial analysis in ArcGIS, the maps reveal spatial patterns relating to regional poverty, urban density, and access to social resources. By visualizing these relationships, this study aims to contribute to conversations about systematic bias and justice. It is important to note that this data relies on individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated, so it may not include those without legal resources who did not receive an outcome. For this reason, further awareness of this topic is necessary.

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  Language and Emotional Experience: A Worldwide Study

  Natalie Lorange and Chelsea Romney

  This qualitative study explored how native language influences emotional experience. Fourteen participants from diverse countries were recruited to capture a range of linguistic perspectives and experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in four key themes: (1) shared experience as central in creating emotional meaning, (2) the power of words in shaping emotional experience, (3) stronger emotional resonance in native or frequently used languages, and (4) the importance of regional differences in emotional experience. Findings suggest that while emotions may be largely universal, linguistic and cultural differences play a significant role in an individual's emotional identity. The study highlights the potential to expand emodiversity through engagement with multiple languages. There are also important implications for therapeutic techniques, as emotional experience varies across languages.

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  Babies and Borders: Political Determinants of Population Policies in the European Union

  Lauren A. McHenry

  This research examines the political conditions under which pronatalist policy and restrictive immigration policy are implemented. Using the Nationalism Populism Database and World Population Review data, I classify different countries based on levels of populism and nationalism and determine countries’ levels of immigration restriction and pronatalism. I use a Most Similar Systems Design case study to compare the different policy outcomes of Spain and Italy. I find that populism is predictive of immigration restriction, while nationalism is predictive of pronatalist policy.

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  Budgets vs. Bullets: Divergent Effects of Economic and Security Threats on Nationalism

  Mary Moody

  Existing literature argues that the presence of threats increase levels of (patriotic) nationalism. However, there are different kinds of threats, whose presence may instead reduce nationalist and isolationist attitudes. We argue that economic threats will raise levels of nationalism, while security threats will decrease nationalism and increase internationalism. We find that, across Europe, those who were more concerned about economics as a result of the Ukraine War were more Eurosceptic and nationalist, whereas those who were more concerned about security had an increased desire for European cooperation. In an original survey experiment in Poland, we find that a treatment priming the military threat of the Ukraine War significantly decreased isolationist and nationalist attitudes. This has significant implications for the study of conflict and nationalism, and highlights the need for greater nuance in our understanding of threat.

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  Where's Our Water? Invasive Saltcedar's Thirsty Trek Across the Shoreline of Lake Mead

  Mia R. Morgan, Joseph Penrod, and Ruth Kerry

  The prolonged megadrought in Southern Nevada has exposed thousands of acres of former lakebed at Lake Mead, creating an expanding frontier for the invasive shrub Tamarix ramosissima, commonly known as saltcedar. This hardy, non-native species rapidly colonizes the receding shoreline, siphoning up to 200 gallons of water per plant daily and outcompeting native vegetation. Utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery from 2020 and 2025, this research found that saltcedar coverage within a 5 km radius of the lake increased by approximately 76.7%.

  Analysis of the spatial data indicates that while the total area of infestation has exploded, the average distance of saltcedar from the shoreline increased by only 13.16%, suggesting the plant "chases" the receding water's edge. The most significant expansion occurred in the nutrient-dense, low-sloped Overton Arm, while the rocky, steep terrain of the Boulder Basin saw less horizontal encroachment. To mitigate further water loss and habitat degradation, the study recommends a targeted removal strategy that prioritizes mechanical eradication of seedlings at the leading shoreline edge combined with native revegetation to foster long-term biodiversity and suppression.

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  Critical Minerals in a Critical Time

  Parker J. Peterson, Sophia Budge, and Brooks Miner

  This study evaluates U.S. positioning in rare earth mineral (REM) supply chains by analyzing global mine concentrations and trade alignments. While the U.S. ranks second in production, its critical vulnerability lies in processing, where China controls 60–80% of global capacity. Strategic investment and allied partnerships are essential for long-term supply chain resilience.

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  Breaking the Ice: The Effects of Climate on Arctic Accessibility & Strategic Capability

  Parker J. Peterson, Frank DeVito, and Alex Guglielmo

  Arctic sea ice has declined steadily since 1978, reshaping global shipping routes, military postures, and indigenous communities. Reduced ice extent expands access to the Northern Sea Route and Arctic resources while correlating with increased military activity. These changes accelerate economic opportunity but outpace governance, threatening Indigenous wellbeing and regional stability.

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  More of the Same? Measuring Donald Trump's Populism in the 2024 Presidential Campaign

  Ryan Rajasooriar and Kirk Hawkins

  This research analyzes whether Donald Trump increased his populist rhetoric in the 2024 presidential campaign in comparison to 2016. Using a holistic coding rubric, we had three trained coders analyze 25 campaign speeches and 2 debates, using a 0-2 scale and creating sub-scores for anti-elitism and people-centrism.

  The results show no statistically significant increase in overall populism( 2016 Avg = 0.8 vs. 1.0 Avg in 2024. Trump's rhetoric is consistently "half-populist", reflecting a strong leaning towards anti-elitist speech but weaker or erratic amount of people-centrism. Usually a populist will emphasize the people as the "glorified will" of the country. However, Trump strays from this by usually glorifying himself as the people's "representative".

  The findings would strongly suggest that Trump has continued on the half-populism trend in 2024 he started in 2016 rather than change. However, this is highly context dependent as his populist rhetoric changes usually between rallies and debates.

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  Beyond Displacement: AI-Related Job Loss and Time to Re-Employment

  Megan E. Williams and Eric Dahlin

  This study examines whether workers who lose jobs to AI experience longer unemployment than those displaced for other reasons. Using OLS regression with demographic and occupational controls, results show that, on average, AI-displaced workers find new employment slightly faster. Although these differences are not statistically significant, they suggest AI-related job loss may not uniquely affect reemployment.

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  Finding belonging in a religious dominant society: Religion among African migrants in Türkiye

  Garrett L. Wride and Stacey A. Shaw

  As global migration increases each year, so does the need to understand the crossroads between inclusion, wellbeing, and religion. The experience of African migrants living in Türkiye presents itself as a unique case to study migrant wellbeing. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, this study shows that African migrants in Türkiye belonging to the religious minority have lower scores of wellbeing and social support. Findings point to the need for policy makers and mental health practitioners to ensure migrants can access their religious communities.

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  Asking the Right Questions: How Parent Question Type Shapes Children's Emotion Label Use Across Early Childhood

  Ashton Allen and Peter J. Reschke

  Parent questions facilitate children's emotion label learning during parent–child conversations (Ruba et al., 2022), yet limited research has examined how different question types influence this process. Parent–child dyads (N = 296, 136 girls) were observed discussing a picture book depicting self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt, embarrassment, awe, pride) annually for five years starting at age 2. Parent-child conversations were transcribed and the frequencies of parent yes/no questions, parent open-ended questions, child emotion labels, and total word count were coded from transcriptions (mean interrater reliability ICC = .90). Five separate regression models (one per wave) predicting children’s emotion labels revealed significant effects of question type. Specifically, parent yes/no questions negatively predicted child emotion labeling at Wave 1, 𝛽 = -.21, SE = .07, t = -2.94, p = .004, Wave 2, 𝛽 = -.16, SE = .08, t = -2.08, p = .04, Wave 3, 𝛽 = -.23, SE = .07, t = -3.30, p = .001, and Wave 4, 𝛽 = -.30, SE = .11, t = -2.70, p = .009. Conversely, parent open-ended questions positively predicted child emotion labeling at Wave 2, 𝛽 = .28, SE = .08, t = 3.49, p < .001, Wave 3, 𝛽 = .26, SE = .07, t = 3.72, p < .001, and Wave 4, 𝛽 = .43, SE = .11, t = 3.98, p < .001. These findings highlight the role of question type in shaping children’s emotion language. Implications for parent–child interactions, early emotion socialization, and applications in practical settings will be discussed.

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  Talking Shame with Boys & Girls: How Gender Shapes Parent–Child Conversations About Self-Conscious Emotions

  Ashton Allen, Peter J. Reschke, and Jocelyn Wikle

  This study examines how child gender predicts parents’ use of emotion labels during a storybook task. Prior research suggests that parents may socialize emotions differently based on child gender, potentially shaping children’s emotional development. However, limited work has specifically examined gender differences in parent emotion labeling, particularly within the context of self-conscious emotions. The study utilized a sample of parent–child dyads (N = 95) from the 2023 wave of Project M.E.D.I.A., a longitudinal dataset analyzing parent emotion labeling during a shared storybook task. OLS regression models were employed to examine the association between child gender and parents’ use of emotion labels while controlling for conversation length, child vocabulary, child affective knowledge, and demographic characteristics. Findings indicate that parents used more emotion labels when discussing shame with daughters than with sons. Parents were also more likely to use emotion labels for shame while talking to their daughters when the picture depicted a boy. These results suggest that parents may engage in gendered emotion socialization, which could contribute to differences in children’s emotional competencies over time. Understanding gendered patterns in parent emotion talk can inform future research on emotional development and interventions aimed at fostering balanced emotion socialization across genders.

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  Mental Wellness of the Saintly, Spiritual, and Secular: Who Has the Edge?

  Addison Clevenger, Justin Dyer, and Sam Hardy

  This study examines the relationship between religious/spiritual identity and depression and anxiety levels at comparative baseline levels, and then longitudinally. Gathered from The Family Foundations of Youth Development Project, this study samples parent-child dyads from highly religious parts of the Western United States to determine how the mental health of these individuals is affected by the conjunction of spirituality and religiosity, the lack of either, or one divorced from the other. Results revealed that at baseline levels, participants across all groups who identified as “Spiritual but not Religious” had the highest levels of anxiety and depression, and children who identified as “Religious and Spiritual” had the lowest levels of depression. The difference between the “Religious and Spiritual” identity and the “Spiritual but not Religious” identity, specifically, was significant across every baseline scale. Results indicated that while the baseline mental health levels of the “Spiritual but not Religious” groupings were the worst, this was the only group of children to significantly decrease in their depression levels, and the only group to not significantly increase in their anxiety levels, across time. Regarding adults, each group got significantly less depressed over time, except those who identified as “Religious but not Spiritual.” Like the area of research broadly, the results of this study are nuanced. This paper explains the study’s procedures and results, and offers possible interpretations, intending to alleviate suffering and encourage flourishing by identifying causal and protective factors for mental illness as it relates to religiosity and spirituality.