2020 Abstracts

Brewster, Melissa; Conradt, Elisabeth. (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Conradt, Elisabeth (University of Utah, Psychology)

Stress exposure in the early years of life is a public health concern since this exposure can lead to a variety of illnesses ranging from diabetes to depression. More specifically, previous research has emphasized the importance of understanding the impact of stress exposure on an infant. However, there is limited research linking in utero stress exposure to later infant development, more specifically, on newborn self-regulation and neurobehavior. We examined whether newborn neurobehavior was associated with prenatal maternal psychophysiological signs of stress. Pregnant women (N=162) during their third trimester were invited to the child adaptation and neurodevelopment (CAN) laboratory to acquire hair cortisol concentrations, baseline heart rate (HR), baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and baseline electrodermal activity (EDA) parameters: skin conductance response (SCR) and skin conductance levels (SCL). Subsequent to this visit was the hospital visit. We assessed newborns between twenty-four hours and two months of age using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) which measures the dimensions of attention and arousal. We conducted correlations and ordinary least squares regression analyses. Maternal hair cortisol levels were not significantly associated with newborn attention (r= -.026, p=.77) and arousal (r= -.077, p= .382). However, exploratory analyses demonstrated that hair hygiene may affect these results. Baseline HR was not associated with attention (r= .012, p=.879) and arousal (r= -.002, p=.979). Baseline RSA was also not associated with attention (r= -.106, p=.192) and arousal (r= .071, p= .381). Lastly, baseline SCR and SCL were not associated to newborn attention (r=-.094, p=.247; r=-.013, p=.874) and arousal (r=-.077, p=.342; r=-.12, p=.138), respectively. These results suggest that having naturally high or low psychophysiological measurements has little-to-no impact on infant well-being, as opposed to stress reactivity.

Goodrich, Ellie; Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah, Anthropology)

Alouatta palliata (the mantled howler monkey) form large, cohesive multimale multifemale groups. Within these groups there are prominent male dominance hierarchies and both males and females disperse from natal groups. Although A. palliata groups are cohesive, interactions among individuals are rare. Spatial relationships in primate groups aren't random and are often telling of the underlying social structure within a group. This project compares three adult dyads in the A. palliata groups of La Selva Biological station, Costa Rica, to examine group cohesion and if there is variation in spatial patterns between the dyads. The dyads include male-male, female-female, and male-female. Data were collected from May 11-May 22 , 2017 and May 11- June 19, 2018. Instantaneous scan samples were taken at two-minute intervals, and for each scan the sex of each individual, the nearest neighbor's sex, and proximity to closest neighbor were recorded. Proximities were visually estimated to the nearest half meter and sex was determined by body size and the presence or absence of scrotum. The data showed that males maintained closer distances with females than with other males, and females maintained closer distances with females than males. The average male-male distance was 4.2 meters, female-female 1.51 meters, and male-female 2.68 meters. The results suggest that sex plays a role in the spatial organization of a group. In A. palliata adult males have been found to rarely interact with other males and will often employ avoidance strategies, explaining the distances observed between males in this study. Female-female dyads tend to maintain closer and more affiliative proximities due to the presence of infants and the lack of competition for mating and food resources. There are also more females present in A. palliata troop than males, increasing the likelihood that males would be in proximity to females rather than other males.

Patrick I. Garrett, Andrew N. Maloy, Allyson G Barraza, Braxton Tonks, Ashley M. Peterson, Sarah C. Honeycutt, Todd M. Hillhouse (Weber State University)

Current opioid drug treatments for acute and chronic pain have problematic side effects (e.g. addiction and respiratory depression). In general, preclinical studies use assays of pain-stimulated behaviors, which are defined as behaviors that increase in frequency, rate or intensity after delivery of a noxious stimulus. However, pain-stimulated behaviors can be reduced by drugs that suppress motor activity but lack analgesic properties. Novel assays of pain-depressed behaviors are defined as a decrease in frequency, rate or intensity after delivery of a noxious stimulus. Pain-depressed behaviors are used in complement to pain-stimulated behaviors because drugs that suppress motor activity will not produce analgesic properties in these assays. The present study sought to evaluate sex differences in C57BL/6 mice in assays of pain-stimulated (i.e. hot plate and acid-induced stretching) and pain-depressed behaviors (nesting, rearing, and locomotor activity). No sex differences were found in the hot plate test, or acid-induced stretching, as the noxious stimulus increased behavior in both sexes. During control conditions, male mice exhibited greater nesting behavior and rearing activity. However, treatment with 0.32% and 0.56% lactic acid depressed nesting, rearing, and locomotor activity to the same degree in male and female mice. These results suggest that some pain-depressed assays, such as nesting and rearing, might be more sensitive to sex difference; however, these sex differences are not expressed in pain-stimulated behaviors. In recent years the National Institute of Health (NIH) required the use of male and female animals in all studies. This study provides evidence on which pain assays will require separate groups to address behavioral sex differences.

Hoopes, Holly (Salt Lake Community College)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (Salt Lake Community College, Anthropology)

Documenting primate sleep sites is a useful way to census troop composition because recording the troop's arrival to and dispersal from a sleep site can offer a better understanding of the whole troop, especially for species that are fission-fusion foragers. My goal was to understand sleep site selection by Alouatta palliata. Past studies suggest that howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) sleep in or near food-source trees. Alouatta species are the most folivorous of all Neotropical species with a preference for trees in the Moraceae family (e.g. Brosimum, Ficus). I predict Alouatta palliata will sleep most often in trees in the Moraceae family. This research took place at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. La Selva consists of 1,600 ha with both primary and secondary forests. This research was conducted at the start of the wet season (May and June) in 2018. I followed A. palliata to their nightly sleep site and recorded the trees they were sleeping in, at the Family level. The Family of the tree was identified with the use of the online OTS Plant Database in combination with the physical samples in the herbarium archives. I was able to record 27 nocturnal sleep sites with a total of 47 trees used for sleeping. Of the 47 trees, 18 were in the Fabaceae family (38%) and 11 were in the Moraceae family (23%). They also slept in Myristicaceae, (4%) and Malvaceae trees (2%). Fifteen sleeping trees were unidentified. Thus, my hypothesis that howler monkeys would sleep most in Moraceae, was refuted. However, Fabaceae trees are a commonly known food resource for howler monkeys, so my results are similar to prior research which found they sleep in or near food-source trees. Interestingly, I never observed them eating in the trees in which they slept.

Kristianna J. Radley - Department of Psychology, University of Utah. u1119263@utah.edu. Rebecca R. Steed - Population Science, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Department of Geography, University of Utah. Dr. Huong Meeks - Population Science, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah. Dr. Ken R. Smith - Utah Population Database, Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah. (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Smith, Ken (University of Utah, Department of Family and Consumer Studies)

How is your risk of mortality as an adult affected by your living circumstances, your family and your neighborhood that existed earlier? In the state of Utah, we have a historical collection of data on individual circumstances early in life and death records for the entire population through the Utah Population Database (UPDB). This work began by creating geographical representations of the longevity in Utah by neighborhoods based on residential location in 1940 to determine if certain areas are associated with higher, or possibly lower, adult mortality rates. The 1940 census was used because it represents the most recent census year where specific identifiers are available that allows us to follow individuals until their deaths or their current age. We found that mortality risks vary based on an individual's location residence in 1940, specifically adults living in urban areas. This research is being extended by exploring individual characteristics that may explain these spatial longevity differentials. For this work, it will also be important to explore how individual and neighborhood characteristics may interact, where certain combinations serve to either increase or decrease the risk of adult mortality. We are continuing this research by adding a third level of analysis by including a familial component in relation to mortality risk. This additional component allows us to determine if family members share a risk of mortality which might be associated with neighborhood clustering (since family members may be more likely to live near one another) or because of shared genetics. By studying all three levels of mortality risk, this research will lead to a more comprehensive assessment of the social and geographic origins of mortality risk (at the level of the individual, family, and community). This work may have the ability to identify community characteristics that will promote healthier and longer lives.

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica; Price, Ashton (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

Burnout, defined by the World Health Organization as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed," is the Quality of Life research topic for the Institute of Social Research Team Fall 2019. A literature review of past research regarding the topic burnout has been conducted to understand the effects it has on society. The effect of burnout on college students is a subtopic of the research by the ISR Team. The research team has a survey developed and disbursed to students of Dixie State University (DSU) to gather burnout indicators among college students. The data will show how burnout affects students of different backgrounds, and if they see burnout as a normal part of their college experience. People are socialized into norms and values that represent a quality life. College students are subconsciously taught that burnout is accepted as a societal norm. Though burnout is a popular topic to discuss there are questions that remain. Does it affect aspects of their social, academic, and career life? After the survey data is gathered, sociological theories will be applied to answer the question and to gain a better understanding of burnout among DSU college students.

Farstead, Brian; Williford, Tanner; Schow, Hunter; Muldowney, John; Stewart, Victoria (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Lundwall, Rebecca (Brigham Young university, Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Nueroscience)

Reflexive and sustained attention are important components of daily functioning, and those who exhibit attention deficits typically have problems in school, work, and relationships. Previous studies have measured sustained and reflexive attention using different tasks with disparate stimuli. Because the stimuli are different, it is unclear how reflexive and sustained attention are related. There are some indications in the literature that individuals tend to be better at one or the other type of task.

We measured reflexive and sustained attention in a sample (N=185) of children who completed two computer tasks that recorded response time and accuracy. We developed the two tasks so that all stimuli were identical, but the reflexive attention task used peripheral stimuli and the sustained attention task used central stimuli. Parents also completed questionnaires reporting demographics (e.g., age and sex) and the child's usual sleep habits, behavior at home, and behavior at school. Asking about sleep, home behavior, and school behavior allows us to identify predictors of individual variability in computer-task scores.

We anticipated that children who have a better reflexive attention (lower response times and higher accuracy) would score lower on sustained attention. Furthermore, we expect the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention would be moderated by aspects of behavior related to sleep, home-life, and school. Determining the relationship between different components of attention is important because it will help us to understand the underlying factors that contribute to different deficits in attention. Furthermore, it is important to understand how these different components of attention manifest by age, sex, behaviors at home and behaviors in school. Understanding the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention and their association with child characteristics could potentially contribute to interventions in individuals who have symptoms of attentional deficits.

Geist, Claudia: Rodriguez, Johnny (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Geist, Claudia (Sociology, Gender Studies)

Previous research has demonstrated variation between racial and ethnic groups in the patterns of access to, and use of highly effective and long-lasting contraception. There has been a lack of research on how race and ethnicity interact with social and economic predictors of contraceptive method use. Specifically, this research project identifies the variation in the effect of social and economic factors on contraceptive use patterns across ethnic/racial groups. We use data from the HER Salt Lake initiative, a prospective study that provided family planning clients in the state of Utah with various contraceptive choices, while also removing cost barriers. We first summarize social and economic characteristics, potential barriers, and ethnic/racial group. We next replicate existing research that predict usage of effective and long-lasting contraception (IUD and Implants) as a function of social, economic, and demographic characteristics, and more importantly, whether the impact of social and economic factors on contraceptive choice varies across racial and ethnic group. In a final analytic step, this project looks at how the impact of pregnancy intentions on contraceptive method choice varies across racial/ethnic group. Preliminary findings suggest that women of color face significantly higher health care barriers (both social and economic), yet there are no significant differences in the usage of IUDs and implants. By acknowledging social and economic factors as possible barriers to health care more broadly, and contraception specifically, and highlighting racial and ethnic variation in the impact of these factors, we hope to increase access to a wide range of contraceptive choices for all consumers.

Hansen, Rebecca; Spencer, Todd; Brosi, Matt; Hubler, Daniel (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Spencer, Todd (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

There has been a wealth of research examining the negative influence of stress on relationship outcomes. Additionally, research indicates the quality of communication between couples strongly influences their overall satisfaction in marriage (Fletcher, 2002). While stress has been associated with poorer communication quality among romantic partners (Bodenmann, 1997), little is known how relationship efficacy modifies that relationship. The purpose of the present study is to examine the extent relationship efficacy mediates the association between stress and communication quality. Our sample consists of 939 individuals who are between 18-70 years old and currently in a romantic relationship. Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale - short form (PSS-4; Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), Active-Empathetic Listening Scale (AELS; Bodie, 2011), and Relationship Efficacy Measure (REM; Fincham, Harold, & Gano-Phillips, 2000). Following the mediation analysis outlined by Baron and Kenny (1981), we found that relationship efficacy did mediate the relationship between stress and communication quality, F (2,901) = 111.39, p=<.001. Results provide empirical support for the potential relationship efficacy holds to ameliorate the detrimental effects of stress on communication quality among romantic partners.

Loveless, Emily; Mack, Brittney; Squire, Jenna; Turner, Haylee; Nicholls, Emily; Luke, Steven; Cabbage, Kathryn (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Luke, Steven (College of Family Home and Social Sciences, Psychology); Cabbage, Kathryn (McKay School of Education, Communication Disorders)

Language impairment affects approximately 7-9% of all children and puts children at risk for long-term negative impacts on academic performance, development of social relationships, and even vocational outcomes in adulthood (Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood, & Rutter, 2005). Preschoolers with language impairment have reduced vocabulary, use less complex oral language structures, have difficulty comprehending grammatical structures in spoken language, and poor social communication (Paul & Norbury, 2018). At present, a common recommendation to improve literacy skills in typically developing children emphasizes exposing children to stories through shared book reading from a young age. When being read a storybook, preschoolers without language impairment are more likely to focus their attention on the objects and people specifically mentioned in the text (Luke & Asplund, 2018), suggesting that they are connecting storybook images with oral language comprehension. It is unknown, however, whether children with language impairment benefit in the same way from recommended exposure to shared book reading to improve language and literacy outcomes. Prior research with older children with language impairment has shown that these children initially attend to the appropriate object or person in the text but do not sustain their attention to items that are relevant to what they're hearing (Nation, Marshall, & Altmann, 2004), suggesting they may need support learning what to attend to when integrating oral language with visual images. In this study, we aim to see if a similar pattern emerges for preschool-aged children with language impairment. This study has a strong potential to significantly improve our understanding of how to support language development processes during storybook reading, specifically with children with language impairment.

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica; Price, Ashton (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

As part of Dixie State University's Institute for Social Research, this paper will identify questions pertaining to burnout. Recently, the World Health Organization has deemed burnout as a recognized syndrome. Building off of this new information, the ISR is looking at the overall social acceptance of burnout and how, as a society, it teaches individuals to accept it. Through the lens of symbolic interaction, the ISR looks at how the modern age of technology is affecting this acceptance. Specifically, the modern reliance upon technology is something that is looked at as contributor. The transfer of culture through common symbols is now faster than ever with the emergence of social media platforms. These meanings are portrayed through language, pictures and even trends that reveal societies acceptance of the feelings and symptoms associated with burnout. A great example of this would be the famous picture of the "don't give up!" frog in the stork's mouth. Even though the frog is being eaten, it's still trying to choke the stork. This picture may change, but the point behind the message is always clear, one must keep going even if it seems they are done. This social acceptance of burnout through the means of social media content is one part of the multiple facets the ISR is researching under the subject of burnout.

Buchanan, Shayne; Estevez, Angel (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chapman, Heather (Weber State University, Psychology)

Abstract:
Poverty is a major epidemic throughout the world. Being in an impoverished state is extremely difficult as it makes living that much more stressful. Those lacking the ability to attain basic needs such as food are at high risk of suffering physical and mental complications, along with environmental and social issues.
One of the biggest issues regarding poverty is the problem malnutrition presents. Among many complications that malnutrition creates, the most concerning is impairments in cognitive development. This can lead to children performing poorly in school. While malnutrition is a problem among those suffering from impoverished circumstances, there are organizations that provide some relief.
Foundations and organizations that provide such assistance include food banks, charities, and churches, etc. This alleviates some of the difficulties surrounding a life in poverty. If participants are not willing to return or do not continue receiving support for various reasons, poverty will persist. One of these reasons may be user satisfaction.
It can be difficult to know how parents and families feel about the satisfaction of certain aspects these foundations provide. Families receiving assistance from food pantries may discontinue participation if they feel their needs are not met. Satisfaction of various aspects of food is an important determinant in regards to overall usage for food banks. To identify levels of satisfaction from assistance programs, we set up a user satisfaction survey for participants to complete in order to measure their overall satisfaction. To be specific, we are measuring satisfaction of the quality, quantity, and ease of process in acquiring food from Granite Education Foundation food banks.

Mauchley, Olivia; Kamimura, Akiko (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Kamimua, Akiko (Social and Behavioral Science, Sociology)

The purpose of this study is to examine awareness about environmental issues among undergraduate students in Utah. As climate change and environmental problems have, and continue to negatively affect the future, it is pertinent that students stay up to date and aware of these issues. Misinformation or lack of information has harmful effects to the environment and sustainability policies. College students are the next generation to formally work on these problems, and have an important role to play in climate change activism and solutions.

A self-administered paper survey was collected from undergraduate students attending social science classes at the University of Utah in September and October 2019. There were 450 total surveys collected. The results found showed that participants were more likely to agree with the following statements: "Solving environmental problems depends on actions by each and every one of us" and "Environmental problems must be solved through international co-operation." More than 40% of the participants reported environmental problems influenced their daily life a lot/very much. The top 3 serious environmental issues noted by the participants included lack of access to clean water, ocean pollution, and air pollution. The most common behavior implemented to protect the environment among the participants was to "Turn off the lights and other electronics when you leave a room." As for climate change, the participants tended to agree "Climate change will be serious in the world."

From these results we can conclude that undergraduate students are most aware of environmental problems that directly affect their daily lives and problems that receive the most attention on social media. Ultimately most undergraduate students in Utah are aware of the severity of climate change, though few seem to be focused on what they can do about it directly.

Clark, Jessica (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, Jim (Family Home and Social Sciences, Anthropology)

The Kiva was an important element to daily like in the ancient ancestral Puebloan culture. Using construction materials gathered from an excavation at a Pueblo III site in southeastern Utah, the project focuses on how the raw materials of the area were exploited for construction purposes. By examining the composition of plaster, mortar, and masonry rocks I hope to gain a more insightful understanding of how the Ancestral Puebloan people used their available resources. In addition, studying impressions on burned impressed adobe, along with charcoal samples from site, will help me to gain an understanding of the wood used for the kiva roof, as well as potentially showing how the roof of the structure held. Because indigenous people of the American Southwest have strong ties with the earth, gaining a small understanding of how their ancestors used the land is an important study.

Angell, Emma; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pamela; Price, Ashton; Gonzales, Veronica; Mattei, Dustin (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Sociology)

As part of the Dixie State University Quality of Life Initiative, the research topic proposed by the Institute for Social Research (ISR) is the social contract of burnout in society. The World Health Organization recently recognized burnout as a serious syndrome. It is also apparent that individuals in numerous workforce or school settings have dealt with it in some way. However, many do not fully understand what burnout is and how to properly deal with or treat it. What is burnout? Burnout has many definitions but the most common is that it is a condition, either physical or mental, caused by an individual being overworked or stressed. Burnout can lead to exhaustion, loss of motivation, anxiety, depression, procrastination, etc. The ISR team asks the question, "How has burnout been accepted into societies contract?" It is described as a social contract because we as members of society have implicitly agreed to accept burnout as a social norm. We will also take a look at Robert Merton's strain theory and how the pressure of society to achieve goals relates to this concept. The Institute for Social Research dives further by using data that has already been researched on burnout and has conducted a survey for students and faculty at Dixie State University. The ISR team will also take a closer look at technology and how it has affected an individual's work week.

Coy, Rachel; Macfarlan, Shane J. (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Macfarlan, Shane (University of Utah, Anthropology)

United States war veterans suffer from a variety of negative outcomes, including suicide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These negative outcomes may be due in part to how modern militaries treat moral trauma associated with war — as a transaction leaving warriors with minimal psycho-social support. Scholars have noted many cultures employ post-combat rituals to help reintegrate war veterans back to civilian life and these may be designed to treat PTSD specifically; however, none have ever systematically tested this. We test the hypothesis that post-combat rituals function to mitigate war-induced PTSD by extracting data from the electronic Human Relations Area Files, a repository of digitized ethnographic materials spanning 300 world cultures that are fully searchable by keywords, in conjunction with diagnostic criteria used in the DSM-5. Consistent with diagnostic criteria for PTSD, our analyses reveal that seclusion and sexual abstinence were frequent post-combat rituals (40% and 37.5%, respectively). Interestingly, we find a high prevalence of warrior contamination beliefs following war (80% of cultures). Strangely, food taboos were the most prevalent (42.5%) ritual yet were not represented in the DSM-5 PTSD criteria; this could be explained by comorbid depression affecting warrior's appetites and will be important in future work. These findings were consistent with the view that some war rituals are designed to treat PTSD. However, it appears some rituals have nothing to do with it. This suggests that war rituals may have another purpose such as warriors gaining cultural rewards to help with the transition back to civilian life. I highlight the importance of these findings as 1) an alternative treatment option for veterans suffering from PTSD and 2) as a therapeutic mechanism for reintegrating U.S. soldiers back to civilian life.

McClain Verdoes, Maryellen; Ha, Jennifer (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: McClain Verdoes, Maryellen (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Psychology Department)

This research will assess whether there is a significant difference in the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that do not have ASD. I will be looking at data from two populations: school aged children with ASD and school aged children without ASD. Most of the participants for this study will come from Cache County, Utah, so that limiting factor of sample demographics should be taken into account.

Considering the meager amount of research that has been done on the attention and reading achievement of children with ASD, the purpose of this poster presentation is to (1) display the methodology, data, and findings of this research project and (2) discuss any implications this may have and where to go next. Depending on the results, if they are significant, this project may be built upon and further developed to examine possible factors that may affect or lead to significant results.

The CONNERS 3 assessment was administered to evaluate the attention levels of school age children six to twelve years of age. This assessment is generally used in helping diagnose ADHD (Connors, Pitkanen, & Rzepa, 2008;Pearson, 2008). It takes into account the social, home, and school setting of the child. The GORT 5 assessment was also administered to those same subjects to assess their reading ability at the time (Wiederholt & Bryant, 2012). SPSS was used to run analyses and results were exported in tables from the program.

Hellstern, Rylan; Fauth, Elizabeth; Aller, Ty (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Fauth, Elizabeth (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department); Aller, Ty (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department)

Mental health literacy (MHL), defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid in recognition, management, and prevention of mental health disorders, is crucial in promoting mental health prevention rather than just intervention (Jorm et al., 1997). MHL is low among the public (Klineberg et al., 2011), varying demographically (Reavley et al., 2011), and is low in college populations (Vasquez, 2016). This is concerning, considering rates of mental health issues among students (Storrie, et al., 2010). One interesting population are students who have had mental health diagnoses and/or who receive therapy. These students may be vulnerable due to their own mental health issues, but also may have increased MHL due to experience and educative supportive services. I hypothesize that students with prior diagnoses and/or therapy will be more likely to recognize mental health issues, feel confident about helping others, and act on that confidence (high MHL). In the current study, Amazon's Mechanical Turk was used to collect MHL data from college students across the US (N=306; ages 18-25; 52.6% female; 44.8% male, 2.6% other). Nineteen percent (N=58) reported receiving therapy over the past three months, while 113 (36.9%) reported having a mental health diagnosis over their lifetime. MHL was measured via the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Assessment Tool (MHAA-AT), assessing MHL Knowledge (subscales Identifying, Locating resources, Responding), MHL Self-efficacy, and MHL Responding behaviors. Independent samples t-tests (p<.05) indicated that students in therapy had higher average MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. Students with history of a mental health diagnosis had higher MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying, Locating], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. In conclusion, students with history of diagnosis or in therapy may be a resource to universities, due to their higher MHL, including greater knowledge about mental health issues, confidence surrounding MHL, and the willingness to respond and refer.