Research Statement Bethany Wood, MSW, CSW

Research Statement

Bethany Wood, MSW, CSW

Steve Hicks School of Social Work | The University of Texas at Austin | 801- 433-8544 | bethanymwood@utexas.edu

The primary goal of my research is to demonstrate the impact of multidimensional

poverty on mental health. My research centers an intersectional approach; I examine economic

and racial disparities in health due to individual and neighborhood poverty. Even as a child, I

knew that the stress of poverty affected families and communities. By age twelve, I had lived in

nearly a dozen neighborhoods, including a mobile home park in Mesa, Arizona where economic

stressors on my family and neighbors were acutely apparent. Years later, living in a mostly

White Chicago suburb, I could see differences in resources and consequently lower stress in my

family and neighbors’ lives. As a social work student, I acquired an understanding of the

ecological frameworks that matched my experience: for example, neighborhood as mezzo factor

and income as a micro factor both impacted my individual health. Now, in addition to describing

the patterns I saw while growing up, I am able to study poverty as a pivotal social determinant of

physical and mental health. As a scholar, my contribution to mental health equity and

neighborhood context would add to the innovative and growing body of work on neighborhood

and income as determinants of health.

I consider the overwhelming presence of structural racism and economic inequality

deeply embedded in the U.S. as forms of violence that must be addressed, especially in

neighborhoods, housing, and mental health systems. Poverty is one of the United States' worst

addressed mental health crises, and COVID-19 is predicted to set back efforts to reduce poverty

by at least 10 years. Furthermore, poverty at a neighborhood level can impact many health

outcomes. Despite neighborhood poverty’s impact on physical health, there is little research on

the neighborhood economic determinants of mental health. My research utilizes a multi-tiered

approach to measure the impact of both individual poverty and neighborhood poverty on health

outcomes, with a specialization in mental health outcomes.

My clinical work with non-profit organizations, advanced quantitative training, and

scholarship on poverty and mental health has given me an advanced perspective as a researcher.

First, my involvement in non-profit research helped me gain an understanding of community-

level factors and mental health outcomes which ultimately led to my focus on neighborhood

characteristics. I was employed by the Utah State Office of Service and Volunteerism to analyze

data from a statewide survey on social issues and identified mental health concerns as the

primary issue reported by respondents. I then conducted follow-up focus groups with low-

income adults on primary mental health concerns in their community, including high rates of

suicide and the inaccessibility of mental healthcare. As an intern for the non-profit suicide

prevention agency Hope4Utah, I interviewed community leaders to create a community-based

model to decrease suicidality. These experiences have led me to the definitive conclusion that as

a researcher, I am responsible to continue to remain active in the local community. For example,

as a recipient of the Lyndon B. Johnson’s CONNECT fellowship, I worked with Foundation

Communities, a local Austin non-profit, to identify barriers to housing for BIPOC adults in the

United States. I look forward to being an active force for equity in any community where I live.

My advanced statistical training is imperative for my research analyzing multilevel,

longitudinal data (individuals nested in neighborhoods over time). In my MSW program, I chose

the research track and took courses such as structural equation modeling to advance my

quantitative skills. In my doctoral program, I earned a certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling

by taking courses such as hierarchical linear modeling, Bayesian analysis, and growth curve

modeling. I have used my research skills to analyze the effect of wealth inequality on

psychological distress. For example, using growth curve modeling, I found that having wealth

significantly lowered an individual's psychological distress over 15 years. I was selected to

present these findings as a finalist in the University of Texas at Austin’s 2021 Three Minute

Thesis Competition. I also enjoyed teaching the undergraduate social work course Social Work

Statistics using R and received a near-perfect course rating.

My research experience has allowed me to better measure poverty and its effects on

mental health. As principal investigator for the “Promoting Digital Literacy Among Older

Research Statement

Bethany Wood, MSW, CSW

Steve Hicks School of Social Work | The University of Texas at Austin | 801- 433-8544 | bethanymwood@utexas.edu

Adults: An Intergenerational Approach Study,” I received IRB approval to design and implement

an intergenerational program to address social isolation among older adults living in Section 8

housing. I designed and distributed pre- and post-surveys and worked on an inter-University

team in tandem with the University of Rhode Island to publish three articles in academic

journals, including Sustainability (IF=3.25). Under the mentorship of Dr. Catherine Cubbin,

Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, I have

examined poverty at both individual and neighborhood levels. In one analysis, I assessed the

moderated mediation of racial/ethnic identity on the relationship between adverse childhood

experiences, income, and depression, submitted the manuscript for publication as first author,

and presented our findings at the Society for Social Work Research’s 2021 conference. I also

examined neighborhood poverty’s effects on birth outcomes with a sample of 1 million births

across Texas, submitted the manuscript for publication as first author, and will be presenting our

findings at the upcoming American Public Health Association conference. Additionally, I assist

Dr. Cubbin in her editorial work for the journals Health & Place (IF=4.08) and Demography

(IF=3.90).

I also prioritize conducting research that is both interdisciplinary and intersectional. Last

year, I partnered with Dr. Diana DiNitto, a nationally recognized policy expert, to assess an

interdisciplinary program designed to train mental health professionals to provide care for

marginalized populations. This project resulted in a presentation at an international conference. I

continue to examine poverty and health disparities through interdisciplinary collaborations. I am

a member of an inter-university team that includes poverty experts from Columbia University

and Rutgers University. In our recently published article Racial-ethnic inequality in

cardiovascular health in the U.S.: Does it mirror socioeconomic inequality? in Annals of

Epidemiology (IF=3.80), we reported the finding that structural racism accounted for greater

disparity in cardiovascular health across the lifespan than SES; the intersection of gender

amplified the risk for Black women compared to White women. I also place a high priority on

helping local organizations. For instance, I am assisting Austin’s Healthy Community

Collaborative by using data to demonstrate the mental health benefits of affordable housing

across Texas. As a scholar, I will continue to foster interdisciplinary and intersectional research

as a key component of my research trajectory. Based on my scholarly and community activity, I

was awarded the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School’s continuing fellowship to fund

my dissertation.

Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, my three-paper dissertation measures the

impacts of neighborhood poverty and gentrification on child psychological distress over time. I

specifically test for racial disparities in this relationship given the history of structural racism

(e.g., redlining) and current exclusionary practices (e.g., zoning) in neighborhoods. I am

employing hierarchical linear modeling to account for the nested individual mental health data in

neighborhood-level characteristics. My short-term research goals include 1) expanding

neighborhood poverty research on other mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, suicidality, and

anxiety across the lifespan); 2) examining the effects of neighborhood gentrification on mental

health; and 3) examining policies meant to reduce poverty at the individual and neighborhood

levels. To support my neighborhood-level research as a junior faculty member, I would apply for

external funding from sources like The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I aim for my work to

propel social work forward as a leader on neighborhood determinants of mental health in

interdisciplinary collaborations.

I am accountable as a researcher to children growing up in poverty, particularly in

marginalized communities. Ultimately, I plan to use research to influence policies that reduce the

individual and neighborhood poverty I witnessed as a child and improve mental health in

communities across the United States.