Bethany Wood, PhD

Professional Titles

• Senior Instructor

Recognitions

• 2024 Best Quantitative Article, Families in Society (2025)

Research Interests

My research focuses on neighborhood effects as a social determinant of mental health and mental health access among low-income and medically underserved populations. I examine how structural inequities, neighborhood poverty, and the built environment impact youth mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality. I utilize advanced quantitative methods and a community-engaged approach to understand how place-based factors shape mental health outcomes and access to behavioral health services.

Publications

• Park Y, Song J, Wood B, Gallegos T, Childress S. A Global Examination on the Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: A Multilevel Modeling Analysis. Violence Against Women. 2026 May;32(6-7):1492-1517. PubMed PMID: 40304710
• Park, Y., Wood, B., Crutchfield, J., & Park, K. (2026). Built Environment and Anxiety Among Adolescents: To What Extent Can Resilient Family Protect Youth?. Families in Society, 107(1), 205-221.
• Park, Y., Murphy, J., Vazquez, C., Wood, B., Park, K., & Lee, S. (2026). Racial variation in adolescent depression: The interplay of neighborhoods, schools, discrimination, and family resilience. Psychiatric Quarterly.
• Park, Y., Harrell, D. R., Wood, B. M., & Park, K. (2026). The role of family resilience in the context of built environment risk and adolescent depression. Children and Youth Services Review, 108696
• Park, Y., Wood, B., Thor, P., Gallegos, T., Curran, L., & Park, K. (2025). Adolescents’ Victimization and Perpetration of Bullying and Their Built Environment: Exploring the Protective Effect of Family Resilience. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 08862605251384942.
• Wood BM, Hall A, Baiden P. Risk of racism as a social determinant of suicidality among young adolescents in the United States: An investigation using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. J Psychiatr Res. 2025 Jun;186:364-372. PubMed PMID: 40288104
• Baiden P, Cañizares C, Broni MN, LaBrenz CA, Sellers CM, Baiden JF, Aryee E, Ansah-Koi S, Wood BM, Hall A. Association between early sexual initiation and forced sexual intercourse with polysubstance use among adolescents: Findings from a population-based study. J Psychiatr Res. 2025 Jun;186:163-171. PubMed PMID: 40245531
• Vazquez CE, Wood B, Handique S, Liang Y, Yin Z, Parra-Medina D. Relationship between child opportunity index and body mass index z-score: a mixed-effects analysis with data from a lifestyle intervention with Hispanic children. Front Adolesc Med. 2025;3. PubMed PMID: 40837522
• Vohra-Gupta S, Wood BM, Kim Y, La Frinere-Sandoval QN, Widen EM, Cubbin C. Neighborhood Diversity Is Good for Your Health: An Example of Racial/Ethnic Integration and Preterm Birth in Texas. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Oct;12(5):3117-3130. PubMed PMID: 39136878
• Cubbin C, Yirenya-Tawiah A, Kim Y, Wood B, La Frinere-Sandoval NQNB, Vohra-Gupta S. A Longitudinal Ecologic Analysis of Neighborhood-Level Social Inequalities in Health in Texas. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Jul 5;22(7). PubMed PMID: 40724143
• Parker C, Wood BM. At the Forefront: Social Workers' Role in Psilocybin Treatment for Depression and Substance Misuse. Soc Work. 2024 Jun 21;69(3):297-302. PubMed PMID: 38697188
• Baiden, P., LaBrenz, C. A., Harrell, D. R., Wood, B. M., Gobodzo, E. C., Baiden, J. F., ... & Howry, S. K. (2024). Exposure to neighborhood violence and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents in the USA: Findings from a population-based study. School mental health, 16(1), 161-176.
• Wood, B. M., Cubbin, C., Ward, K. P., & Hernandez, E. J. R. (2023). The link between ACEs, income, and maternal depressive symptoms through a racial and ethnic lens: A moderated-mediation analysis. Mental Health & Prevention, 30, 200284.
• Baiden P, Onyeaka HK, Aneni K, Wood B, LaBrenz CA, Muoghalu C, Peoples JE, Szlyk HS, Gobodzo EC, Baiden JF, Adeku Y, Mets VE, Brown FA, Cavazos-Rehg P. Perceived racial discrimination and polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents in the United States. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2023 Jul 1;248:109894. PubMed PMID: 37167795
• Baiden P, Wood B, LaBrenz CA, Onyeaka HK, Hagedorn A, Vazquez CE, Muoghalu C, Gobodzo EC, Baiden JF, Adeku Y, Mets VE, Brown FA. Investigating the co-occurrence of marijuana use and prescription opioid misuse with multiple suicide attempts among adolescents with a history of suicidal ideation. Psychiatry Res. 2023 Nov;329:115519. PubMed PMID: 37816289
• Wood BM, Cubbin C, Rubalcava Hernandez EJ, DiNitto DM, Vohra-Gupta S, Baiden P, Mueller EJ. The Price of Growing Up in a Low-Income Neighborhood: A Scoping Review of Associated Depressive Symptoms and Other Mood Disorders among Children and Adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Oct 5;20(19). PubMed PMID: 37835154
• Baiden P, Onyeaka HK, Aneni K, Wood BM, LaBrenz CA, Hagedorn A, Muoghalu C, Gobodzo EC, Baiden JF, Adeku Y, Mets VE, Brown FA. Racial/ethnic differences in adolescents' non-response to suicide attempt: Findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2015-2019. J Psychiatr Res. 2023 Oct;166:115-121. PubMed PMID: 37757704
• Wood BM, Cubbin C. Neighborhood Poverty in Combination with Older Housing Is Associated with Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Study on Ubiquitous Lead Risk among 1 Million Births in Texas. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 29;19(3). PubMed PMID: 35162602
• Sevillano, L., Wood, B., & Franklin, C. (2022). Mental health interventions that address historical trauma among Indigenous peoples: A systematic review. Social Work Research, 46(2), 127-140.
• Teitler J, Wood BM, Zeng W, Martinson ML, Plaza R, Reichman NE. Racial-ethnic inequality in cardiovascular health in the United States: Does it mirror socioeconomic inequality?. Ann Epidemiol. 2021 Oct;62:84-91. PubMed PMID: 33991659
• Wood DS, Wood BM, Watson A, Sheffield D, Hauter H. Veteran Suicide Risk Factors: A National Sample of Nonveteran and Veteran Men Who Died by Suicide. Health Soc Work. 2020 Jan 7;45(1):23-30. PubMed PMID: 31953537
• Hoffman, S., & Wood, B. M. (2019). Hispanic Stepfamilies. In Stewart, S. & Limb G., Multicultural Stepfamilies (pp. 77-110). Cognella Academic Publishing.
• Leedahl SN, Brasher MS, Estus E, Breck BM, Dennis CB, Clark SC. Implementing an interdisciplinary intergenerational program using the Cyber Seniors® reverse mentoring model within higher education. Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2018 Jan 24;:1-19. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29364782
• Breck BM, Dennis CB, Leedahl SN. Implementing reverse mentoring to address social isolation among older adults. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2018 Jul;61(5):513-525. PubMed PMID: 29528785

Professional Memberships

• Society for Social Work Research, Member
• American Public Health Association, Member
• Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science, Member
• PFLAG Denver, Member