Dr Sophie Wickham PhD Msc BSc (Hons)

Research Overview

My research focuses on the impact of policies that aim to reduce child poverty on child and maternal mental health and health inequalities. This involves using national longitudinal data sources to evaluating the health impact of national policy changes. I am currently exploring the impact of universal credit and its mental health impact on various groups of people likely to be effected by the introduction of the policy (e.g. out of work, single parents, people living with a disability, children). I am also keen to investigate other aspects of welfare changes for example the introduction of the two-child limit and how this has impacted women's choices. I am also exploring how cuts to legal advice service provision alongside welfare changes have effected health and health inequalities

I have discussed some of this work, examples of which can be accessed via the links below:

Oral evidence to the House of Commons Works and Pensions Select Committee on Universal Credit and the wait for first payment:
https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/5d5e46b8-c323-4a64-8bca-53e2ed17cb4f
https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/528/default/

Podcast: Episode 8 of Our Sick Society: Social class, poverty, and young people's mental health: https://soundcloud.com/oursicksociety/social-class-and-young-people

Conference: The International BNA Festival of Neruscience: The psychological impact of poverty: http://www.educationalneuroscience.org.uk/2021/08/23/symposium-on-the-psychological-impact-of-poverty-2/

Liverpool Responds: Health inequalities (discussing the health inequalities before COVID-19): https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/coronavirus/events/liverpool-responds-health-inequalities/