Constance A. Mara, PhD

Quantitative Psychologist, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

constance.mara@cchmc.org

About

Biography

Dr. Mara researches improved methods for measuring and analyzing psychological data in quantitative methods. Her research has focused on developing and investigating improved procedures for analyzing behavioral data. For example, she has studied equivalence testing methods that have recently become popular in psychology for investigating when groups/conditions are equivalent, or when a lack of association between variables exists. Dr. Mara has also investigated novel structural equation models for investigating change in randomized longitudinal studies, and applications of item response theory.

Dr. Mara's research in the area of pediatric patient-reported outcomes has centered on the measurement and psychometric properties of patient-reported outcomes in a pediatric healthcare setting. In particular, she uses item-response theory (IRT) and factor analysis to examine the psychometric properties of patient-reported outcomes. It is critical that the measures we use are reliable, valid, sensitive, and responsive. Applying contemporary measurement science to assess the measures used as outcomes in research is critical to reducing error and improving the accuracy and replicability of our research findings.

Services and Specialties

Interests

Innovative application of advanced quantitative methods to research in pediatric psychology; pediatric patient-reported outcomes; longitudinal data analysis; randomized behavioral clinical trials

Research Areas

Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology

Publications

THRIVE 2.0: A randomized-controlled trial of an obesity prevention intervention designed for infants in pediatric primary care. Rybak, TM; Francis, SE; Mara, CA; Zion, C; Modi, AC; Crosby, LE; Herbst, RB; Lauer, BA; Murphy, BN; Harry, KR; Patel, DJ; Burkhardt, MC. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2025; 45:101488.

Engaging Parents of Children With Sickle Cell Disease in Shared Decision-Making for Hydroxyurea: The ENGAGE-HU Study. Hildenbrand, AK; Mara, CA; Murphy, B; Hood, AM; Johnson, Y; Shook, LM; Real, FJ; Nwankwo, C; Hackworth, R; Badawy, SM; Saving, KL; Treadwell, M; Quinn, CT; Crosby, LE. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2025; 72:e31639.

Intervention to reduce barriers to type 1 diabetes self-management: Diabetes Journey study design and participant characteristics. Driscoll, KA; Trojanowski, PJ; Williford, DN; O'Donnell, HK; Flynn, E; Mara, CA; Wetter, SE; Himelhoch, AC; Manis, H; Pardon, A; Jacobsen, LM; Poetker, A; Schmidt, M; Modi, AC. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2025; 152:107849.

The Influence of Project ECHO and Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care on Emergency Department Visits Among Youth Diagnosed with Depression. McClure, JM; Mara, CA; Stark, LJ; Anderson, J; Young, M; Aggarwal, A; Harris, E; Modi, AC. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. 2025; 52:357-366.

Editorial: Building a learning health system in pediatric rheumatology. Morgan, EM; Mara, CA; Vora, SS; Gottlieb, BS. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2025; 13:1582988.

Community Implementation and Evaluation of the Chicago Parent Program. Ammerman, RT; Zion, C; Cleary, OM; Raglin Bignall, WJ; Mara, CA; Theuerling, AM; Offenbacker, EJ; Triplett, TA; Mitchell, MJ; Brokamp, C; Smith, RR; Stark, LJ. Journal of Community Psychology. 2025; 53:e23176.

Preparing adolescents and young adults with epilepsy for transitioning health care (PATH) study: The important role of age and self-efficacy. Lang, AC; Laguerre, KE; Buschhaus, S; Mara, CA; Fong, SL; Duncan, CL; Modi, AC. Epilepsy and Behavior. 2025; 162:110167.

Achieving Independence and Mastery in School: A School-Based Executive Function Group Intervention for Autistic Middle Schoolers. Tamm, L; Hamik, E; Yeung, TS; Zoromski, AK; Mara, CA; Duncan, A. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2024; 54:4357-4368.

Impact of Adverse Experiences on Maternal Trust in Pediatric Primary Care. Ryan, P; Ammerman, RT; Mara, CA; Brown, CM; Zion, C; Cleary, OM; Theuerling, AM; Bignall, WR. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma. 2024; 33:1530-1545.

Caregivers on point: a randomized treatment-control prevention trial for foster and kinship caregivers to reduce behavior challenges among children in foster care. Beal, SJ; Zion, C; Mara, CA; Patel, MA; Bettencourt, AF; Breitenstein, SM; Vaughn, LM; Greiner, MV; Ammerman, RT. Trials. 2024; 25:670.