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

Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology

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

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Improve Adherence Barriers for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Modi, AC; Mara, CA; O'donnell, H; Schmidt, M; Kichler, JC; Smith, LB; Westen, SC; Jacobsen, L; Corathers, SD; Williford, DN; Trojanowski, PJ; Flynn, E; Shaffer, ER; Tanner, B; Driscoll, KA. Journal of Pediatrics. 2026; 295:115155.

Service Parameters in Treatment of Perinatal Depression in Mothers with Low Incomes. Ammerman, R; Messer, E; Mara, C; Zion, C; Folger, A; Frey, J. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2026; 1-13.

Leveraging large language models in patient-reported outcome measure development: practical opportunities, cautions, and a human-in-the-loop roadmap. Mara, C; Rybak, T. Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes. 2026; 10(1).

How Parents Navigate Hydroxyurea Adherence for Their Young Children with Sickle Cell Disease. Robbertz, AS; Hildenbrand, AK; Hackworth, RT; Quinn, CT; Mara, C; Thompson, AA; Badawy, S; Tubman, V; Raphael, J; Smith-Whitley, K; Houston, PE; Gipson, CD; Shook-Chiles, LM; Crosby, L. Journal of Sickle Cell Disease. 2026; 3(Supplement_1):yoag020.048.

Patient Identified Medication Adherence Barriers Predict Acute Rejection in Kidney Transplant Patients: An Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative Study. Hite, CM; Mara, C; Ranabothu, S; Yanik, M; Vansickle, J; Seifert, ME; Singer, P; Belsha, C; Harshman, L; Parsons, J; Modi, A; Varnell, CD; Hooper, DK. American Journal of Transplantation. 2026; 26(7):s455-s456.

Methods for analyzing longitudinal data from randomized pretest-posttest-follow-up trials in behavioral research: a practical guide to latent change models. Mara, CA. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 2026; 49(2):286-297.

Examining mechanisms connecting child maltreatment and interpersonal violence to young adult pain symptoms in women. Beal, SJ; Barnett, K; Kashikar-Zuck, S; King, C; Mara, CA; Fox, K; Greiner, MV; Noll, JG. PAIN Reports. 2026; 11(1):e1370.

Feasibility Trial of a Tailored Adherence-Promotion Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer. Mcgrady, ME; Ketterl, TG; Webster, RT; Burns, MMK; Bills, SE; Burke, M; Szulczewski, L; Brock, MY; Schwartz, LE; Herriott, JK; Hommel, KA; Pai, ALH; Mara, CA; Norris, RE. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2026; 73(1):e32127.

Prevalence, predictors, and moderators of transfer in primary care. Murphy, BN; Lang, AC; Mara, CA; Hinojosa, JT; Smith, EM; Elliott, T; Burkhardt, MC; Jones, MN; Crosby, LE. Health Care Transitions. 2026; 4:100126.

Evaluating the effect of sleep kits and training in foster care clinic visits. Anyigbo, C; Fox, K; Mara, CA; Bemerer, J; Krietsch, K; Radenhausen, M; Patel, M; Beal, SJ; Greiner, MV. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2025; 50(11):1004-1011.